Numerical study of laminar mixed convection of a nanofluid in horizontal curved tubes

Fully developed laminar mixed convection of a nanofluid consisting of water and Al2O3 in a horizontal curved tube have been studied numerically. Three-dimensional elliptic governing equations have been used. Simultaneous effects of the buoyancy force, centrifugal force and nanoparticles concentration has been presented and discussed. The nanoparticles volume fraction does not have a direct effect oil the secondary flow, axial velocity and the skin friction coefficient. However, its effect on the entire fluid temperature could affect the hydrodynamic parameters when the order of magnitude of the buoyancy force becomes significant compared to the centrifugal force. For a given Reynold number, buoyancy force has a negative effect on the Nusselt number while the nanoparticles concentration has a positive effect on the heat transfer enhancement and also on the skin friction reduction. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.