Natural convection flow of Cu–Water nanofluid in horizontal cylindrical annuli with inner triangular cylinder using lattice Boltzmann method.

Abstract: In this paper the lattice Boltzmann method is used to investigate the effect of nanoparticles on natural convection heat transfer in two-dimensional horizontal annulus. The study consists of an annular-shape enclosure, which is created between a heated triangular inner cylinder and a circular outer cylinder. The inner and outer surface temperatures were set as hot (Th) and cold temperatures (Tc), respectively and assumed to be isotherms. The effect of nanoparticle volume fraction to the enhancement of heat transfer was examined at different Rayleigh numbers. Furthermore, the effect of vertical, horizontal, and diagonal eccentricities at various locations is examined at Ra=104. The result is presented in the form of streamlines, isotherms, and local and average Nusselt number. Results show that the Nusselt number and the maximum stream functions increase by augmentation of solid volume fraction. Average Nusselt number increases when the inner cylinder moves downward, but it decreases, when the location of inner cylinder changes horizontally. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]