Numerical Assessment of Nanofluid Natural Convection Using Local RBF Method Coupled with an Artificial Compressibility Model

In this paper,natural heat convection inside square and equilateral triangular cavities was studied using a meshless method based on collocation local radial basis function(RBF).The nanofluids used were Cu-water or Al_(2)O_(3)-water mixture with nanoparticle volume fractions range of 0≤φ≤0.2.A system of continuity,momentum,and energy partial differential equations was used in modeling the flow and temperature behavior of the fluids.Partial derivatives in the governing equations were approximated using the RBF method.The artificial compressibility model was implemented to overcome the pressure velocity coupling problem that occurs in such equations.Themain goal of this work was to present a simple and efficient method to deal with complex geometries for a variety of problem conditions.To assess the accuracy of the proposed method,several test cases of natural convection in square and triangular cavities were selected.For Rayleigh numbers ranging from 103 to 105,a validation test of natural convection of Cu-water in a square cavity was used.The numerical investigation was then extended to Rayleigh number 106,as well as Al_(2)O_(3)-water nanofluid with a volume fraction range of 0≤φ≤0.2.In a second investigation,the same nanofluids were used in a triangular cavitywith varying volume fractions to test the proposed meshless approach on non-rectangular geometries.The numerical results appear to be in agreement with those from earlier investigations.Furthermore,the suggested meshless method was found to be stable and accurate,demonstrating that it may be a viable alternative for solving natural heat transfer equations of nanofluids in enclosures with irregular geometries.

Laminar natural convection characteristics in an enclosure with heated hexagonal block for non-Newtonian power law fluids

This work illustrates the steady state, two dimensional natural convective flow and heat transfer features in square enclosure containing heated hexagonal block maintained either at constant wall temperature(CWT) or uniform heat flux(UHF) thermal conditions. Governing equations(mass, momentum and energy) are solved by using finite volume method(FVM) with 3rd order accurate QUICK discretization scheme and SIMPLE algorithm for range of field pertinent parameters such as, Grashof number(10~3≤ Gr ≤ 10~6), Prandtl number(1 ≤ Pr ≤ 100) and power law index(0.5 ≤ n ≤ 1.5). The analysis of momentum and heat transfer characteristics are delineated by evolution of streamlines, isotherms, variation of average Nusselt number value and Colburn factor for natural convection(j_(nH)). A remarkable change is observed on fluid flow and thermal distribution pattern in cavity for both thermal conditions. Nusselt number shows linear variation with Grashof and Prandtl numbers; while rate of heat transfer by convection decreases for power law index value. Higher heat transfer rate can be achieved by using uniform heat flux condition. A Nusselt number correlation is developed for possible utilization in engineering/scientific design purpose.

Optimization of natural convection heat transfer of Newtonian nanofluids in a cylindrical enclosure

This study characterizes and optimizes natural convection heat transfer of two Newtonian Al2O3 and Ti O2/water nano fluids in a cylindrical enclosure. Nusselt number(Nu) of nano fluids in relation to Rayleigh number(Ra) for different concentrations of nano fluids is investigated at different con figurations and orientations of the enclosure.Results show that adding nanoparticles to water has a negligible or even adverse in fluence upon natural convection heat transfer of water: only a slight increase in natural convection heat transfer of Al2O3/water is observed,while natural convection heat transfer for TiO2/water nano fluid is inferior to that for the base fluid. Results also reveal that at low Ra, the likelihood of enhancement in natural convection heat transfer is more than at high Ra: at low Ra, inclination angle, aspect ratio of the enclosure and nanoparticle concentration in fluence natural convection heat transfer more pronouncedly than that in high Ra.

Design of a Mobile Probe to Predict Convection Heat Transfer on BIPV （Building Integrated Photovoltaic） at UTS （University of Technology Sydney）

In the absence of a simple technique to predict convection heat transfer on BIPV （building integrated photovoltaic） surfaces, a mobile probe with two thermocouples was designed. Thermal boundary layers on vertical flat surfaces ofa PV （photovoltaic） and a metallic plate were traversed. The plate consisted of twelve heaters where heat flux and surface temperature were controlled and measured. Uniform heat flux condition was developed on the heaters to closely simulate non-uniform temperature distribution on vertical PV modules. The two thermocouples on the probe measured local air temperature and contact temperature with the wall surface. Experimental results were presented in the forms of local Nusselt numbers versus Rayleigh numbers ＂Nu = a＇（Ra）b＇＇, and surface temperature versus dimensionless height （Ts - T∞ = c.（z/h）d）. The constant values for ＂a＂, ＂b＂, ＂c＂ and ＂d＂ were determined from the best curve-fitting to the power-law relation. The convection heat transfer predictions from the empirical correlations were found to be in consistent with those predictions made by a number of correlations published in the open literature. A simple technique is then proposed to employ two experimental data from the probe to refine empirical correlations as the operational conditions change. A flexible technique to update correlations is of prime significance requirement in thermal design and operation of BIPV modules. The work is in progress to further extend the correlation to predict the combined radiation and convection on inclined PVs and channels.

Investigation of internally finned LED heat sinks

A novel heat sink is proposed, which is composed of a perforated cylinder and internally arranged fins.Numerical studies are performed on the natural convection heat transfer from internally finned heat sinks; experimental studies are carried out to validate the numerical results. To compare the thermal performances of internally finned heat sinks and externally finned heat sinks, the effects of the overall diameter, overall height, and installation direction on maximum temperature, air flow and heat transfer coefficient are investigated. The results demonstrate that internally finned heat sinks show better thermal performance than externally finned heat sinks; the maximum temperature of internally finned heat sinks decreases by up to 20% compared with the externally finned heat sinks. The existence of a perforated cylinder and the installation direction of the heat sink affect the thermal performance significantly; it is shown that the heat transfer coefficient of the heat sink with the perforated cylinder is improved greater than that with the imperforated cylinder by up to 34%, while reducing the mass of the heat sink by up to 13%.