Pressure Drop and Performance Characteristics of Water-Based Al2O3 and CuO Nanofluids in a Triangular Duct

An experimental study is performed to determine the pressure drop and performance characteristics of Al2O3/water and CuO/water nanofluids in a triangular duct under constant heat flux where the flow is laminar. The effects of adding nanoparticles to the base fluid on the pressure drop and friction factor are investigated at different Reynolds numbers. The results show that at a specified Reynolds number, using the nanofluids can lead to an increase in the pressure drop by 35%. It is also found that with increases in the Reynolds number, the rate of increase in the friction factor with the volume fraction of nanoparticles is reduced. Finally, the performance characteristics of the two nanofluids are investigated using the data of pressure drop and convective heat transfer coefficient. The results show that the use of Al2O3/water nanofluid with volume fractions of 1.5% and 2% is not helpful in the triangular duct. It is also concluded that at the same volume fraction of nanoparticles, using Al2O3 nanoparticles is more beneficial than CuO nanoparticles based on the performance index.