CFD investigation of flow and heat transfer of nanofluids in isoflux spirally fluted tubes

In this work, the problem of flow and heat transfer of nanofluids in spirally fluted tubes is investigated numerically using the CFD code Fluent. The tube investigated in this work is characterized by the existence of helical ridging which is usually obtained by embossing a smooth tube. A tube of diameter of 15 mm, 1.5 mm groove depth and a single helix with pitch of 64 mm is chosen for simulation. This geometry has been chosen for simulation because it has been investigated experimentally for pure fluids and would, therefore, provide a verification framework with our CFD model. The result of our CFD investigation compares very well with the experimental work conducted on this tube geometry. Interesting patterns are highlighted and investigated including the existence of flow swirl as a result of the existence of the spirally enhanced ridges. This swirl flow enhances heat transfer characteristics of this system as reported in the literatures. This study also shows that further enhancement is achieved if small amount of nanoparticles are introduced to the fluid. These nanoparticles (metallic-based nanoparticles) when introduced to the fluid enhances its heat transfer characteristics.