۱- Introduction

۲- Experimental investigation

۳- Procedure and Calculations

۴- Results and discussion

۵- Conclusion

References

Abstract

Nanofluids have attracted huge attention because of their effective physical and thermal properties. One of many applications of nanofluids is the enhancement of the thermal performance of heat exchangers. In the current study, an experimental investigation has been conducted for studying the effects of graphene nanofluids on the convective heat transfer in a vertical shell and tube heat exchanger. Graphene flakes were prepared using graphite foam that is derived from sugar as a raw material. The prepared Graphene flakes have been characterized using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The graphene nanofluid has been used in the tube side of the heat exchanger to enhance its heat transfer performance. Different parameters such as nanofluids’ concentration, flow rate and inlet temperature were studied and their effects on heat transfer coefficient and thermal efficiencies are discussed. The results show that using of graphene/water nanofluids enhances the thermal performance of the vertical shell and tube heat exchanger. A maximum increase in the heat transfer coefficient of 29% was achieved using 0.2% graphene/water nanofluids. Furthermore, the mean thermal efficiency of the heat exchanger was enhanced by 13.7% by using graphene/ water nanofluid.

Introduction

Heat exchangers are widely used by various types of industries to exchange heat between different fluids for waste heat recovery and utilities cost reduction. The thermal and physical properties of the heat transfer fluids are crucial factors that dedicate the efficiency of heat exchangers. During the last two decades, nanofluids have attracted a huge attention of researchers due to its enhanced thermal properties and flow characteristics [1]. These advantages make nanofluids promising heat transfer fluids to be used for heat transfer enhancement. Many experimental studies have been conducted for the evaluation of heat transfer characteristics of nanofluids in different types of heat exchangers [2–۷]. These types of heat exchangers include plate heat exchangers [2], double pipe heat exchangers [3], and micro heat exchangers [6]. However, in open literature, similar studies on shell and tube heat exchangers are scarce. Thermal performance of a shell and tube heat exchanger was analytically investigated by Shahrul et al. using nanofluids of four different types of nanoparticles, Fe3O4, ZnO, TiO2, CuO, and Al2O3 [8].