REVIEW JURNAL

Application of Mixed Level Design of Taguchi Method to Counter Flow

Vortex Tube
Hitesh Thakare, Ashok Parekh, Arif Upletawala, Bhushan Behede
1. Introduction
This paper describes the application of the Taguchi method in an experiment. The
purpose of this paper is to present and review an analysis related to the application of the
method. The most recent article in 2022 has been reviewed in this paper. The real
performance characteristics of a system or equipment can be well explored by conducting
experiments. However, it is very expensive to set up an experimental setup. It may not be
possible to make every combination of experiments and test them in the laboratory.
Moreover, it wasted a lot of time when we carried out many experiments to investigate the
effects of all parameter combinations and need more cost for conducting all combination
experiment. In the actual experiment there is a noise factor that can affect the control factor
used in an experiment, the Taguchi method also helps in determining whether the noise factor
in the experiment really affects the control factor, causing response variance. As a result of
these difficulties, numerical analysis and the Taguchi Method gained popularity for
understanding system behaviour.
2. Description
The Vortex Tube (VT) is a simple and compact device invented by Ranque. It produces
different flows at different temperatures when a stream of compressed air is received into it.
The design was further tested and improved by Hilsch. The inlet nozzle adjustment converts
the received flow into a vortex flow in the VT. After that, this flow is separated at the hot end
and cold end. The ratio of the mass of air leaving the cold end to the mass received from the
compressed air is known as the cold mass fraction (µc). The control valve located at the hot
end is operated appropriately to obtain the desired value of c, depending on the requirements
of the application. VT has a compact size, does not need maintenance, has no chemical
reactions, and does not use CFCs and HCFCs that are harmful to the environment to produce
a cooling effect. This makes the VT a suitable device in many point cooling applications such
as CNC machining, weld cooling in ultrasonic welding, reduced production cycle times for
moulded fuel containers, gas liquefaction, and personalized convenience cooling for mine
and foundry workers. The real performance can be well with conducting experiment, but with
the many factors and combination, it’s impossible conducting all combinations experiment,
because its waste a lot of time and need more cost for conducting it. So, to deal with this
problem, an efficient experimental method is needed so that the experiment is not carried out
on all combinations of factors, but by using representatives from several combinations, the
experiment can be carried out, according to the literature review, the Taguchi method can
help deal with this problem, The outcomes of experimental study were utilized as input to
orthogonal array concept given by Taguchi. Individual trial has been carried out for different
under different settings of inlet pressure, µc and insulation condition. So, the objectives of
this research include:
 a. create a statistical model using the Taguchi method and combining experimental
findings
b. found the optimum configuration of VT operating parameters using the Taguchi
experimental design procedure.
c. get the percentage contribution and significance of various operating parameters
in the temperature separation made by VT.
d. perform optimal configuration confirmation experiments and validate predicted
results with laboratory experimental findings.

3. Methodology and Limitation

Taguchi method was put forth by Genichi Taguchi in 1960s. This design significantly
improves the product quality [22]. Its special features such as a lesser number of trials to
determine the effect of operating parameters on product quality features have increased
its popularity with time. For example, in an experiment having 3 control factors with 3
levels, ordinarily 27 experiments must be performed to arrive at optimum solution and 100%
accurate results. However, application of L9 orthogonal array prescribed by Taguchi method
will need only 9 experiments to be performed in a very specific order which will cover all the
control factors. These 9 experiments will give 99.96% results like those of 27 experiments.
Sometimes, 1 confirmation experiment may be necessary to validate the optimum
combination of control factors obtained from run of L9 orthogonal array. Thus, Taguchi
method has effectively reduced the number of necessary experiments from 27 to only 10 i.e.,
a reduction of 62.96% in experimentation efforts and resources required.

3.1. Methodology

The steps in the application of the taguchi method are as follows:

a. Determine control factors, Interaction of control factors and response parameters
b. Determine the level of each factor
c. Selecting the appropriate orthogonal array depends on the level of each factor and
the available designs.
d. Assign control factors, interactions, and response factors in an orthogonal array
column
e. Conducting experiments using orthogonal arrays
f. Data analysis for means, Signal to Noise (S/N) ratio and variation
g. Evaluation of optimal levels for various factors
h. Conduct final verification/confirmation experiments to check for deviations
between experimental results and predictions.

3.2. Limitation
The vortex tube that will be used in the research and for experimentation is the VT
Exair Model No. 3225, 708 SLPM, 25 SCFM The following is a picture of the vortex tube
that will be used along with its geometric parameters.
 The experimental array components used in this study are shown in the figure below,
where the compressed air produced by the reciprocating compressor is stored in a reservoir
(capacity 220 L). The control valve and Filter Regulator (FR) unit regulate the flow rate and
pressure of the compressed air supplied to the VT at the inlet. Furthermore, the FR unit also
separates moisture from the air. The thermocouple measures temperature at three locations,
namely inlet, cold exit, and hot exit with an accuracy of ±0.1C. Pressure is measured using a
pressure gauge (±0.01 bar accuracy) on cold inlet and outlet. The rotameter shows the air
flow rate as it enters the VT and exits cold. Care has been taken to secure the 2 mm diameter
slot temperature probe to ensure its alignment with the VT axis and the cavity is sealed with
adhesive to avoid leakage.

The actual image of the experimental setup is shown in the next image with insulation
and cladding.

4. the application of the taguchi method in experiments

 The table above shows that the levels for all the factors considered are not the same, so
the Mixed Level Taguchi method needs to be used. So, from the design given by Taguchi, the
L16 orthogonal array has been chosen to have 8 levels for one factor and 2 levels each for the
other two factors. The L16 orthogonal array is represented as follows:

The table above shows a series of experiments that need to be carried out to reach the
optimal solution using the Taguchi method. The result for this set or the response parameter
is that Tc has been extracted from the experiment shown in the table below:

4.1. Signal to Noise Ratio Analysis (S/N Ratio)

VT performance can be evaluated using the Taguchi method through the S/N ratio. It
shows the variation of the considered parameter. It is given as the mean for the standard
deviation. This can be obtained on a case-by-case basis, on an objective function. The Larger
is Better (LB) criterion was chosen in this study, because the goal is to have a higher
separation temperature. The factor with the greatest influence means that it has the most
significant effect on the response. The LB criteria are expressed mathematically as:
 The table below describes the average values of the S/N ratio for various measurements
along with the values of Tc and the ratings of these parameters to show their importance in
VT performance.

The value of ΔTc is calculated as the difference between the maximum and minimum
values of a certain parameter. The highest ΔTc value was observed for lc while the lowest
was for VT isolation conditions. shows that lc is the most important parameter for the cold
exit temperature difference VT. This is followed by inlet pressure. The isolation condition
was found to be the least important parameter.

The graph above can show the advantage of c for the temperature difference VT. The value at
the c level of 0.30 has the highest value of the S/N ratio when considering Tc. The S/N ratio
in the With Insulation (WI) condition is greater than in the Without Insulation (WOI)
condition. Also, the S/N ratio for an inlet pressure of 4 bar is higher than that for an inlet
pressure of 3 bar. This allows us to complete the optimal combination for the highest
performance VT as A3B1C2.
4.2. Regression Analysis
Regression analysis was performed to obtain a definitive mathematical correlation
between various VT performance parameters. And the contribution of individual factors on
system performance is also a key determinant for controlling the system. Therefore, the
researchers used ANOVA for the regression analysis. ANOVA is used to determine the role
of each factor on variations in system performance and to determine which factors have the
most influence. In this study, researchers used ANOVA with independent factors and
interactions between factors, the results of ANOVA from this experiment are shown in the
table below:

From the table above is the result of ANOVA without interaction between factors. the
table shows that the coolant mass fraction factor (µc) has the greatest contribution value in
influencing the value of ΔTc, namely the F value = 112.98 or the contribution value is 86.39,
while the insulation condition factor has the lowest contribution value, namely 2.02 %.
Because the table above is the result of factors without interaction, the researcher suspects
that the contribution can change if there is interaction between the factors. so that the
researcher conducted another ANOVA with the interactions shown in the table below:

From the table of factor interaction anova above, it shows that the factor that has the
most significant influence on the value of ΔTc is fixed, namely c with a contribution value of
86.40%. While the factor that has the least effect on this experiment is the interaction factor
between c and INSC with a contribution value of 0.02%. thus, the numerical model of this
ANOVA was used to predict the value of Tc with significant accuracy, as indicated by the
value of R2. The results of such predictions for the case without interaction, with the
interaction and the taguchi method are shown in the table below:
 Experimental and predictive values have also been presented graphically in the graph
below to make it easier to understand the effects of considering interactions in statistical
modelling using regression and the Taguchi method.

From the graph above, it shows that the results of the regression analysis with
interactions show a better fit with the experimental results than the regression analysis
without interaction. This proves the usefulness of the regression equation obtained in this
analysis. Furthermore, the prediction results of the regression equation were validated
through a good match with the predicted results of the Taguchi method.

4.3. Confirmation Experiment

The optimal combination to produce the highest magnitude of temperature separation
has been found, namely the A3B1C2 factor. However, this combination has not been
considered in the L16 array. Therefore, it becomes important to predict the VT performance
for this optimal combination as well as verify the results with experimental results. The S/N
ratio equation used to carry out the confirmation experiment uses the following formula:

By using the above formula, the following results are obtained:

The table above shows that the difference in the value of Tc between the experiment and the
prediction is 0.7388. Thus, the percentage of absolute deviation in the predicted Tc compared
to the maximum experimental value of Tc is calculated as follows:

Referring to table 10 shows that the predicted value and the experimental value of the S/N
ratio are very close to each other. This indicates that the prediction has been successful. With
an error value of 8.84% between the predicted and experimental results, it shows that the
Taguchi method statistical assessment can be used to predict VT performance with significant
accuracy.
5. Conclusion
In this work, the process, and results of statistical assessment of the performance of the
VT temperature separation using the Taguchi method have been described. The breakthrough
achieved in this research is the use of the Mixed Level Design method from Taguchi, to
accommodate the number of different control factors. The results show that the prediction of
temperature separation is better when the interaction effects of control factors are considered.
The biggest contribution was shown by c (86.40%). Followed by the interaction of lc, Pi and
isolation conditions (6.56%). The Taguchi method has been able to obtain the optimal
combination of control factors for maximum temperature separation, which was further
verified by confirmatory experiments. The percentage deviation between the predicted and
experimental results was 8.84%, which was significantly accurate.