Boiling induced nanoparticle coating and its effect on pool boiling heat transfer on a vertical cylindrical surface using CuO nanofluids

Abstract

Experiments were performed to study boiling induced nanoparticle coating and its influence on pool boiling heat transfer using low concentrations of CuOnanofluid in distilled water at atmospheric pressure. To investigate the effect of the nanoparticle coated surface on pool boiling performance, two different concentrations of CuO nanofluids (0.1 and 0.5 g/l) were chosen and tests were conducted on a clean heater surface in nanofluid and nanoparticle coated surface in pure water. For the bare heater tested in CuO nanofluid, CHF was enhanced by 35.83 and 41.68 % respectively at 0.1 and 0.5 g/l concentration of nanofluid. For the nanoparticle coated heater surface obtained by boiling induced coating using 0.1 and 0.5 g/l concentration of nanofluid and tested in pure water, CHF was enhanced by 29.38 and 37.53 % respectively. Based on the experimental investigations it can be concluded that nanoparticle coating can also be a potential substitute for enhancing the heat transfer in pure water. Transient behaviour of nanofluid was studied by keeping heat flux constant at 1,000 and 1,500 kW/m2 for 90 min in 0.5 g/l concentration. The boiling curve shifted to the right indicating degradation in boiling heat transfer due to prolonged exposure of heater surface to nanofluid. Experimental outcome indicated that pool boiling performance of nanofluid could be a strong function of time and applied heat flux. The longer the duration of exposure of the heater surface, the higher will be the degradation in heat transfer. © Springer-Verlag 2012.