Numerical study of laminar-forced convection of Al2O3-water nanofluids between two parallel plates

AuthorsMohammad Hemmat Esfe, Ali Akbar Abbasian Arani, Tagji Azizi, Seyed Hossien Mousavi, Somchai Wongwises
JournalJ MECH SCI TECHNOL
Page number785–796
Volume number31
Paper TypeFull Paper
Published At2016
Journal GradeISI
Journal TypeElectronic
Journal CountryIran, Islamic Republic Of

Abstract

Laminar-forced convection of Al2O3-water nanofluid between two parallel plates was studied numerically. The channel walls were assumed to be isothermal. The effective viscosity and thermal conductivity of nanofluid were considered as variables, and the effects of applying a variable properties model were investigatedby using two relatively new models. The numerical results were compared to the results obtained from a previous non-variable properties model. Also, the effects of nanoparticle size on the flow and heat transfer within the channel were investigated. The study was carried out using Reynolds numbers between 100-1000, nanoparticle diameters in the 1575 nm range, and nanoparticle volume fractions in the range 0.01-0.05 nm. The numerical results show that using nanofluid could enhance heat transfer by up to 35 %, compared to the base fluid. In addition, reducing the nanoparticle diameter can enhance heat transfer by up to 15.9 %.

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