Simulation of a Plate Heat Exchanger Operating with Nanofluid Coolant Using CFD

Abstract

The use of nanofluids as coolant fluid in a plate heat exchanger (PHE) was investigated by conducting 3D CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulations. Al2O3/water nanofluid with volume concentrations of 2%, 3% and 4% was used as coolant fluid and water as hot fluid. In addition, the effects of corrugation angle of the plates were analyzed by varying them between 0° and 60°. Validation was performed by using heat transfer coefficients experimentally obtained in a previous study. Results show that the use of nanofluids in higher concentrations improves the performance of the PHE’s parameters. The angles of 30° and 60° between the plates reduce pressure drop and reflux regions improving the heat exchange. The variations of the nanofluid flow must take into account the proper pressure drop for the process where is PHE is employed because the increased flow rate results in a significant increase in the pressure drop. In general, this work has potential to be used for enhancing the design of PHEs.