Numerical simulation of natural convection in a two-dimensional enclosure filled with nanofluids

The natural convection of nanofluids in a two-dimensional enclosure is numerically simulated with Fluent software. The effect of copper particle concentration and Grashof number on heat transfer properties is investigated. The results indicate that the suspended copper nanoparticles substantially increase the heat transfer rate at any given Grashof number, and the heat transfer rate of the nanofluid increases remarkably with the mass fraction of nanoparticles. For a given initial Grashof number, as the mass fraction increases, the velocity components of nanofluid increase as a result of an increase in the energy transport through the fluid. In addition, the intensity of the streamline increase with the increases of the Grashof number, which indicate the heat transfer properties are enhanced. The heat transfer process is dominant with the heat exchange at low Gr, while the heat transfer process is dominant with the natural convection at high Gr.