An experimental research was conducted to reveal effects of nanofluids on heat transfer performance in a double-tube heat exchanger. With nanoparticle weight fraction of 0.5%-2.0% and Reynolds number of 4500-14500, the flow resistance and heat transfer were analyzed by using six nanofluids, i.e., CuO-water, Al2O3-water, Fe3O4-water, ZnO-water, SiC-water, SiO2-water nanofluids. Results show that SiC-water nanofluid with a weight concentration of 1.5% provides the best improvement of heat transfer performance. 1.0% CuO-water and 0.5% SiO2-water nanofluids have lower friction factors in the range of Reynolds number from 4500 to 14500 compared to the other nanofluids. Based on test results of heat transfer performance and flow resistance, the 1.0% CuO-water nanofluid shows a great advantage due to a relatively high heat transfer performance and a low friction factor. Finally, empirical formulae of Nusselt numbers for various nanofluids were established based on experimental data tested in the double-tube heat exchanger.

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