Numerical investigation of fluid flow and heat transfer of a nanofluid around two circular cylinders arranged in tandem in horizontal duct

Abstract

In this study, two-dimensional unsteady laminar convective heat transfer from two isothermal cylinders arranged in tandem in horizontal duct has been numerically investigated. The numerical study is performed by solving the governing equations (continuity and momentum) and energy equations using a finite volume-based code ANSYS Fluent. The present study was conducted using nano sized copper particles suspended in water. The Prandtl number Pr of the resulting suspension being equal to 7. The range of solid volume fractions studied is and the flow Reynolds number is equal to 100.The spacing ratio of the two cylinders was varied from 2 to 5 while the blockage ratio was kept constant β=0.25. A detailed discussion has been provided regarding the variation of flow structure and the characteristics of flow, including total drag and lift coefficients, as a function of the dimensionless parametersIn order to visualize the flow and heat transport, streamlines, vorticity contours and isotherms were generated. In addition, the local and average Nusselt numbers for the upstream and downstream cylinders are calculated. The results demonstrate that the force coefficients, the wake structure behind the cylinders, and the Nusselt number are significantly influenced by the value of the spacing ratio and the volume fractions of nanoparticles. The results demonstrate a significant enhancement in heat transfer efficiency relative to the base fluid. The aforementioned improvement is more pronounced in the case of higher gap ratios and higher nanoparticle volume fractions.