Heat Transfer and Pressure Drop of Nanofluid with Rod-like Particles in Turbulent Flows through a Curved Pipe

Pressure drop, heat transfer, and energy performance of ZnO/water nanofluid with rodlike particles flowing through a curved pipe are studied in the range of Reynolds number 5000 <= Re <= 30,000, particle volume concentration 0.1% <= phi <= 5%, Schmidt number 10(4) <= Sc <= 3 x 10(5), particle aspect ratio 2 <= lambda <= 14, and Dean number 5 x 10(3) <= De <= 1.5 x 10(4). The momentum and energy equations of nanofluid, together with the equation of particle number density for particles, are solved numerically. Some results are validated by comparing with the experimental results. The effect of Re, phi, Sc, lambda, and De on the friction factor f and Nusselt number Nu is analyzed. The results showed that the values of f are increased with increases in phi, Sc, and De, and with decreases in Re and lambda. The heat transfer performance is enhanced with increases in Re, phi, lambda, and De, and with decreases in Sc. The ratio of energy PEC for nanofluid to base fluid is increased with increases in Re, phi, lambda, and De, and with decreases in Sc. Finally, the formula of ratio of energy PEC for nanofluid to base fluid as a function of Re, phi, Sc, lambda, and De is derived based on the numerical data.

Automated summary

This study investigates the effects of Reynolds number, particle volume concentration, Schmidt number, particle aspect ratio, and Dean number on the pressure drop, heat transfer, and energy performance of ZnO/water nanofluid with rodlike particles flowing through a curved pipe. The results show that the friction factor and Nusselt number of the nanofluid are influenced by the different parameters, and a formula for calculating the ratio of energy performance coefficient (PEC) between the nanofluid and base fluid is derived based on the numerical data.