Numerical investigation of forced convection flow characteristics on hydrophobic surface with nanofluid

Abstract

In the present study, the flow resistance and heat transfer characteristics of nanofluid flowing through the channel with hydrophobics surfaces are investigated based on mixture multiphase model. A new model is built to exhibit the comprehensive performance of four structured hydrophobic surfaces under different parameters, and one structure with best thermos-hydraulic performance is chosen for the next step. Then, the Al₂O₃–water nanofluid is added to fluid domain and the flow characteristics is discussed in detail. The results show that the square posts structure has the best comprehensive performance. The overall performance of hydrophobic surfaces has been greatly improved after adding nanofluid, due to the slip-velocity produced by hydrophobic surface and increased fluid thermal conductivity by nanofluid. In addition, the value of performance evaluation criterion is steadily improved as the contact angle and volume fraction are both increasing, which can be increased to 20%, compared with smooth plate, due to the combined effect of hydrophobic surface and nanofluid.

Keywords:

• Flow resistance
• heat transfer
• multiphase flow
• performance evaluation criterion
• structural surface

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant numbers 52106226, 51876027, and 52176058; and Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities under Grant number DUT20RC(3)095.