Convective heat transport for copper oxide-water nanofluid in an isosceles triangular cavity with a rippled base wall in the presence of magnetic field

Abstract

Heat transfer in different nanofluids and understanding their characteristics through mathematical modeling will lead to the development of noble nanofluids with tunable hydrodynamics. A dynamic model has been utilized to analyze the convection and flow of a copper oxide-water nanofluid flow within a symmetrical isosceles triangular cavity with a rippled base wall. The Galerkin Finite Element (FEM) approach has been used in the simulation to analyze the governing equations, including the wall conditions. The walls are kept rigid, and a steady low temperature has been applied to the cavity's tending walls. We studied the isoconcentration levels, isotherms, streamlines, and heat transfer distribution by keeping the corrugated bottom wall equally heated. The heat transfer distributions for problem variables, nanoparticle size, time evolution, and nanoparticle volume fraction confirmed that the patterns of the heat transfer distribution for adjustments in nanoparticle volume fraction are inversely proportional to those for modifications in nanoparticle diameter. A noticeable heat transfer dissemination requires a 1-20 nm diameter of nanoparticle inside the mixture, while a stagnant distribution of heat transfer happens after this range. Our analysis revealed that the isosceles design and the size distribution of the nanoparticles play a crucial role in heat transmission. Compared to the base fluid tested in the research, nanofluid shows a lower coefficient of friction. The greater the friction coefficient within the cavity, the higher the Rayleigh number and nanoparticle diameter.

Keywords

• Finite element method
• Cavity with the rippled base wall
• CuO-water nanofluid
• Heat transfer
• Friction