Computational Analysis of Thermal Performance Augmentation in Helical Coil Heat Exchangers via CuO/Water Nanofluid

Abstract

Helical or spiral coiled heat exchangers, prevalent in industries such as power generation, heat recovery systems, the food sector, and various plant processes, exhibit potential for performance enhancement through optimal fluid selection. Notably, nanofluids, distinguished by their superior thermophysical properties, including enhanced thermal conductivity, viscosity, and convective heat transfer coefficient (HTC), are considered viable candidates. In this study, the thermo-physical attributes of helical coil heat exchangers (HCHEs), when subjected to nanofluids, were meticulously examined. During the design phase, Creo parametric design software was employed to refine the geometric configuration, subsequently enhancing fluid flow dynamics, thereby yielding a design improvement for the HCHE. Subsequent computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of the heat exchanger were conducted via the ANSYS CFX program. A CuO/water nanofluid, at a 1% volume fraction, served as the basis for the CFD analysis, incorporating the Re-Normalisation Group ($k-\varepsilon$) turbulence model. From these simulations, zones exhibiting elevated temperature and pressure were discerned. It was observed that the wall HTC value for the CuO/water mixture surpassed that of pure water by 10.01%. Concurrently, the Nusselt number, when the CuO/water nanofluid was employed, escalated by 6.8% in comparison to utilizing water alone. However, it should be noted that a 5.43% increment in the pressure drop was recorded for the CuO/water nanofluid in contrast to pure water.