Numerical study of nanofluids condensation heat transfer in a square microchannel

H. El Mghari , H. Louahlia-Gualous (1, 2) , E. Lepinasse (2)

1 FEMTO-ST - Franche-Comté Électronique Mécanique, Thermique et Optique - Sciences et Technologies (UMR 6174)
2 LUSAC - Laboratoire Universitaire des Sciences Appliquées de Cherbourg

This paper presents a numerical study of nanofluids condensation heat transfer inside a single horizontal smooth square tube. The numerical results are compared with the previous experimental predictions. The numerical results show that the heat transfer coefficient could be improved within 20% by increasing the volume fraction of Cu nanoparticle by 5% or by increasing the mass flux from 80 to 110 kg/m2 s. Reducing the hydraulic diameter of the microchannel from 200 to 160 µm leads to an increase in the condensation average heat transfer coefficient by 10%. A new correlation estimating the Nusselt number for the condensation of nanofluids or pure vapor is proposed. It predicts average condensation heat transfer with a good agreement with those computed.

Domaines: Sciences de l'ingénieur [physics]; Sciences de l'environnement; Physique [physics]; Matériaux; Milieux fluides et réactifs

H. El Mghari, H. Louahlia-Gualous, E. Lepinasse. Numerical study of nanofluids condensation heat transfer in a square microchannel. Numerical Heat Transfer, Part A Applications, 2016, 69 (9), pp.957-976. ⟨10.1080/10407782.2015.1109339⟩. ⟨hal-02163851⟩