Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
653398 | International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer | 2013 | 5 Pages |
Abstract
Nanofluids, suspensions of nanoparticles (less than 100Â nm) in a basefluid, have shown enhanced heat transfer characteristics. In this study, thermal performances of nanofluids in industrial type heat exchangers are investigated. Three mass particle concentrations of 2%, 4%, and 6% of silicon dioxide-water (SiO2-water) nanofluids are formulated by dispersing 20Â nm diameter nanoparticles in distilled water. Experiments are conducted to compare the overall heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop of water vs. nanofluids in laboratory-scale plate and shell-and-tube heat exchangers. Experimental results show both augmentation and deterioration of heat transfer coefficient for nanofluids depending on the flow rate and nanofluid concentration through the heat exchangers. This trend could be explained by the counter effect of the changes in thermo-physical properties of fluids together with the fouling on the contact surfaces in the heat exchangers. The measured pressure drop while using nanofluids show an increase when compared to that of basefluid which could limit the use of nanofluids in industrial applications.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes
Authors
Kanjirakat Anoop, Jonathan Cox, Reza Sadr,