COMPARISON OF THE EFFECT OF VARIOUS NANOPARTICLE SHAPES ON OPTIMAL DESIGN OF PLATE HEAT EXCHANGER

In the present study, the thermoeconomic aspects of gasket-plate heat exchangers (GPHE), using the Boehmite alumina as nanoparticles, are studied. Four different nanoparticle shapes including platelet, brick, cylinder, and blade are investigated. Effectiveness and total annual cost (TAC) are chosen as two objective functions, and the results of optimal Pareto fronts are compared with the case of a base fluid. Eight design parameters including particle volumetric concentration as well as some heat exchanger geometrical parameters are considered, and optimization is performed for various sets of cold-side mass flow rates. The results indicate a considerable improvement in both the effectiveness and TAC for all the cases studied as compared with the case of a base fluid. The optimum results show that the best studied shape of nanoparticles for thermoeconomic improvement is cylinder, followed by platelet, brick, and blade shapes. For example, the effectiveness is improved by 19.95%, 18.26%, 18.12%, and 16.54%, respectively, in the cases of cylinder, platelet, brick, and blade shapes as compared with the base fluid for the final optimum solution. The optimum results also demonstrate the lower heat exchanger volume in the case of nanofluid for all the shapes studied as compared with the base fluid case. Finally, optimum values of some important parameters such as pressure drop and particle volumetric concentration are discussed in all the cases studied and results are reported.