Multiobjective Design Optimization of Real-Life Devices in Electrical Engineering: A Cost-Effective Evolutionary Approach

When tackling the multicriteria optimization of a device in electrical engineering, the exhaustive sampling of Pareto optimal front implies the use of complex and timeconsuming algorithms that are unpractical from the industrial viewpoint. In several cases, however, the accurate identification of a few non-dominated solutions is often sufficient for the design purposes. An evolutionary methodology of lowest order, dealing with a small number of individuals, is proposed to obtain a cost-effective approximation of non-dominated solutions. In particular, the algorithm assigning the fitness enables the designer to pursue either shape or performance diversity of the device. The optimal shape design of a shielded reactor, based on the optimization of both cost and performance of the device, is presented as a real-life case study.