A CFD Study of [C2mim][CH3SO3]/Al2O3 Ionanofluid Flow and Heat Transfer in Grooved Tubes

Abstract

The present article deals with the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) investigation of flow and heat transfer of a [C2mim][CH3SO3]/Al2O3 ionanofluid in one conventional tube and two different grooved tubes. The flow is considered to be single-phase and laminar (500 < Re < 2000), and the range of nanoparticle concentration is between 0.05 and 2 %. For properties of the ionanofluid, experimental data available in the literature have been used. The results of relative heat transfer coefficient, pumping power, and field synergy are presented for the three different tubes at various Reynolds numbers and ionanofluid concentrations. It is found that the effect of grooves is more pronounced at low concentrations. Moreover, the heat transfer coefficient and pumping power rise by increasing the concentration. Adding the nanoparticles has a greater impact on the heat transfer at lower Reynolds numbers. The pumping power is intensified by the Re increment. More uniform temperature and velocity distributions are achieved because of the more severe flow mixing induced by the grooves. Both the greatest heat transfer coefficient and the highest pumping power occur for the tube having the spirally corrugated grooves. The results show that the heat transfer varies by changing the geometry. At a volume concentration of 0.05 % and Re = 500, the heat transfer coefficient increases by 15.54 % in the tube with the spirally corrugated grooves compared to the conventional tube.