Hybrid nanofluids flow and heat transfer in cavities: a technological review

Abstract

ABSTRACT The urgent and indispensable need to develop new methods of enhancing heat transfer efficiency to improve energy devices’ performance cannot be overlooked in this era of green energy and sustainable technologies. Nanofluids research has proliferated in the past decade, and reports indicate that nanofluids can be used for heat transfer applications in engineering and in general and/or commercial industries. Nanofluid is the dispersion of nanoparticles with high thermal conductivity in common working fluids. Nevertheless, a growing area of research in recent years has involved using two or more nanoparticles in a base fluid, known as hybrid nanofluids. Studies show that hybrid nanofluids exhibited better thermal and rheological characteristics than mono nanofluids. In addition, many researchers have reported on the thermal-fluid behaviors of nanofluids in comparison with hybrid nanofluids on natural convection in cavity flows. This review discusses hybrid nanofluids preparation, stability analysis and characterization, thermal properties and heat transfer characteristics in cavities. Furthermore, hybrid nanofluids demonstrated better heat transfer characteristics than mono nanofluids or conventional fluids even if more research is needed in terms of hybrid nanofluids preparation, stability, characterization and applications.