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Numerical simulation of Rayleigh-Bénard convection of nanofluids in rectangular cavities

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Abstract

In order to understand the characteristics of Rayleigh-Bénard convection of nanofluids in a rectangular cavity, a series of threedimensional numerical simulations were carried out by using the finite volume method. The working mediums were Al2O3-water and CuO-water nanofluids, and Rayleigh number varied from 1708 to 1.5×105. Results show that the critical Rayleigh number of the Rayleigh-Bénard convection onset increases with the increase of the volume fraction of nanoparticles, which hints that nanoparticles make the flow become more stable. Furthermore, the critical Rayleigh number decreases with the increase of the aspect ratio of the cavity. After convection appears, the average Nusselt number at the bottom wall increases, but the flow intensity and the oscillation frequency decrease with the increase of the volume fraction of nanoparticles. With the increase of Rayleigh number, there exist four bifurcation sequences, which are Steady flow (SF) → Periodic oscillatory flow (POF) → Chaotic flow (CF), SF → POF → SF → POF →CF, SF → POF → Multiple periodic oscillatory flow (MPOF) → POF →CF and SF → POF → MPOF →CF.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Low-Grade Energy Utilization Technologies and Systems of Ministry of Education, College of Power Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, China

    Li Zhang, You-Rong Li & Ji-Ming Zhang

  2. Nanfang Translators College of Sichuan International Studies University, Chongqing, 401120, China

    Li Zhang

Authors
  1. Li Zhang
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  2. You-Rong Li
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  3. Ji-Ming Zhang
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Correspondence to You-Rong Li.

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Recommended by Associate Editor Seong Hyuk Lee

Li Zhang received her B.S. degree from Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, China, in 2007. She is currently a doctoral candidate in College of Power Engineering of Chongqing University, Chongqing, China. Her major area is numerical simulation of thermocapillary flow and Rayleigh-Benard convection.

You-Rong Li received his Ph.D. from the College of Power Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China, in 1999, and worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Institute of Advanced Material Study, Kyushu University, Japan, during 2000-2002. His major interests are Engineering Thermodynamics, Convective Heat Transfer, Thermocapillary Flow and Stability.

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Zhang, L., Li, YR. & Zhang, JM. Numerical simulation of Rayleigh-Bénard convection of nanofluids in rectangular cavities. J Mech Sci Technol 31, 4043–4050 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-017-0752-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-017-0752-6

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