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In this study, the heat transfer and friction factor of a shell and helically coiled tube heat exchanger using AlO / water nanofluid at 0.1%, 0.4% and 0.8% particle volume concentration were tested. The test was conducted under laminar flow condition at 5100 < Re < 8700. It is found that the overall heat transfer coefficient, inner heat transfer coefficient and experimental inner Nusselt number are 24%, 25% and 28%, respectively, higher than water at 0.8% particle volume concentration of nanofluid. It is observed that the presence of nanoparticles further intensify the formation of secondary flow and proper mixing of fluid when nanofluid passes through the helically coiled tube. Apart from further flow intensification, higher thermal conductivity of nanofluid and random movement of nanoparticles contribute to the enhanced heat transfer coefficient. Also found that the friction factor increases over particle volume concentration and this is due to increased nanofluid viscosity while increasing particle volume concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, fully developed laminar flow convective heat transfer and friction factor characteristics of Al2O3/water nanofluid flowing through a uniformly heated horizontal tube with and without wire coil inserts is presented. For this purpose, Al2O3 nanoparticles of 43nm size were synthesized, characterized and dispersed in distilled water to form stable suspension containing 0.1% volume concentration of nanoparticles. The Nusselt number in the fully developed region were measured and found to increase by 12.24% at Re=2275 for plain tube with nanofluid compared to distilled water. Two wire coil inserts made of stainless steel with pitch ratios 2 and 3 were used which increased the Nusselt numbers by 15.91% and 21.53% respectively at Re=2275 with nanofluid compared to distilled water. The better heat transfer performance of nanofluid with wire coil insert is attributed to the effects of dispersion or back-mixing which flattens the temperature distribution and make the temperature gradient between the fluid and wall steeper. The measured pressure loss with the use of nanofluids is almost equal to that of the distilled water. The empirical correlations developed for Nusselt number and friction factor in terms of Reynolds/Peclet number, pitch ratio and volume concentration fits with the experimental data within ±15%. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]