ANSYS simulation study of a low volume fraction CuO–ZnO/water hybrid nanofluid in a shell and tube heat exchanger

Abstract

For the first time, the heat transfer performance of a CuO–ZnO (80:20)/water hybrid has been studied experimentally and numerically in a shell and tube heat exchanger under turbulent flow conditions nanofluid (STHE). All experiments are carried out with 0.01 ​vol% CuO–ZnO (80:20)/water hybrid nanofluid at Reynolds numbers (NRe) ranging from 1900 to 17,500. The stabilized hybrid nanofluids (30 ​°C-Tube side) are then used as a coolant to reduce the hot fluid (60 ​°C-shell side) temperature using a STHE, with the results for the convective heat transfer coefficient, Nusselt number, friction factor, and pressure drop reported. The primary goal of this paper is to investigate the impact of hybrid nanoparticle mixing ratio optimization on STHE heat transfer efficiency under various operating conditions. According to the findings, the CuO–ZnO (80:20)/water hybrid nanofluid improved the heat transfer performance of the STHE at all Reynolds numbers. When using nanofluid over water, the Nusselt number and pressure drop were improved by approximately 33% and 13%, respectively. The hybrid nanofluid's maximum thermal performance factor and thermal efficiency enhancement were 1.45 and 7%, respectively, at NRe ​= ​17,500. According to the study, the thermal conductivity of nanofluid varies by only 5% after ten trials. Furthermore, the ANSYS Fluent program was used to predict the behavior of the hybrid nanofluid in STHE, and the simulation results fit the experimental values very well.