Nanofluid convection taking into account the Soret effect and its impact on heat transfer and fluid flow

Abstract

The present study is a numerical simulation of natural convection in nanofluids, within in a square cavity differentially heated, to identify the fluid flow and heat transfer by considering the Soret effect during which a temperature gradient in a binary mixture gives rise to a concentration gradient. The governing equations solved numerically using the finite element method following the use of COMSOL Multiphysics. The effects of various parameters, the Rayleigh number, the nanoparticle concentration and the type of nanofluid are analyzed. Our simulations reveal that the heterogeneity of the nanofluid, which is generated by the Soret effect, increases the heat transfer.