Thermal Performance Enhancement of a Cross-Flow-Type Maisotsenko Heat and Mass Exchanger Using Various Nanofluids

Abstract

The incorporation of a Maisotsenko (M) Cycle into an indirect evaporative cooler has led to the achievement of sub-wet bulb temperature without any humidification, thus making it a possible green and sustainable alternative for handling the cooling load of a building. In this work, the thermal performance of a cross-flow heat and mass exchanger (HMX) is enhanced by the addition of nanoparticles in the wet channel because they significantly influence the heat and mass transfer characteristics of the base fluid. A governing model for the temperature and humidity variations of the HMX is numerically simulated. Initial benchmarking is achieved using water properties. Afterward, a comparative study is conducted using aluminum-oxide-, copper-oxide-, and titanium-oxide-based nanofluids. Enhancements of 24.2% in heat flux, 19.24% in wet bulb effectiveness, 7.04% in dew point effectiveness, 29.66% in cooling capacity, and 28.43% in energy efficiency ratio are observed by using alumina-based nanofluid as compared to water in the wet channel of the cross-flow HMX. Furthermore, a particle volume concentration of 1% and a particle diameter of 20nm are recommended for maximum performance.

Performance and Exergy Transfer Analysis of Heat Exchangers with Graphene Nanofluids in Seawater Source Marine Heat Pump System

“…The traditional evaluation of the energy efficiency of heat exchangers and the use of nanofluids to enhance heat transfer analysis are limited to changes in related parameters such as Nusselt number, Reynolds number, heat transfer rate, pumping and convective heat transfer coefficients [42,43]. To dig deep into the energy transfer, utilization and loss caused by the use of nanofluids in heat exchangers, this paper uses the idea of heat exchanger effectiveness to build an exergy transfer model using exergy analysis and exergy transfer theory.…”

Performance Evaluation of a Gravity-Assisted Heat Pipe-Based Indirect Evaporative Cooler

“…It should be emphasized that the thermal resistances of the vaporization and condensation of the working fluid inside the GAHP were analyzed. In order to calculate the vaporization heat transfer for the GAHP evaporator section, Imura's correlation with a pressure correction factor was employed in Energies 2020, 13,200 8 of 20 the current study, as depicted as Equation (11) [35]. The Nusselt's theory for film-wise condensation can be considered for estimation of the heat transfer coefficient in the GAHP condenser section.…”

“…The coefficient of performance (COP) for an IEC system can be defined as the ratio of the supply cooling capacity to fan power consumption, which is expressed by Equation (20). It should be emphasized that the power consumption of a water distribution system was neglected owing to its minor value compared to the fan power consumption [12,13,32]. The COP can be easily converted into the energy efficiency ratio (EER) by multiplying by the unit conversion factor of 3.413 [10].…”

“…Hence, experimental and numerical studies on evaporative coolers are reported in a number of research papers. Tariq et al carried out numerical studies of a regenerative counter flow evaporative cooler [12] and cross-flow-type Maisotsenko evaporative cooler [13]. The thermal performance enhancement was obtained by the addition of nanoparticles in the wet channel.…”

“…In order to address the aforementioned essential concerns, this paper proposes a comprehensive analysis of the gravity-assisted heat pipe-based indirect evaporative cooler (GAHP-based IEC). Nowadays, the development of heat pipe-based heat exchangers technology is continuously increasing Energies 2020, 13,200 3 of 20 due to the strong potential for energy savings. In addition, the significant reduction in the manufacturing costs of heat pipes in recent years was reported [28][29][30].…”