Hydrothermal performance of plate heat exchanger with an alumina–graphene hybrid nanofluid: experimental study

Abstract

An experimental investigation is conducted with graphene–Al2O3 hybrid nanofluid as a coolant in corrugated surface plate heat exchanger to study energetic performance. The combinations studied are Al2O3–graphene in 4:1 nanoparticle ratio and 100% Al2O3 nanoparticle with 0.01 v % concentration in DI water. Effect of coolant flow rates (2.0–4.0 lpm) and coolant inlet temperatures (10–25 °C) on various factors like coolant outlet temperature, heat transfer rate, convective heat transfer coefficient, pressure drop, and heat transfer coefficient to pressure drop ratio has been investigated. Maximum enhancements of around 2.5%, 5.34%, 25.36%, and 23.8% are observed in the coolant outlet temperature, heat transfer rate, heat transfer coefficient, and heat transfer coefficient to pressure drop ratio, respectively, for Al2O3–graphene hybrid nanofluid.