Numerical Study of Improvement in Heat Transfer Coefficient of Cu-O Water Nanofluid in the Shell and Tube Heat Exchangers

Yones Afshoon and Ahmad Fakhar

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kashan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kashan, Iran.

ABSTRACT: This research evaluated improved rate of heat transfer coefficient and friction factor of Cu-O water nanofluid compared to water-based fluids by Cu-O water nanofluid as a incompressible, homogeneous and turbulent flow in the shell and tube heat exchangers by numerical methods in FLUENT, given the constant thermophysic properties of nanofluids in the size of nanoparticles at nanofluid volume concentrations of 0.015, 0.031, 0.078, 0.157 and 0.236% of nanofluids, in the range of 6000 to 31000 Reynolds as a fully developed turbulent flow compared to the base fluid, water, and setting initial conditions and boundary conditions based on temperature and inlet velocity of nanofluids. Increase in the volume concentration and Reynolds of nanofluid increase the local heat transfer coefficient, overall heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop of nanofluids. Improved heat transfer coefficient compared to water-based fluids is concluded as 32 percent.

KEYWORDS: Heat transfer; Nanofluid; Nanoparticles; copper oxide; Heat exchanger;

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