A reliable approach for heat exchanger networks synthesis with stream splitting by coupling genetic algorithm with modified quasi-linear programming method

•Introducing a simple method to solve HENs synthesis using the GA-MQLP model.•Using GA to find the structural variables.•Using the MQLP, which consists of two inner and outer surfaces, to find the optimal values of each HEN's continuous variables.•Finding the local optimal values of variables by combining an LP and a search loop, on the outer surface.•Increasing probability of finding the global optimal of these variables and the OOF on the inner surface by solving a set of linear equations.