A review of forced convection heat transfer enhancement and hydrodynamic characteristics of a nanofluid

The low thermal properties of liquids have led to investigations into additives of small size (less than 100 nm solid particles) to enhance their heat transfer properties and hydrodynamic flow. To summarise the experimental and numerical studies, this paper reviews these computational simulations and finds that most of them are in agreement with the results of experimental work. Many of the studies report enhancements in the heat transfer coefficient with an increase in the concentration of solid particles. Certain studies with a smaller particle size indicated an increase in the heat transfer enhancement when compared to values obtained with a larger size. Additionally, the effect of the shape of the flow area on the heat transfer enhancement has been explored by a number of studies. All of the studies showed a nominal increase in pressure drop. The significant applications in the engineering field explain why so many investigators have studied heat transfer with augmentation by a nanofluid in the heat exchanger. This article presents a review of the heat transfer applications of nanofluids to develop directions for future work. The high volume fraction of various nanofluids will be useful in car radiators to enhance the heat transfer numerically and experimentally. Correlation equations can expose relationships between the Nusselt number, the Reynolds number, the concentration and the diameter of the nanoparticles. On the other hand, more work is needed to compare the shapes (e.g., circular, elliptical and flat tube) that might enhance the heat transfer with a minimal pressure drop. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.