Investigation of the Effects of Nanofluid Usage and Variation of Helical Fin Number on Heat Transfer in a Pipe With Helical Fins

Abstract

In this study, the effects of nanofluid usage on heat transfer in a pipe with helical fins on its inner surface were investigated. In this context, four model geometries were determined as finless, single helical fin, double helical fin and triple helical fin tube. It is assumed that hBN-water (hexagonal boron nitride-water) nanofluid with constant inlet temperature passes through the pipe, and a constant heat flux is applied to the pipe surfaces. Water was used as the base fluid. 0%, 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 2% and 2.5% hBN nanoparticles were added to the water. Numerical analyses were carried out with the help of Computational Fluid Dynamics. As a result of the study, it was observed that the average fluid temperature, heat transfer coefficient and Nusselt number increased with increasing the number of fins and the mixing ratio of the nanofluid. The lowest Nusselt number was determined as 25.93 in the case of water flowing from the finless pipe, and the highest Nusselt number was determined as 97,036 in the case of three helical fins and 2.5% volumetric mixture. Therefore, it was observed that adding helical fins to a pipe and using hBN-water nanofluid had a positive effect on heat transfer.