33 Numerical Study of Turbulence Nanofluid Flow to Distinguish Models for In-House Programming

Abstract

Nanofluids has shown its possibility in enhancing heat transfer performance above its base fluids. Our previous work presented a numerical study from an in-house program to analyze the nanofluid heat transfer enhancement using different theoretical models; the models were used in the simulation domain alternately, named the mixing models, and the single-phase model were investigated and showed its performance in laminar nanofluid flow. The single-phase-model concept has carried on to study turbulence nanofluid flow in this work. The nanofluid considered in this work was Al2O3. Three turbulence models, Standard, RNG and Realizable combined with the wall function equations, were investigated to distinguished differences among them. All simulated results, then, were compared with experimental results. The comparisons showed that numerical results did not divert from each others but their performing times and complications were different. If one develops his own code, RNG and Realizable models are more complicated. Although the Realizable model provided the best results but it consumed the longest time period, so the RNG model should be used when time consumption and errors are significant. From this ordinary study, the first important step of in-house program developments has started. The time consumption indicates the computer performance which should be used, high performance computers are available only some places, and errors indicates that constants plugged into the model should be imported from experimental studies.