Experiments to Explore the Mechanisms of Heat Transfer in Nanocrystalline Alumina/Water Nanofluid under Laminar and Turbulent Flow Conditions

Abstract

Heat transfer characteristics of water-based nanocrystalline alumina (Al₂O₃) nanofluids flowing through a uniformly heated tube under a fully developed laminar and turbulent flow regime is investigated experimentally in the present work to explore the heat transfer mechanism in nanofluids. In a laminar flow, the increase in Nusselt number was attributed to the thermophysical properties of the nanofluid. The movement of nanoparticles, along with the turbulent eddies in the turbulent core region and diffusion mechanism, such as thermophoresis, in the laminar sublayer are believed to be the reasons for enhanced heat transfer in turbulent region. The compatibility of Al₂O₃/water nanofluids was also examined by monitoring its color.     

Heat Transfer Enhancement by Using Copper–Water Nanofluid Flow Inside a Pin Channel

Influences of simultaneous utilization of pin channel and copper–water nanofluid on performance of plate-fin heat exchangers were experimentally explored and compared with results obtained for the base fluid flow inside a plain channel. Experimental results clearly indicate that compared with the plain channel, the pin channel significantly improves the thermal-hydraulic performance of the plate-fin heat exchanger, about 38%. In addition, the heat transfer coefficient as well as pressure drop are increased by using the nanofluids instead of the base fluid. Noticeable average performance factor of 1.65 is obtained for the simultaneous utilization of pin channel and nanofluid inside the plate-fin heat exchanger.     

Lattice Boltzmann simulation for hydrothermal analysis of free convection within dumbbell-shaped heat exchanger

The lattice Boltzmann simulation of nanofluid flow and heat transfer during natural convection within a dumbbell-shaped heat exchanger is carried out. The heat exchanger is filled with CuO–water. The KKL model is employed to predict the thermo-physical properties of nanofluid. In order to perform a comprehensive hydrothermal investigation, different post-processing approaches such as heatline visualization, total entropy generation, local entropy generation based on local fluid friction irreversibility and heat transfer irreversibility, average and local Nusselt variation are employed. In the present investigation, it is tried to present the impact of different influential parameters like Rayleigh number, solid volume fraction of nanofluid and thermal arrangement of internal fins-bodies on the fluid flow, heat transfer rate and entropy generation.     

Convective Heat Transfer of a Cu/Water Nanofluid Flowing Through a Circular Tube

Abstract

Fluids in which nanometer-sized solid particles are suspended are called nanofluids. These fluids can be employed to increase the heat transfer rate in various applications. In this study, the convective heat transfer for Cu/water nanofluid through a circular tube was experimentally investigated. The flow was laminar, and constant wall temperature was used as thermal boundary condition. The Nusselt number of nanofluids for different nanoparticle concentrations, as well as various Peclet numbers, was obtained. Also, the rheological properties of the nanofluid for different volume fractions of nanoparticles were measured and compared with theoretical models. The results show that the heat transfer coefficient is enhanced by increasing the nanoparticle concentrations as well as the Peclet number.     

Numerical investigation of natural convection heat transfer of nanofluids in a Γ shaped cavity

This paper analyzes the heat transfer and fluid flow of natural convection in a Γ shaped enclosure filled with Al₂O₃/Water nanofluid that operates under differentially heated walls. The Navier–Stokes and energy equations are solved numerically. Heat transfer and fluid flow are examined for parameters of non-uniform nanoparticle size, mean nanoparticle diameter, nanoparticle volume fraction, Grashof number and different geometry of enclosure. Finite volume method is used for discretizating positional expressions, and the forth order Rung-Kuta is used for discretizating time expressions. Also an artificial compressibility technique was applied to couple continuity to momentum equations. Results indicate that using nanofluid causes an increase in the heat transfer and the Nusselt number so that for R = 0.001 in Gr = 10³, the Nusselt number 25%, in Gr = 10⁴ 26%, and in Gr = 10⁵ 28% increases. Furthermore; by decreasing the mean diameters of nanoparticles, Nusselt number increases. By increasing R parameter (d_p,min/d_p,max) and nano particle volume fraction, Nusselt number increases.     

Study of Automatic Transmission Fluid in a Serpentine Minichannel Heat Exchanger: An Experimental Approach

An experimental investigation was conducted on automatic transmission fluid cooling in a minichannel heat exchanger using a closed-loop integrated thermal wind tunnel test facility. Effects of automatic transmission fluid Reynolds number (Re_L) on heat transfer coefficient and Nusselt number were examined within the Re_L of 3–30 for air-flow Re of 1,450–5,200. Effects of serpentine on heat transfer enhancement and flow characteristics were evaluated through Dean number analysis. The analysis of Eckert number and Brinkman number showed a contribution to the viscous heating even for a low Re_L in the minichannel. The study showed enhanced heat transfer characterizations of the multi-port minichannel heat exchanger.     

Nanofluid MHD natural convection through a porous complex shaped cavity considering thermal radiation

Control volume based finite element method (CVFEM) is applied to simulate H₂O based nanofluid radiative and convective heat transfer inside a porous medium. Non-Darcy model is employed for porous media. Influences of Hartmann number, nanofluid volume fraction, radiation parameter, Darcy number, number of undulations and Rayleigh number on nanofluid behavior were demonstrated. Thermal conductivity of nanofluid is estimated by means of previous experimental correlation. Results show that Nusselt number enhances with augment of permeability of porous media. Effect of Hartmann number on rate of heat transfer is opposite of radiation parameter.     

Heat transfer behaviour of nanofluids in a uniformly heated circular tube fitted with helical inserts in laminar flow

The CFD simulation of heat transfer characteristics of a nanofluid in a circular tube fitted with helical twist inserts under constant heat flux has been explained using Fluent version 6.3.26 in laminar flow. Al₂O₃ nanoparticles in water of 0.5%, 1.0% and 1.5% concentrations and helical twist inserts of twist ratios 2.93, 3.91 and 4.89 has been used for the simulation. All thermophysical properties of nanofluids are temperature dependent. The heat transfer enhancement increases with Reynolds number and decreases with twist ratio with maximum for the twist ratio 2.93. By comparing the heat transfer rates of water and nanofluids, the increase in Nusselt number is 5%–31% for different helical inserts and different volume concentrations. The maximum heat transfer enhancement is 31.29% for helical insert of twist ratio 2.93 and for the volume concentration of 1.5% corresponding to the Reynolds number of 2039. The data obtained by simulation match with the literature value of water with the discrepancy of less than ±10% for plain tube and tube fitted with helical tape inserts for Nusselt number.     

Natural convective heat transfer of Ag-water nanofluid flow inside enclosure with center heater and bottom heat source

A numerical study on natural convective heat transfer inside an enclosure with center heater using nanofluid has been carried out. The effect of different length of center heater on the flow and temperature fields is analysed for different Rayleigh numbers. Results are displayed in terms of streamlines, isotherms, mid height velocity profile and average Nusselt number. The numerical results reveal heat transfer increases with increasing heater length at both vertical and horizontal positions for increasing values of Rayleigh numbers. In particular, a higher increase in heat transfer is obtained with heater situated with vertical position of maximum length. Also it is obtained that enhancement of heat transfer is high for Ag - water nanofluid than CuO -water and Al₂O₃ -water nanofluids.     

The effects of different nano particles of Al2O3 and Ag on the MHD nano fluid flow and heat transfer in a microchannel including slip velocity and temperature jump

The forced convection of nanofluid flow in a long microchannel is studied numerically according to the finite volume approach and by using a developed computer code. Microchannel domain is under the influence of a magnetic field with uniform strength. The hot inlet nanofluid is cooled by the heat exchange with the cold microchannel walls. Different types of nanoparticles such as Al₂O₃ and Ag are examined while the base fluid is considered as water. Reynolds number are chosen as Re=10 and Re=100. Slip velocity and temperature jump boundary conditions are simulated along the microchannel walls at different values of slip coefficient for different amounts of Hartmann number. The investigation of magnetic field effect on slip velocity and temperature jump of nanofluid is presented for the first time. The results are shown as streamlines and isotherms; moreover the profiles of slip velocity and temperature jump are drawn. It is observed that more slip coefficient corresponds to less Nusselt number and more slip velocity especially at larger Hartmann number. It is recommended to use Al₂O₃-water nanofluid instead of Ag-water to increase the heat transfer rate from the microchannel walls at low values of Re. However at larger amounts of Re, the nanofluid composed of nanoparticles with higher thermal conductivity works better.     

Investigation of Laminar Convective Heat Transfer of a Novel Tio2–Carbon Nanotube Hybrid Water-Based Nanofluid

The current study was conducted to investigate the convective heat transfer coefficient of a novel TiO₂–CNT hybrid nanofluid through the shell-and-tube heat exchanger under a laminar flow and the effects of temperature and mass fraction on it. TiO₂–CNT hybrid nanofluids were prepared using a new and modified hydrolysis technique. The thermal conductivity of the TiO₂–CNT hybrid nanofluid and other thermo-physical properties were assessed. Results indicate that the effective thermal conductivity and heat transfer coefficient of the base fluid was influenced significantly and increased by the 0.2 wt% of this novel hybrid nanofluid in distilled water.     

MHD squeezed flow of water functionalized metallic nanoparticles over a sensor surface

Present study is devoted to analyze the magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) squeezed flow of nanofluid over a sensor surface. Modeling of the problem is based on the geometry and the interaction of three different kinds of metallic nanoparticles namely: copper (Cu), alumina (Al₂O₃) and titanium dioxide (TiO₂) with the homogeneous mixture of base fluid (water). The self-similar numerical solutions are presented for the reduced form of the system of coupled ordinary differential equations. The effects of nanoparticles volume friction, permeable velocity and squeezing parameter for the flow and heat transfer within the boundary layer are presented through graphs. Comparison among the solvent are constructed for both skin friction and Nusselt number. Flow behavior of the working nanofluid according to the present geometry has analyzed through Stream lines. Conclusion is drawn on the basis of entire investigation and it is found that in squeezing flow phenomena Cu–water gives the better heat transfer performance as compare with the rest of mixtures.     

Heat Transfer Characteristics in a Double-Pipe Heat Exchanger Equipped with Coiled Circular Wires

An experimental investigation has been carried out to study the enhancement in heat transfer coefficient by inserting coiled wire around the outer surface of the inner tube of the double-pipe heat exchanger. Insulated wires, with a circular cross-section of 2 mm diameter, forming a coil of different pitches (p = 6, 12, and 20 mm), were used as turbulators. The investigation is performed for turbulent water flow in a double-pipe heat exchanger with cold water in the annulus space for both parallel and counter flows. The experiments were performed for Reynolds numbers ranging from 4,000 to 14,000. The experimental results reveal that the use of coiled circular wires leads to a considerable increase in heat transfer coefficients compared with a smooth wall tube for both parallel and counter water flows. The mean Nusselt number increases with Reynolds number and pitch. The convective heat transfer coefficient for a turbulent water flow increases for all coiled wire pitches, with the highest enhancement of about 450% for counter flow and 400% for the parallel flow. New correlations for mean relative Nusselt numbers at different coiled wire pitches are provided.     

Numerical investigation of laminar flow and heat transfer in a radial flow cooling system with the use of nanofluids

Nanofluids, because of their enhanced heat transfer capability as compared to normal water/glycol/oil based fluids, offer the engineer opportunities for development in areas where high heat transfer, low temperature tolerance and small component size are required. In this present paper, the hydrodynamic and thermal fields of a water–γAl₂O₃ nanofluid in a radial laminar flow cooling system are considered. Results indicate that considerable heat transfer enhancement is possible, even achieving a twofold increase in the case of a 10% nanoparticle volume fraction nanofluid. On the other hand, an increase in wall shear stress is also noticed with an increase in particle volume concentration.     

Effect of Swirl Generator Inserted Into a Tube on Exergy Transfer: Decaying Flow

This study experimentally investigates the effect of conical injector type swirl generator inserts on heat and exergy transfer in a uniform heat flux tube for turbulence regime. One hundred twenty watts of heat are applied by coiling a flexible silicone heater on the tube (copper pipe) with an inside diameter of 62 mm and length of 1,200 mm. The conical injector type swirl generator has a conical shape, which is similar to a funnel, with angle (α) of 30°, 45°, and 60°. Circular holes are drilled on the conical injector type swirl generator as three different cross-sectional areas (A_h). The total areas (A_t = N.A_h) of the holes on the conical injector type swirl generator equal each other. Because of this, the three different holes numbers (N) are produced. Flow directors having three different angles (β = 30°, 60°, and 90°) to radial direction are attached to every one of the holes. This study is a typical example for decaying flow. Reynolds number (Re) was varied from 10,000 to 35,000, so the flow was considered as only a turbulent regime. All experiments were conducted with air accordingly; Prandtl number was approximately fixed at 0.71. The local and average heat transfer Nusselt number (Nu_h) and exergy transfer Nusselt number (Nu_e) are calculated and discussed in this article. It is found that the Nu_h increases with an increase in Reynolds number, director angle (β), and director diameter (d) but with a decrease in the conical injector type swirl generator angle (α). However, Nu_e decreases depending on the same independent parameters.     

肋片双面带涡产生器的扁管管片式散热器数值研究

采用数值模拟的方法,研究了流道内上下两肋片均布置有涡产生器的扁管管片式散热板芯的传热与阻力特性,并与流道单面布置涡产生器的换热板芯进行了对比.结果表明,采用双面带涡产生器的肋片表面能在提高Nu的同时,降低流动阻力,换热性能得到了明显的提高,在Re=1500时,平均Nu数提高了8.6%,横向平均Nu最大提高了30%,阻力下降了6.5%.     

Evaluation of Nusselt number and effectiveness for a vertical shell-coiled tube heat exchanger with air bubble injection into shell side

Air bubble injection was employed to increase the heat transfer rate (Nusselt number) of a vertical shell and coiled tube heat exchanger in this article. Hot and cold water flowed into the coil side and shell side of heat exchanger, respectively, and air bubbles were injected inside the shell side of heat exchanger via a memorable method. Bubbles' vertical movement due to buoyancy forcing through the heat exchanger can enhance the heat transfer rate by mixing the thermal boundary layer, increasing the turbulence level of the fluid flow and increasing the shell-side fluid Reynolds number.     

Enhancing the thermal performance of AL2O3/DI water nanofluids in micro-fin tube equipped with straight and left-right twisted tapes in turbulent flow regime

This article communicates the thermal performance, heat transfer rate, and friction factor of Al₂O₃/DI water nanofluids at different concentrations in a micro-finned tube with tube helical inserts for different twist ratios. The thermal performance, heat transfer coefficient, and friction of the present study is also compared with a plain tube for validation. From the study, it is identified that the micro-finned tube with tube insert performance is higher as compared with a plain tube. Similarly, an empirical relation for Nusselt number (Nu) and friction factor (f) is estimated for straight twisted tube and left-right combination. The deviation between experimental and theoretical values for left-right twist and straight twist is found as 3 and 7% for Nusselt number and 7 and 9% for friction factor, respectively. Similarly, while analyzing the thermal performance, it was found that the maximum performance achieved was with a micro-fin tube with left-right twist with nanofluid concentration of 0.2%.     

含不同形状内热源的圆管内纳米流体自然对流及换热数值研究

采用格子玻尔兹曼方法对有三种恒温热源(圆形、三角形、方形)参与的圆管内纳米流体(铜-水)自然对流进行数值研究.主要研究瑞利(Ra)数,纳米颗粒体积分数以及热源几何形状等控制参数对纳米流体的流动与传热的影响.结果发现纳米颗粒体积分数的增加有利于强化传热,且在Ra数较小时,平均努塞尔(Nu)数增加的幅度要优于Ra数较大的情...     

方腔内Cu/Al2O3水混合纳米流体自然对流的格子Boltzmann模拟

纳米流体作为一种较高的导热介质, 广泛应用于各个传热领域. 鉴于纳米颗粒导热系数和成本之间的矛盾, 本文提出了一种混合纳米流体. 为了研究混合纳米流体颗粒间相互作用机理和自然对流换热特性, 在考虑颗粒间相互作用力的基础上, 利用多尺度技术推导了纳米流体流场和温度场的格子Boltzmann方程, 通过耦合流动和温度场的演化方程, 建立了Cu/Al₂O₃水混合纳米流体的格子Boltzmann模型, 研究了混合纳米流体颗粒间的相互作用机理和纳米颗粒在腔体内的分布. 发现在颗粒间相互作用力中, 布朗力远远大于其他作用力, 温差驱动力和布朗力对纳米颗粒的分布影响最大. 分析了纳米颗粒组分、瑞利数对自然对流换热的影响, 对比了混合纳米流体(Cu/Al₂O₃-水)与单一金属颗粒纳米流体(Al₂O₃-水)的自然对流换热特性, 发现混合纳米流体具有更强的换热特性.