Rayleigh-Benard convection of Al2O3/water nanofluids in a cavity considering sedimentation, thermophoresis, and Brownian motion

This paper aims to investigate the Rayleigh-Benard convection of Al2O3/water nanofluids in a cavity considering the sedimentation, thermophoresis, and Brownian motion. For this purpose, a numerical simulation is carried out using finite volume method to obtain the flow patterns and heat transfer characteristics of nanofluid flow inside the cavity. The results are presented for volume fractions up to 4%, Rayleigh numbers between 10(4) and 8 x 10(4) where the temperature difference between top and bottom walls is between 2 and 10 degrees C. To validate the numerical solution, comparisons are made between the numerical results and experimental data available in the literature. The comparisons unfold that the results of numerical work are in a good agreement with the previous experimental results. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.