Enhanced natural convection in an isosceles triangular enclosure filled with a nanofluid

Natural convection is studied in an isosceles triangular enclosure with a heat source located at its bottom wall and filled with an Ethylene Glycol–Copper nanofluid. This paper examines the effects of pertinent parameters such as the Rayleigh number, the solid volume fraction, the heat source location, and the enclosure apex angle on the thermal performance of the enclosure. The thermal performance of the enclosure is improved with an increase in the Rayleigh number and solid volume fraction. The results also show that the variation of heat transfer rate with respect to the enclosure apex angle and heat source position and dimensions is different at low and high Rayleigh numbers. A comparison is also presented between the results obtained from the modified and original Maxwell models. The results show that the heat transfer is generally higher based on the modified Maxwell model.