The effect of nanoparticles added to heated micropolar fluid

• Heat transfer enhancement in micropolar nanofluid.
• Numerical analysis of heat transfer in micropolar nanofluid.
• Properties of nanofluids as a mixture of base fluid and nanoparticles.
• Application of Eringen's theory of micropolar fluids.

This paper presents an analysis of momentum, angular momentum and heat transfer during the unsteady natural convection in micropolar nanofluids. Presented phenomena are modelled in the vicinity of a vertical plate and heat flux which rises suddenly at a given moment, using the boundary layer concept. Differential equations of angular momentum conservation are used according to the theory of micropolar fluids developed by Eringen. Finite difference method is used to solve the equations for conservation of mass, energy, momentum and angular momentum. Selected nanofluids treated as single phase fluids contain small particles with diameter size d = 10 nm and d = 38.4 nm. In particular, two ethylene glycol based nanofluids and one water-based nanofluid are analysed. Volume fraction of these solutions is 6%. First ethylene glycol solution contain Al2 O3 nanoparticles (d = 38.4 nm), and the second ethylene glycol solution contained Cu nanoparticles (d = 10 nm). Water based nanofluid contain Al2 O3 nanoparticles (d = 38.4 nm). As a result of solving conservation equations, unsteady velocity field (U, V), temperature (T), microrotation component normal to (x, y) plane (N), velocity gradient ∂U/∂Y and temperature gradient ∂T/∂Y are obtained. These results are compared to theoretical and experimental results presented in literature. At the end of this paper, heat transfer enhancement for analysed nanofluids is estimated.