Numerical analysis on heat transfer enhancement of Al₂O₃ nanofluid in the flattened conically coiled tubes

Abstract

Enhancement in the heat transfer of the working fluid flowing inside the tube is achieved by modification of tubes and changing the direction of fluid flow. For this purpose, the straight tube can be changed into a conical coil tube, thereby, heat transfer is increased due to the centrifugal effect caused by the curvature of the tube. Furthermore, the circular cross-section of the tube is modified into an oblong shape for more heat transfer enhancement. In this study, the numerical heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics of Al 2 O 3 -water nanofluids in the flattened conically coiled tube are studied. The effect of the aspect ratio, cone angle, coil pitch, and solid volume fraction of nanofluids on heat transfer and pressure drop are examined. It is found that the heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop increase with the rise of aspect ratio, Reynolds number, and solid volume fraction of nanofluid, while it decreases with the increment of cone angles and coil pitches of conical coil tube. Furthermore, the effect of aspect ratio on the heat transfer enhancement factor, pressure drop ratio, and thermal performance index for Al 2 O 3 -water nanofluid are presented.