Thermo-hydraulic performance of air heat exchanger using prepared ternary HNF: a CFD analysis

Abstract

Purpose

Nowadays fossil fuel prices have increased; therefore, consumption of energy reduction has become a significant issue. Hence, this study aims to explore energy-efficient mechanical devices and their energy management.

Design/methodology/approach

This study focused on numerical analysis of various factors, including pressure drop, sensitivity, heat transfer and friction factor. This study compared the performance of two different arrangements of the heat exchanger: flat tube and staggered circular tube. This study also investigated the impact of varying coolant volume fractions.

Findings

This numerical analysis compares the geometric properties of flat and circular tube cross-sections while considering the flow of nanofluid inside and air outside. The current experimental investigation specifically examines the temperature-dependent characteristics (specific heat capacity, viscosity, density and thermal conductivity) of the stable ternary hybrid nanofluid mixture composed of Al₂O₃, CuO and TiO₂.

Originality/value

While several researchers have conducted numerical investigations on laminar flow in circular tubes, only a few studies are available on flat tube heat exchangers that use nanofluids just for internal flow. Furthermore, there is no simultaneous study on internal and exterior flow. Therefore, more investigation is necessary to examine the combined three-dimensional examination of shapes and their thermal-hydraulic influence using hybrid nanofluids.

Citation

Rai, R., Kumar, V. and Sahoo, R.R. (2024), "Thermo-hydraulic performance of air heat exchanger using prepared ternary HNF: a CFD analysis", International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/HFF-04-2024-0335