Numerical Investigations of Heat Transfer Enhancement of Water-Based Al2O3 Nanofluids in a Sinusoidal-Wall Channel

Abstract

This research numerically investigates the heat transfer of water-Al2O3 nanofluids in a two dimensional sinusoidal wavy channel. Simulation studies are performed for fully developed flow conditions in a channel with eight waves. The temperature of the input fluid is taken to be less than that temperature of wavy walls. The governing continuity, momentum and energy equations are numerically solved using finite volume method based on SIMPLE technique. Numerical simulations were carried out for a Reynolds number ranging from 400 to 1600 and a nanofluid volume fraction, Ø where 0≤Ø≤8%. The effect of distance between channel walls are studied by varying Hmin/Hmax ratio from 0.3 to 0.5 for keeping wave length and wave amplitude values fixed. The effect of these parameters on local and average Nusselt numbers and heat transfer enhancement are presented and discussed. The results revealed that the addition of nano-particles can increase heat transfer significantly.