Numerical simulation of the nanoparticle diameter effect on the thermal performance of a nanofluid in a cooling chamber

The thermal performance of a nanofluid in a cooling chamber with variations of the nanoparticle diameter is numerically investigated. The chamber is filled with water and nanoparticles of alumina $(\mathrm{Al}_2\mathrm{O}_3)$. Appropriate nanofluid models are used to approximate the nanofluid thermal conductivity and dynamic viscosity by incorporating the effects of the nanoparticle concentration, Brownian motion, temperature, nanoparticles diameter, and interfacial layer thickness. The horizontal boundaries of the square domain are assumed to be insulated, and the vertical boundaries are considered to be isothermal. The governing stream-vorticity equations are solved by using a second-order central finite difference scheme coupled with the mass and energy conservation equations. The results of the present work are found to be in good agreement with the previously published data for special cases. This study is conducted for the Reynolds number being fixed at $\mathrm{Re} = 100$ and different values of the nanoparticle volume fraction, Richardson number, nanofluid temperature, and nanoparticle diameter. The results show that the heat transfer rate and the Nusselt number are enhanced by increasing the nanoparticle volume fraction and decreasing the Richardson number. The Nusselt number also increases as the nanoparticle diameter decreases.