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Received: May 28th, de 2015. Received in revised form: November 19th, 2015. Accepted: December 22th, 2015
Abstract
This paper presents the analysis of nanorefrigerant fluids to improve the thermal efficiency of a refrigeration system. Simulations in ANSYS
FLUENT 15.0 were performed with mixtures of refrigerants R113, R123 and R134a, with Al2O3 nanoparticles at 1 vf% and 5 vf% (vf%,
fraction volume concentration), flowing through a horizontal tube with a constant wall temperature. A mixture and the k-e turbulent models
were employed to obtain results of heat transfer coefficient, temperature and pressure drop for each case. Results show an increment in
thermal characteristics by adding 1 vf% and 5 vf% of Al2O3 nanoparticles to the three refrigerants selected. However, the size of the
nanoparticle does not affect the thermal properties of nanofluid and the pressure drop does not show a specific pattern of behavior at
different concentrations of nanoparticles. Finally, the mixture of R134a with 30 nm of mean diameter size Al2O3 at 1 vf% was selected
because of its higher thermal efficiency and its favorable properties as a refrigerant.
Palabras clave: nanofluidos; sistema de refrigeración; eficiencia térmica; coeficiente de transferencia de calor.
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Hernández et al / DYNA 83 (196), pp. 176-183. April, 2016.
particles. Experimental tests show a 29.7 % increase in the given by [14] to calculate the heat transfer coefficient. They
heat transfer coefficient due to the addition of CuO found that both heat transfer and pressure drop increase with
nanoparticles. Peng et al. [14] also proposed a correlation for increasing volume concentration of nanoparticles, which can
heat transfer in nanorefrigerants and obtained a deviation of improve the performance of cooling systems by increasing
± 20 % with the experimental results. energy efficiency and cooling capacity.
Peng et al. [14] propose using the impact factor of the In a subsequent study, Mahbubul et al. [18] investigated the
nanoparticle to correct the coefficient of heat transfer of the pure thermophysical properties, pressure drop and heat transfer of
refrigerant. The impact factor of the nanoparticle is shown 30 nm Al2O3 nanoparticles suspended in the R-134a refrigerant.
in eq. (1). Nanoparticle concentration varied from 1 vf% to 5 vf% [17].
The pipe used for analysis was 8.12 mm of diameter and
1500 mm of length. Entry conditions were 706 kPa, 300 K,
0.8 39.94 uniform mass flux of 100 kg/m2s, 5 m/s of velocity and a
, , uniform wall heat flow rate of 5000 W/m2. In the research
0.028 (1) presented in this paper, these data were taken as a reference for
the analysis of different nanorefrigerants, but using a constant
733.26 1 , wall temperature of 330 K and a temperature of 298.15 K at the
inlet of the pipe.
Simulations were carried out in ANSYS FLUENT 15.0
where the subscript "n" and "r, L" represent the properties varying the working fluid (R113, R123 and R134a), with 0
of nanoparticles and pure refrigerant, respectively. is the vf.%, 1 vf.% and 5 vf.% of Al2O3 nanoparticle concentration.
thermal conductivity, ρ is the density, is the isobaric Two cases were studied, at 0.5 m/s and 5 m/s (Reynolds
specific heat, φ is the volume fraction of the nanoparticles, G number for R134a of 24239.40 and 242394.0 respectively)
is the mass flux and x is vapor quality. To find the heat inlet velocity in a horizontal tube with a constant wall
transfer coefficient, Peng, et al. used eq. (2) [14]. temperature. Results were compared taking into account the
change in pressure drop, temperature through the tube, heat
, , (2) transfer coefficient and thermal conductivity between the
base fluid and the nanofluid. The properties of the
where represents the heat transfer coefficient for both, nanoparticles and refrigerants are shown in Table 1 and 2
refrigerant and the nanoparticle suspension. respectively, these are considered constant for the study.
Various combinations of nanoparticles have been studied to In [19] and [20] the properties of the nanofluid were
analyze the boiling heat transfer by flow boiling of a refrigerant obtained before the simulation because it was taken as a
in a horizontal pipe [15]. The nanorefrigerants they used were single phase model. For this reason, the Brownian effects
Cu-Al-R141b, Al2O3-R141b, and CuO-R141b. They did some were taken into account in order to calculate the effective
experimental tests where the heat transfer coefficient increased thermal conductivity. In the present study, the nanofluid has
by varying the mass fraction of nanoparticles. Cu particles have a change of phase from liquid to vapor, and it is considered
a better effect on improving the performance of heat transfer of to be a multiphase model where particles and fluid were
nanorefrigerants due to their high thermal conductivity. Other solved using a mixture model. “The mixture model solves the
factors influencing the performance of nanorefrigerants are continuity equation for the mixture, the momentum equation
mass flux and vapor quality. for the mixture, the energy equation for the mixture, and the
The research reported in the literature focuses on the volume fraction equation for the secondary phases, as well as
analysis of heat transfer single phase nanofluids, and some algebraic expressions for the relative velocities (if the phases
reference pool nucleate boiling. However, the research on are moving at different velocities)” [21]. The effective
phase change in flow boiling of nanofluids, which are very thermal conductivity is calculated by Fluent as a summatory
common in refrigeration systems, heat exchangers and air of the thermal conductivity of each phase plus the turbulent
conditioners, is very limited. Boiling characteristics and thermal conductivity given by the turbulent model used.
nanofluids flow in two phases dependent on properties such
as specific heat, latent heat, density, surface tension, to name 2. Mathematical models
but a few [16]. Further research is needed to enable a better
understanding of the properties of nanofluids and how to Two approaches have been reported in the literature to
measure them in evaporation and condensation systems for model dynamic phenomena and heat transfer of nanofluids
application in a refrigeration cycle. [10]. The first approach treats nanofluids as a single phase
Mahbubul et al. [17] conducted a study of the characteristics fluid, assuming that the solid particles are in thermal
of heat transfer and pressure drop to a mixture of Al2O3-R141b equilibrium with the fluid phase and the relative velocity
for different concentrations and phase change due to flow between them is zero. The second approach found in the
boiling. The analysis was performed in a pipe of 6 mm of literature adopted a two-phase flow, where the moving speed
diameter and 1000 mm of length. The analysis was undertaken between the particles and the fluid is not necessarily zero.
with an inlet temperature of 298 K, a pressure of 78,535 kPa, a Authors argue that simulations that treat the solid phase and
mass flux of 100 kg/m2.s and an input speed of 5 m/s, resulting liquid separately have more accurate results when seen as a
in a turbulent flow through the pipe. The wall was subjected to single phase. The most appropriate used model to simulate
a uniform heat flux of 5000 W/m2. They used a correlation the flow of the two phases in CFD is the mixture model.
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Hernández et al / DYNA 83 (196), pp. 176-183. April, 2016.
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Hernández et al / DYNA 83 (196), pp. 176-183. April, 2016.
, , (9)
(10)
1 1
,
(11) Figure 2. Pressure drop at 0.5 m/s velocity for Al2O3-R113 Re = 9718.19
(●), Al2O3-R123 Re = 13025.83 (▲) and Al2O3-R134a Re = 24239.40(),
with 30 nm mean size diameter particles of Al2O3.
where represents the thermal conductivity of each Source: The authors.
phase of the mixture and is the turbulent thermal
conductivity defined by the turbulent model used.
From the continuity equation for phase p, it can be can
obtained the volume fraction equation of the secondary phase:
(12)
, ,
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Hernández et al / DYNA 83 (196), pp. 176-183. April, 2016.
Figure 6. Heat transfer coefficient at 0.5 m/s velocity inlet for Al2O3-R113
(), Al2O3-R123 (▲) and Al2O3-R134a (■), with 30 nm mean size diameter
particles of Al2O3
Source: The authors.
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Hernández et al / DYNA 83 (196), pp. 176-183. April, 2016.
Increasing the velocity inlet up to 5 m/s causes higher values of heat transfer 4. Conclusions
coefficient, 3000 W/m2K approximately, for base refrigerants. Fig. 7. shows a
similar behavior of the heat transfer coefficient for 1 vf.% and 5 vf.% of
nanoparticles. Adding 1 vf.% of Al2O3 to any of the studied refrigerants increases Results show that adding nanoparticles to refrigerant
the heat transfer coefficient to 41 % approximately, and 17 % more by adding 5 % fluids improves the thermal characteristics such as thermal
of nanoparticles, for a total of 58 % in relation to the pure refrigerant. The heat conductivity and the heat transfer coefficient, which could
transfer coefficient was improved by increasing the nanoparticle concentration. mean enhancing the performance of refrigeration systems.
However, the improvement with 5 vf.% of nanoparticles is not significant enough,
and 1 vf.% of Al2O3 is adequate for further calculations.
The pressure drop of nanofluids studied does not show a
Thermal conductivity in relation to the concentration of particular relation with respect to the nano particles
nanoparticles is presented in Fig. 8 and Fig. 9 at 0.5 m/s and concentration, not allowing to conclude about the effect of
5 m/s respectively. These graphics show an increase in thermal that variable on the pressure drop, that is why further research
conductivity by adding nanoparticles at different concentrations. efforts should analyze this feature as well as the migration of
Al2O3 nanoparticles has a great impact on R113 thermal particles due to phase change since the mixture model is
conductivity at 0.5 m/s, while R123 and R134a have a lower unable to predict it correctly.
thermal conductivity and a very similar tendency to increase. At It was observed that nanoparticle size does not affect the
5 m/s the thermal conductivity of nanorefrigerants can have a thermal characteristics of nanofluids. On the other hand, a
very similar increase by adding more particles. In this example, concentration of nanoparticles results in an improvement to
particle size has no influence on thermal conductivity behavior. those characteristics, 1 vf.% being the best concentration
because it has a significant impact on thermal conductivity
and the heat transfer coefficient with less particles than 5
vf.% concentration.
Results show an improvement in thermal characteristics
by increasing inlet velocity for each of the refrigerants,
however this means a significant increase in pressure drop.
At a higher inlet velocity, the difference in thermal
conductivity and in heat transfer coefficient is not
appreciable between the three studied nanorefrigerants.
R134a with 30 nm Al2O3 at 1 vf.% is a excellent option
because it has a lower environmental impact and it has an
exceptional thermal performance which is convenient in
refrigerant systems.
Acknowledges
Figure 8. Thermal conductivity at 0.5 m/s velocity inlet for Al2O3-R113 (),
This work was funded by Colciencias through the Young
Al2O3-R123 (▲) and Al2O3-R134a (■), with 30 nm mean size diameter Research Program under grant 617-2013.
particles of Al2O3.
Source: The authors. References
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