Reliability engineering and robust design applied to evaluate the energy performance of an electrical domestic oven

Joaquin Capablo
Whirlpool Corporation

Reliability engineering means considering tolerances in design parameters, uncertainties in environments and variation in involved factors. Taking into account these phenomena it is possible to calculate the probability that a design will reach its required performance, providing a quantity about the amount of over- or under-design present. Robust design means factoring reliability into the development of the design itself, avoiding costly over-design or dangerous under-design. In this study both techniques are applied, together with a network approach (using SINDA/FLUINT® as simulation software) to model the thermal/fluid system involved on the energy performance of an electrical domestic oven. For example, three kinds of random variables are used to describe the distribution functions of the thickness of the door glasses: uniform, normal and arbitrary distributions. Furthermore, some reliability constraints are imposed, as, for example, the limit of the maximum temperature of the external glass of the door.