Mixed Convection of Hybrid Nanofluid in an Inclined Enclosure with a Circular Center Heater under Inclined Magnetic Field

Abstract

The hybrid nanofluids have efficient thermal networking due to the trade-off between the pros and cons of the more than one type of suspension. In the current study, water-based hybrid nanofluid is used to investigate mixed convection in a squared enclosure heated with a circular center heater. The cavity is placed inclined under the uniform inclined magnetic field. The squared cavity comprises of two adiabatic vertical walls and two cold horizontal walls. The governing equations are normalized using a suitable set of variables and are solved with the finite element method. A comparison is provided with previously reported results at limiting case. The grid independence is examined for the Nusselt number at the central heater. The analysis reveals the effective role of the concentration of hybrid nanofluid particles in enhancing the heat spread. The results indicate that adding 2% concentration of Ag-MgO hybrid nanoparticles causes an 18.3% uprise in the Nusselt number at the central heater. The heat transfer rate enhances for increasing Hartmann number between 0 and 10 but decreases over 10. For better heat transfer augmentation, a heater with a smaller radius is recommended for the free convection. In contrast, a heater with a larger radius serves the purpose in case of forced convection.