Hydrodynamic analysis of nanofluid’s convective heat transfer in channels with extended surfaces
Rasa Soleimani, Mohammad Zargartalebi, Jalel Azaiez, Ian D. Gates
Abstract
The effects of nanoparticles (NPs) on heat transfer in extended surface channels have been analyzed using a two-component (TC) model. The results show that unlike the single-component model, the TC model leads to more accurate predictions of the system’s heat transfer performance as a result of the direct influence of the NPs’ distribution on the hydrodynamics. It is found that the average Nusselt number varies non-monotonically with the block’s heights, and the trend is explained by the interplay between heat transfer mechanisms and the hydrodynamics. A similar non-monotonic trend observed in the case of the friction factor has been explained by the variations of the concentration- and temperature-dependent viscosity of the nanofluids. A guideline for an optimum design based on the combination of the variation of average Nusselt number and friction factor with respect to the geometrical parameters has also been presented.