Conjugate heat transfer of a nanofluid in a vertical channel adjacent to a heat generating solid domain

The effect of thermal dispersion in the conjugate steady free convection flow of a nanofluid in a vertical channel is investigated numerically using a single phase model. Considering the laminar and fully developed flow regime, a simplified mathematical model is obtained. In the particular cases when solid phase and thermal dispersion effects are neglected the problem was solved analytically. The numerical solution is shown to be in excellent agreement with the close form analytical solution. Nusselt number enhancement with the Grashof number, volume fraction, aspect ratio parameter and thermal diffusivity constant increasing has been found.

Flavius Patrulescu
(Tiberiu Popoviciu Institute of Numerical Analysis, Romanian Academy)

Teodor Groşan
(Babeş-Bolyai University Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Sciences)

nanofluid; vertical channel; free convection; conjugate heat transfer; heat generation

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F. Pătrulescu, T. Groşan, Conjugate heat transfer of a nanofluid in a vertical channel adjacent to a heat generating solid domain, Rev. Anal. Numer. Theor. Approx., vol. 39, no. 2 (2010), pp. 141-149

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