EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF NATURAL CONVECTIVE HEAT TRANSFER OF A BIO-INSPIRED (MANGIFERA INDICA) LEAVES NANOFLUID IN A SQUARE ENCLOSURE

Abstract

The enhancement of heat transfer by thermal systems using nanofluids has been reported. The challenges reported associated with metallic oxide-based nanofluids include toxicity as it affects human health and the high cost of nanoparticle production. Researchers have demonstrated the use of bio-inspired materials for the production of nanofluids to overcome those challenges. This study investigates the effect of particle concentration, the temperature difference between the hot and cold side, and the Nusselt number on the natural convection heat transfer process of mango (Mangifera indica) leaves-based nanofluid. The transient hot wire method was used to measure the thermal conductivity of the nanofluid. This study also evaluated the nanofluid heat transfer characteristics. The effects of volume fraction and the size of particles on the convective heat transfer coefficients were also investigated. The experimental results showed that the Nusselt number decreases as the volume fraction increases and using nanofluid in a cavity causes a decrease in effective heat transfer coefficients.