Structural optimization of labyrinth-channel emitters based on hydraulic and anti-clogging performances

To balance the hydraulic and anti-clogging performances for labyrinth-channel emitters, a multi-objective optimization was performed to improve the structure of trapezoidal labyrinth channels. Two variables, pressure loss coefficient (PLC) and passage rate of particles (PRP), were proposed to evaluate the hydraulic and anti-clogging performances, respectively. The Pareto fronts of PLC and PRP were calculated using the elitist non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm version II (NSGA-II). The results show that the optimal fronts are obtained through 100 generations evolution. The associated key parameters D/W and H/D are constant, while S/H and α are different for each front. In addition, the approach to obtain a trade-off solution from these fronts was developed by arranging different weights for the two variables. This approach is very suitable for structural optimization of labyrinth channels with the same shape but different dimensions.