Comparative Study of Thermal Performance of Sinusoidal Wavy Corrugated Plate Heat Exchanger with MWCNT and CuO Nanoparticles in Water as Working Fluids
J. Environ. Nanotechnol., Volume 15, No 1 (March 2026) pp. 185-195
Abstract
Global energy demand necessitates improved efficacy of heat transfer process. Nanofluid is an innovative heat transfer fluid created by dispersing nanoparticles in conventional heat transfer fluids, such as water or ethylene glycol, to enhance thermal conductivity. The corrugated pattern enhances the surface area that comes into contact with heat, allowing for more effective heat absorption. The significance is found in the enhanced effectiveness of heat transfer and absorption, along with a reduced pressure drop. A detailed comparative analysis on the variations in thermal performance of sinusoidal wavy corrugated plate heat exchangers at angles of 0°, 30°, 40°, and 50°, using MWCNT and CuO in water, has been conducted, addressing the literature gap where limited information exists. Flow rate of nanofluid was varied between 2 to 4 L/min and nanoparticle concentration from 0 to 0.09%. The impact of flowrate on convective heat transfer coefficient, pressure drop, and thermal hydraulic performance was studied. Findings indicate that CuO nanofluids are preferable for applications characterized by low flow rate (less than 2 L/min) and conduction dominance, such as cooling compact electronics or utilizing low-capacity heat exchangers, where increased particle concentration is acceptable. Conversely, MWCNT nanofluids are more appropriate for heat exchangers used on an industrial scale and in turbulent flow conditions, as they provide enhanced efficiency at reduced concentrations, which helps lower pumping power requirements and pressure.
Full Text
Reference
Abad, M. T. J. and Zamzamian, A., Thermal conductivity of Cu and Al-water nanofluids, Int. J. Eng., 26(8), 821–828 (2013).
https://doi.org/10.5829/IDOSI.IJE.2013.26.08B.03
Abbas, N., Awan, M. B., Amer, M., Ammer, S. M., Sajjad, U., Ali, H. M., Zahra, N., Hussain, M., Badshah, M. A. and Jafry, A. T., Applications of nanofluids in photovoltaic thermal systems: a review of recent advances, Physica A., 536, 122513 (2019).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physa.2019.122513
Chen, W., Zou, C. and Li, X., Application of large-scale prepared MWCNTs nanofluids in a solar energy system as volumetric solar absorber, Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells., 200, 109931 (2019).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2019.109931
Choi, S. U. S., Zhang, Z. G., Yu, W., Lockwood, F. E. and Grulke, E. A., Anomalous thermal conductivity enhancement in nanotube suspensions, Appl. Phys. Lett., 79(14), 2252–2254 (2001).
https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1408272
Dora, N., Mendu, S. S. and Raju, B. H. L., Comparative study of conjugate heat transfer characteristics in chevron corrugated plate heat exchanger using CuO nanocoolant, Arabian J. Sci. Eng., 45(11), 8955–8967 (2020).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-020-04631-2
Farbod, M. and Ahangarpour, A., Improved thermal conductivity of Ag-decorated carbon nanotubes water-based nanofluids, Phys. Lett. A., 380(48), 4044–4048 (2016).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physleta.2016.10.014
Ganeshkumar, J., Kathirkaman, D., Raja, K., Kumaresan, V. and Velraj, R., Experimental study on density, thermal conductivity, specific heat and viscosity of water–ethylene glycol mixture dispersed with carbon nanotubes, Therm. Sci., 21(1 Part A), 255–265 (2015).
https://doi.org/10.2298/TSCI141015028G
Garg, P., Alvarado, J. L., Marsh, C., Carlson, T. A., Kessler, D. A. and Annamalai, K., An experimental study on the effect of ultrasonication on viscosity and heat transfer performance of multiwall carbon nanotube-based aqueous nanofluids, Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer., 52(21–22), 5090–5101 (2009).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2009.04.029
Khairul, M. A., Alim, M. A., Mahbubal, I. M., Saidur, R., Hepbasli, A. and Hossain, A., Heat transfer performance and exergy analyses of a corrugated plate heat exchanger using metal oxide nanofluids, Int. Commun. Heat Mass Transfer., 50, 8–14 (2014).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icheatmasstransfer.2013.11.006
Kim, P., Shi, L., Majumdar, A. and McEuen, P., Thermal transport measurements of individual multiwalled nanotubes, Phys. Rev. Lett., 87(21), 215502 (2001).
https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.87.215502
Ko, G. H., Heo, K., Lee, K., Kim, D. S., Kim, C., Sohn, Y. and Choi, M., An experimental study on the pressure drop of nanofluids containing carbon nanotubes in a horizontal tube, Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer., 50(23–24), 4749–4753 (2007).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2007.03.029
Li, F. C., Yang, J. C., Zhou, W. W., He, Y. R., Huang, Y. M. and Jiang, B. C., Experimental study on the characteristics of thermal conductivity and shear viscosity of viscoelastic-fluid-based nanofluids containing multiwalled carbon nanotubes, Thermochimica Acta., 556, 47–53 (2013).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tca.2013.01.023
Liu, M., Lin, M. C. and Wang, C., Enhancements of thermal conductivities with Cu, CuO, and carbon nanotube nanofluids and application of MWNT/water nanofluid on a water chiller system, Nanoscale Res. Lett., 6(1), 297 (2011).
https://doi.org/10.1186/1556-276X-6-297
Tajik Jamal Abad, M., Rashidi, A. M. and Gohari, M., An experimental study on the thermal conductivity of carbon nanotubes/oil (Technical Note), Int. J. Eng., 27(3), 411–416 (2013).
https://doi.org/10.5829/idosi.ije.2014.27.03c.08
Michael, J. J. and Iniyan, S., Performance analysis of a copper sheet laminated photovoltaic thermal collector using copper oxide-water nanofluid, Sol. Energy., 119, 439–451 (2015).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2015.06.028
Munkhbayar, B., Tanshen, M. R., Jeoun, J., Chung, H. and Jeong, H., Surfactant-free dispersion of silver nanoparticles into MWCNT-aqueous nanofluids prepared by one-step technique and their thermal characteristics, Ceram. Int., 39(6), 6415–6425 (2013).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2013.01.069
Rashed, M. H. A., Dzido, G., Korpys, M., Smolka, J. and Wojcik, J., Investigation on the CPU nanofluid cooling, Microelectron. Reliab., 63, 159–165 (2016).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.microrel.2016.06.016
Ruan, B. and Jacobi, A. M., Heat transfer characteristics of multiwall carbon nanotube suspensions (MWCNT nanofluids) in intertube falling-film flow, Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer., 55(11), 3186–3195 (2012).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2012.02.051
Shah, T. R. and Ali, H. M., Applications of hybrid nanofluids in solar energy, practical limitations and challenges: a critical review, Sol. Energy., 183, 173–203 (2019).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2019.03.012
Wahab, A., Hassan, A., Qasim, M. A., Ali, H. M., Babar, H. and Sajid, M. U., Solar energy systems—potential of nanofluids, J. Mol. Liq., 289, 111049 (2019).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molliq.2019.111049
Xie, H., Lee, H., Youn, W. and Choi, M., Nanofluids containing multiwalled carbon nanotubes and their enhanced thermal conductivities, J. Appl. Phys., 94(8), 4967–4971 (2003).
https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1613374
Yurddaş, A., Optimization and thermal performance of evacuated tube solar collector with various nanofluids, Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer., 152, 119496 (2020).
