Numerical Investigation on the Turbulent Flow Characteristic of Nanofluids in a Horizontal Circular Tube

Abstract

Turbulent flow characteristic of TiO₂–water nanofluids inside a horizontal circular tube is studied numerically by single-phase model, mixture multiphase model and Eulerian–Eulerian multiphase model. The flow characteristic is accounted from micro-flow aspect in order to reveal the mechanism of heat transfer enhancement in nanofluids. A new empirical correlation of nanoparticle viscosity has been proposed for multiphase models, which is much more precise than traditional empirical models. The presence of nanoparticles intensified local micro-flow and improved overall turbulence intensity significantly. The current study suggests that a thorough understanding on flow characteristics of nanofluids is essential for proposing mathematical description nanofluids flow.

Notes

Color versions of one or more of the figures in the article can be found online at www.tandfonline.com/unht.