Effect of using viscosity and thermal conductivity models onexperimental cavity flow natural convection of cuo-water nanofluids

Abstract

Publication on cavity flow natural convection by using nanofluids has increased in recent years. On the other hand, contrary results offered by different researchers, both in experimental and numerical works. In this research it is tried to indicate that the accuracy of the viscosity and the thermal conductivity of the nanofluids is the most important reason of the contrary results. Therefore, cavity flow natural convection of CuO-water nanofluids has considered experimentally for volume fractions 0.5% and 1% in this research. The results show that the natural convection of nanofluids are more sensitive on accuracy of the viscosity than the thermal conductivity as well as it recommends to measure the viscosity and thermal conductivity in experimental natural convection works. However, for the range of the volume fractions tested in this research, CuO-water nanofluids (30-50nm) have not shown heat transfer advantage.