Thermal performance of nanofluid natural convection magneto-hydrodynamics within a chamber equipped with a hot block

Abstract

In this study, flow and free convection thermal performance within a chamber in the presence of a permanent magnetic field are simulated. Boussinesq approximation and the Lorentz force equation are used for the density variation in free convection, and the magnetic field, respectively. The steady-state, two-dimensional, and incompressible governing equations are simulated using the Semi-Implicit Method for Pressure Linked Equations (SIMPLE). The present study is simulated for different Rayleigh numbers (Ra) corresponding to the situation where the conduction mechanism was predominant (Ra = 100) and the convection heat transfer was predominant (Ra = 105). Also, different intensities of the magnetic field (0 ≤ Ha ≤ 40) and different directions of the magnetic field along with the effects of three different nanoparticles Ag, Cu, and Al2O3 are given. The present study showed that in the case of the dominant convection mechanism, the presence of the magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) condition decreases the Nusselt number (Nu). However, if the conduction is predominant, the applied magnetic field improves the average Nu number. The optimum state for the magnetic field strength was found in the low Rayleigh number. The presence of nanoparticles also intensifies the magnetic field effects. In the high Rayleigh number, the heat transfer rate reduces by 13.5% with the increase of the Hartmann number.

Keywords

• Heat transfer rate
• Water-based nanofluids
• Free convection
• Nanoparticles
• Magneto-Hydrodynamics (MHD)