Numerical study of laminar-forced convection of Al2O3-water nanofluids between two parallel plates

Laminar-forced convection of Al 2 O 3 -water nanofluid between two parallel plates was studied numerically. The channel walls were assumed to be isothermal. The effective viscosity and thermal conductivity of nanofluid were considered as variables, and the effects of applying a variable properties model were investigatedby using two relatively new models. The numerical results were compared to the results obtained from a previous non-variable properties model. Also, the effects of nanoparticle size on the flow and heat transfer within the channel were investigated. The study was carried out using Reynolds numbers between 100-1000, nanoparticle diameters in the 15-75 nm range, and nanoparticle volume fractions in the range 0.01-0.05 nm . The numerical results show that using nanofluid could enhance heat transfer by up to 35 %, compared to the base fluid. In addition, reducing the nanoparticle diameter can enhance heat transfer by up to 15.9 %.