Experimental investigation of nanofluids in confined laminar radial flows

This paper presents an experimental investigation of heat transfer enhancement capabilities of coolants with suspended nanoparticles (Al2O3 dispersed in water) inside a radial flow cooling device. Steady, laminar radial flow of a nanofluid between a heated disk and a flat plate with axial coolant injection has been considered. An experimental test rig was built. Results show that heat transfer enhancements are possible in radial flow cooling systems with the use of nanofluids. In general, it was noticed that the Nusselt number increases with particle volume fraction and Reynolds number and decreases with an increase in disk spacing. (C) 2009 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.