Comparative Study on Thermal Transmission Aspects of Nano and Ferrofluid in Enclosures Holding Heat-Generating Body

Abstract

The heat-transmission characteristics of Co ferrofluid and SiO2−water nanofluid are compared numerically inside enclosures including a heat-generating body. Using the finite-volume method, a steady laminar incompressible flow in two dimensions is solved. The numerical study is conducted to determine the impacts of the solid volume fraction (φ=0.02,0.1 and 0.2), the temperature-difference ratio (ΔT*=0,4 and 20), and the Rayleigh number (Ra=105,106 and 107) on both SiO2−water nanofluid and Co ferrofluid, respectively. In consideration of isothermal and streamlines contours, the aspects of temperature transmission and fluid flow are addressed. It is shown that there is no remarkable difference in the convection rate for both the fluids while increasing the Rayleigh number and temperature difference ratio.