Entropy generation of boehmite alumina nanofluid flow through a minichannel heat exchanger considering nanoparticle shape effect

This paper aims to study the effect of nanoparticle shape on the entropy generation characteristics of boehmite alumina nanofluid flowing through a horizontal double-pipe minichannel heat exchanger. Boehmite alumina (gamma-AlOOH) nanoparticles of different shapes (cylindrical, brick, blade, platelet, and spherical) are dispersed in a mixture of water/ethylene glycol as the nanofluid. The nanofluid and water flow in the tube side and annulus side of the heat exchanger, respectively. The effects of the Reynolds number and nanoparticle concentration on the frictional entropy generation rate, thermal entropy generation rate, total entropy generation rate and Bejan number are numerically analyzed for different nanoparticle shapes. The obtained results demonstrated that the nanofluids containing platelet shape and spherical shape nanoparticles have the highest and lowest rates of thermal, frictional, and total entropy generation, respectively. Additionally, it was found that the rates of thermal, frictional, and total entropy generation increase with an increase in the Reynolds number, while the opposite is true for the Bejan number. Furthermore, it was inferred from the obtained results that the increase of nanoparticle concentration results in higher frictional and total entropy generation rates and lower Bejan number. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.