Experimental Study of Laminar Convective Heat Transfer and Viscous Pressure Loss of Alumina-Water Nanofluid Available to Purchase

Laminar convective heat transfer and viscous pressure loss were investigated for alumina-water nanofluid in a flow loop with a vertical heated tube. The experimental results are in good agreement with traditional model predictions for laminar flow, if the loading- and temperature-dependent thermophysical properties are utilized. No abnormal heat transfer enhancement was observed. The heat transfer coefficients in the entrance region and in the fully-developed region are estimated to increase by 17% and 27%, respectively, for alumina nanofluid at 6 vol%. Measured pressure loss of the nanofluid is within 20% of theory. It is concluded that the nanofluid laminar convective heat transfer and viscous pressure loss behavior can be predicted by existing models as long as the correct mixture properties are used. This finding is consistent with our previous observation for alumina nanofluid tested in the fully-developed turbulent flow regime.