Open Access

ARTICLE

Conjugate Usage of Experimental for and Theoretical Models Aqua Carboxymethyl Cellulose Nanofluid Flow in Convergent-Divergent Shaped Microchannel

Shervin Fateh Khanshir¹, Saeed Dinarvand^2,*, Ramtin Fateh Khanshir³

1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, 1477893855, Iran
2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, 1469669191, Iran
3 Department of Petroleum Engineering, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Research Center of Iran, Tehran, 1497716320, Iran

* Corresponding Authors: Saeed Dinarvand. Email: ,

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Advances in Computational Thermo-Fluids and Nanofluids)

Frontiers in Heat and Mass Transfer 2025, 23(2), 663-684. https://doi.org/10.32604/fhmt.2025.060559

Received 04 November 2024; Accepted 02 February 2025; Issue published 25 April 2025

Abstract

This article aims to model and analyze the heat and fluid flow characteristics of a carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) nanofluid within a convergent-divergent shaped microchannel (Two-dimensional). The base fluid, water + CMC (0.5%), is mixed with CuO and Al₂O₃ nanoparticles at volume fractions of 0.5% and 1.5%, respectively. The research is conducted through the conjugate usage of experimental and theoretical models to represent more realistic properties of the non-Newtonian nanofluid. Three types of microchannels including straight, divergent, and convergent are considered, all having the same length and identical inlet cross-sectional area. Using ANSYS FLUENT software, Navier-Stokes equations are solved for the laminar flow of the non-Newtonian nanofluid. The study examines the effects of Reynolds number, nanoparticle concentration and type, and microchannel geometry on flow and heat transfer. The results prove that the alumina nanoparticles outperform copper oxide in increasing the Nusselt number at a 0.5% volume fraction, while copper oxide nanoparticles excel at a 1.5% volume fraction. Moreover, in the selected case study, as the Reynolds number increases from 100 to 500, the Nusselt number rises by 56.26% in straight geometry, 52.93% in divergent geometry, and 59.10% in convergent geometry. Besides, the Nusselt number enhances by 18.75% when transitioning from straight to convergent geometry at a Reynolds number of 500, and by 19.81% at a Reynolds number of 1000. Finally, the results of the research depict that the use of thermophysical properties derived from the experimental achievements, despite creating complexity in the modeling and the solution method, leads to more accurate and realistic outputs.

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