P. Gunnasegaran

Numerical Study of Fluid Dynamic and Heat Transfer in a Compact Heat Exchanger Using Nanofluids

Compact heat exchangers (CHEs) are characterized by a high surface area per unit volume, which can result in a higher efficiency than conventional heat exchangers. They are widely used in various applications in thermal fluid systems including automotive thermal fluid systems such as radiators for engine cooling systems. Recent development of nanotechnology brings out a new heat transfer coolant called “nanofluids,” which exhibit larger thermal properties than conventional coolants due to the presence of suspended nanosized composite particles in a base fluid. In this study, a numerical investigation using different types of nanoparticles in ethylene glycol-base fluid namely copper (Cu), diamond (DM), and silicon dioxide (SiO2) on automobile flat tube plate-fin cross-flow CHE is explored. The nanoparticles volume fraction of 2% is considered for all types of nanofluids examined in this study. The three-dimensional (3D) governing equations for both liquid flow and heat transfer are solved using a standard finite volume method (FVM) for the range of Reynolds number between 4000 and 7000. The standard 𝜅-𝜀 turbulence model with wall function is employed. The computational model is used to study the variations of shear stress, skin friction, and convective heat transfer coefficient. All parameters are found to yield higher magnitudes in the developing and developed regions along the flat tubes with the nanofluid flow than base fluid. The pressure drop is slightly larger for nanofluids but insignificant at outlet region of the tube. Hence, the usage of nanofluids in CHEs transfers more energy in a cost-effective manner than using conventional coolants.

The Effect of Geometrical Parameters on Heat Transfer Characteristics of Compact Heat Exchanger with Louvered Fins

Compact heat exchangers (CHEs) have been widely used in various applications in thermal fluid systems including automotive thermal management systems. Among the different types of heat exchangers for engine cooling applications, cross-flow CHEs with louvered fins are of special interest because of their higher heat rejection capability with the lower flow resistance. In this study, the effects of geometrical parameters such as louver angle and fin pitch on air flow and heat transfer characteristics on CHEs are numerically investigated. Numerical investigations using five different cases with increased and decreased louver angles (

Pressure drop and friction factor for different shapes of microchannels

A numerical investigation has been performed on the pressure drop and friction factor of water flow in three different shapes of microchannel heat sinks which are rectangular, trapezoidal, and triangular for Reynolds number range of 100–1000. The three-dimensional steady, laminar flow and heat transfer governing equations are solved using the finite volume method. It is found that the values of Poiseuille number and friction factor depend greatly on different geometrical parameters. It is also inferred that the heat sink having the smallest hydraulic diameter for each type of shapes under consideration has better performance among the other heat sinks studied. The values of Poiseuille number and friction factor increase with the increase of width-height ratio (Wc/Hc) for rectangular microchannels. For trapezoidal microchannels, the Poiseuille number and friction factor increase with the increase of bottom-to-top width ratio (b/a), increase with the decrease of height-to-top width ratio (h/a), increase with the decrease of length-to-hydraulic diameter ratio (L/Dh). While for triangular microchannels, the Poiseuille number and friction factor increase with the increase of its tip angle (β). It is identified that the transition Reynolds number from laminar flow to turbulent flow is occurred at 1100.

Heat Transfer Enhancement in Microchannel Heat Sink Using Nanofluids

1.

Influence of sinusoidal flow on the thermal and hydraulic performance of microchannel heat sink

In this paper, the effect of sinusoidal flow on the thermal and hydraulic performance of microchannel heat sink (MCHS) is numerically investigated. This investigation covers Reynolds number in the range of 100 ≤ Re ≤ 1000 and pure water is used as a working fluid. The three-dimensional steady, laminar flow and heat transfer governing equations are solved using finite volume method (FVM). The water flow field and heat transfer performance inside the sinusoidal microchannels is simulated and the results are compared with the straight microchannels. The effect of using sinusoidal microchannels on temperature distribution, Nusselt number, friction factor and thermal resistance is presented in this paper. It is found that with same rectangular cross-section, sinusoidal microchannels have a better heat transfer performance compared to the straight microchannels.

Heat Transfer in a Loop Heat Pipe using Diamond-H2O Nanofluid

ABSTRACT The main aim of this study is to enhance the thermal performance of loop heat pipe (LHP) charged with nanofluid as the working fluid. Thus, experiments are conducted to investigate heat transfer characteristics of using diamond-H2O nanofluid with nanoparticle mass concentration ranged from 0% to 3% in a LHP as a working medium for heat input range from 20 W to 60 W. The three-dimensional model, laminar flow and heat transfer governing equations are solved using the finite volume method. The simulations are carried out with three-dimensional model based on the characterization of the working fluid inside the LHP to give an insight into the heat transfer and fluid flow mechanism. The LHP performance is evaluated in terms of temperature distributions and total thermal resistance of LHP. It is inferred that the temperatures obtained at all points in evaporator side of LHP charged with diamond-H2O nanofluid are lower and reach their steady state faster than LHP charged with pure water. At the constant heat input, test results showed the average decrease of 5.7%−10.8% at nanoparticle mass concentrations ranging from 0.5% to 3% in Rth of LHP as compared with pure water (0%).

Experimental analysis and FEM simulation of loop heat charged with diamond nanofluid for desktop PC cooling

This paper discusses the impact of diamond nanofluid on heat transfer characteristics in a Loop Heat Pipe (LHP). In this study, diamond nanoparticles in water with particle mass concentration ranged from 0% to 3% is considered as the operational fluid within the LHP. The experiments are carried out by manufacturing the LHP, in which the setup consists of a water tank with pump, a flat evaporator, condenser installed with two pieces of fans, two transportation lines (vapor and liquid lines), copper pipe sections for attachment of the thermocouples and power supply. The uniqueness of the current experimental setup is the vapor line of LHP which is made of transparent plastic tube to visualize the fluid flow patterns. The experimental results are verified by Finite Element (FE) simulation using a three-dimensional (3D) model based on the heat transfer by conduction where the LHP as a whole is modeled by assuming it as a conducting medium without taking into account the events occurring inside the LHP. The LHP performance is evaluated in terms of transient temperature distribution and total thermal resistance (Rt). The experimental and simulation results are found in good agreement.

Experimental Analysis and FEM Simulation of Novel Finned Loop Heat Pipe

Experiments are conducted to investigate heat transfer characteristics of finned loop heat pipe (FLHP) for heat input range from 20 W to 100 W. The experiments are carried out by manufacturing the FLHP, which the setup consists of a water tank with pump, a flat evaporator, condenser installed with two pieces of fans and air flow fins, two transportation lines (vapor and liquid lines), copper pipe sections for attachment of the thermocouples and power supply. The unique of the current experimental setup is the vapor and liquid lines of FLHP are made of transparent plastic tube to visualize the fluid flow patterns. In this study, the total thermal resistance (Rt) is estimated for both natural and forced convection modes under steady state condition, by varying the air velocity from 2 m/s to 10 m/s. The coolant velocity and heat input to achieve minimum Rtare found out and the corresponding effective thermal conductivity is calculated. The transient temperature distribution in the FLHP is also observed. The experimental observations are verified by simulation using Finite Element Method (FEM). The results reveal that the air velocity and power input have significant effects on the performance of FLHP. As the heat input and air velocity increase, total thermal resistance decreases.

Influence of Various Nanofluid Types on Wavy Microchannels Heat Sink Cooling Performance

This paper discusses the impact of using various types of nanofluids and nanoparticle volume fractions on heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics in a wavy microchannel heat sink (WMCHS) with rectangular cross-section. Numerical investigations using three different types of nanofluids including Al2O3-H2O, CuO-H2O, and diamond-H2O with a fixed nanoparticle volume fraction of 3% and using a diamond-H2O with nanoparticle volume fractions ranging from 0.5% to 5% are examined. This investigation covers Reynolds numbers in the range of 100 to 1000. The three-dimensional steady, laminar flow and heat transfer governing equations are solved using the finite-volume method (FVM). The computational model is used to study the variations of convective heat transfer coefficient, pressure drop and wall shear stress. It is inferred that the convective heat transfer coefficient of a WMCHS cooled with the nanofluid flow showed marked improvement over the pure water with a smaller pressure drop penalty.

Application of nanofluids in heat transfer enhancement of compact heat exchanger

In this paper, numerical investigation using ethylene glycol (EG) as a base fluid with diamond and SiO2 as the coolants with nanoparticle volume fractions (φ) ranged from 0.1 % to 2 % on automobile flat tube plain fin compact heat exchanger (CHE) is conducted. The convective heat transfer coefficient in the developing regions along the flat tubes with the nanofluid flow showed marked improvement over the base fluid (0 %). Quantitative results of the heat transfer enhancement of CHE with increasing volumetric concentrations of nanofluids at various Reynolds numbers are presented.