The thermal performance of nanofluids developed to improve industrial heat exchanger operation was analyzed by an international research team.

ANSYS software was applied to the evaluation of heat transfer characteristics of hydrofluoroethers formulated as heat transfer fluids. The analysis considered the generation of entropy by a laminar nanofluid flow in a horizontal circular tube 3 mm in diameter with a uniform heat flow. Two types of nanofluids obtained by dispersing aluminum oxide and silicon dioxide nanoparticles in pure hydrofluoroether HFE7000, a non-flammable, non-corrosive liquid, with different volumetric concentrations were characterized.

The average pressure drop was reduced by about 25% when using the slip boundary condition on the wall. Total entropy generation declined by about 20% with use of a sliding wall pipe with 100 μm sliding length and a 6% volume concentration of aluminum oxide dispersed with alumina, compared to pure hydrofluoroether flowing in the pipe without sliding.

The research underscores the benefits of using nanofluids with nanosphere additives for flow-through nanolubrication and improved heat transfer efficiency in heat exchanger systems.

A paper on the study conducted by scientists from South Ural State University (Russia), University Kebangsaan Malaysia and Teesside University (U.K.) is published in Thermal Science and Engineering Progress.

Total entropy generation declined by about 20% with use of a sliding wall pipe. Source: S. Mohamadi et al.