Abstract
Homogeneous flow model is used to study the flow and heat transfer of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) along a flat plate subjected to Navier slip and uniform heat flux boundary conditions. This is the first paper on the flow and heat transfer of CNTs along a flat plate. Two types of CNTs, namely, single- and multi-wall CNTs are used with water, kerosene or engine oil as base fluids. The empirical correlations are used for the thermophysical properties of CNTs in terms of the solid volume fraction of CNTs. For the effective thermal conductivity of CNTs, Xue (Phys B Condens Matter 368:302–307, 2005) model has been used and the results are compared with the existing theoretical models. The governing partial differential equations and boundary conditions are converted into a set of nonlinear ordinary differential equations using suitable similarity transformations. These equations are solved numerically using a very efficient finite difference method with shooting scheme. The effects of the governing parameters on the dimensionless velocity, temperature, skin friction, and Nusselt numbers are investigated and presented in graphical and tabular forms. The numerical results of skin friction and Nusselt numbers are compared with the available data for special cases and are found in good agreement.
Highlights
Due to low thermal conductivity of heat transfer fluids used in power generation, microelectronics cooling, chemical production, refrigeration and air-conditioning, transportation, and many other applications., it is necessary to enhance effective thermal conductivity of these fluids to improve heat transfer rate
Homogeneous flow model is used to study the flow and heat transfer of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) along a flat plate subjected to Navier slip and uniform heat flux boundary conditions
It is clear that the density and thermal conductivity increase whereas heat capacity decreases with the solid volume fraction for each CNT
Summary
Due to low thermal conductivity of heat transfer fluids used in power generation, microelectronics cooling, chemical production, refrigeration and air-conditioning, transportation, and many other applications., it is necessary to enhance effective thermal conductivity of these fluids to improve heat transfer rate. Ding et al (2006) investigated the heat transfer behavior of CNT nanofluids flowing through a horizontal tube They observed significant enhancement of the convective heat transfer and found that the enhancement depends on the Reynolds number and solid volume fraction of CNTs. Kamali and Binesh (2010) numerically investigated the convective heat transfer of multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-based nanofluids in a straight tube under constant wall heat flux condition. Kamali and Binesh (2010) numerically investigated the convective heat transfer of multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-based nanofluids in a straight tube under constant wall heat flux condition They solved Navier Stokes equations using the finite volume technique considering CNT-based nanofluids using power law model. Meyer et al (2013) investigated experimentally the convective heat transfer enhancement of aqueous suspensions of multi-walled CNTs flowing through a straight horizontal tube They determined the heat transfer coefficients and friction factors as a function of Reynolds number. They found obvious differences of the heat transfer characteristics between both fluids and concluded that the new nanofluid has strong dependences on the liquid temperature, the nanoparticle concentration and the CTAC concentration
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