Experimental investigation of heat transfer coefficient and friction factor of ethylene glycol water based TiO2 nanofluid in double pipe heat exchanger with and without helical coil inserts

Heat transfer coefficient and friction factor of TiO2 nanofluid flowing in a double pipe heat exchanger with and without helical coil inserts are studied experimentally. The experiments are conducted in the range of Reynolds number from 4000 to 15,000 and in the volume concentration range from 0.0004% to 0.02%. The base fluid is prepared by considering 40% of ethylene glycol and 60% of distilled water. The heat transfer coefficient and friction factor get enhanced by 10.73% and 8.73% for 0.02% volume concentration of nanofluid when compared to base fluid flowing in a tube. Heat transfer coefficient and friction factor further get enhanced by 13.85% and 10.69% respectively for 0.02% nanofluid when compared to base fluid flowing in a tube with helical coil insert of P/d = 2.5. The measured values of heat transfer coefficient and friction factor are compared with the published literature. Based on the experimental data, generalized correlations are proposed for Nusselt number and friction factor. The results are presented in graphical and tabular form. Uncertainty analysis is also carried out and the experimental error is in the range of 10%. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.