Lattice Boltzmann method for nanofluid forced convection heat exchange in a porous channel with multiple heated sources

The nanofluid forced convection heat exchange in a porous channel within three heated blocks was numerically investigated using the Nonorthogonal multiple-relaxation time lattice Boltzmann method (MRT-LBM). The effects of various parameters such as nanoparticle volume fraction (phi), Darcy number (Da) on heat exchange performance and flow phenomena were analyzed when the Pecklel number (Pe), the Prandtl number (Pr), and porosity (epsilon) were 25, 5.829 and 0.3, respectively. The outcome showed that the mean Nusselt number (Nu) on the surface of heated sources remarkably improved by adding nanoparticles. Furthermore, the forced convection heat exchange of the fluid flow in the mainstream area and the heat conduction in the liquid retention zone had a conspicuous influence on the heat-transfer properties. It is worth noting that the forced convection heat transfer of the fluid flow dominates heat exchange. The simulation showed that the average surface Nusselt number on the heated blocks and the heat exchange performance declined with the increase of the Darcy number.

Automated summary

This study numerically investigated the forced convection heat exchange of nanofluid in a porous channel within three heated blocks using MRT-LBM. The results showed that adding nanoparticles significantly improved heat exchange performance, but the increase in Darcy number decreased heat transfer properties.