Al2O3-water nanofluid inside wavy mini-channel with different cross-sections

Laminar convection of water and 1% vol. Al2O3-water nanofluid through the straight mini-channel (SMC) and wavy mini-channel (WMC) with various cross-section geometries is studied numerically. The nanofluid flow is simulated by using the mixture model, which has been verified to be the appropriate model to simulate nanofluid behavior. The results depict higher values of the heat transfer rate and pumping power for the WMC compared to the SMC. It is also found that the hexagonal cross-section causes a considerable heat transfer enhancement inside the SMC in comparison with the other cross-sections. However, the highest heat transfer rates are obtained for the WMC with the rhombic and triangular cross-sections. It is necessary to note that for all the cases, the nanofluid flow presents higher values of the heat transfer rate and pumping power compared to the water flow. Finally, correlations are developed for the SMC and WMC with different cross-sections in the range of the studied Reynolds number, i.e. 300-1500. (C) 2015 Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.