Heat transfer enhancement in pool boiling and condensation using h-BN/DCM and SiO2/DCM nanofluids: experimental and numerical comparison

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to experimentally and numerically scrutinize the heat transfer enhancement in pool boiling and condensation by changing the hydrophilicity or hydrophobicity properties of the working fluid, i.e. by use of nanofluid solution. Design/methodology/approach For specifying the effects of nanoparticle concentration on heat transfer properties, two different nanofluid solutions (h-BN/DCM and SiO2/DCM) at three different volumetric concentrations were prepared and tested under different heat flux conditions. Boiling curves, alterations in pressure with heat flux and heat transfer coefficients for both boiling and condensation processes were obtained and viscosity measurements were performed for dichloromethane (DCM) and each working fluid was prepared. In addition, a series of numerical simulations, via computational fluid dynamics approach, was performed for specifying the evaporation–condensation phenomena and temperature and velocity distributions. Findings Nanoparticle addition inside the base fluid increased the thermal characteristics of the base fluid significantly. For the experimental results of h-BN/DCM nanofluid, the increment rate in heat transfer coefficient for saturation boiling, after-saturation boiling and condensation processes was found as 27.59%, 14.44% and 15%, respectively. Originality/value The novelty of this comparison study is that there is no such experimental and numerical comparison study in literature for DCM fluid, which concentrates on thermal performance enhancement and compares the effect of different kinds of nanoparticles on heat transfer characteristics for boiling–condensation processes.