Constructal design of nanofluids for one-dimensional steady heat conduction systems

Abstract

We perform a constructal design of nanofluid particle volume fraction for four heat-conduction systems and four types of nanofluids to address whether nanofluids with uniformly-dispersed particles always offer the optimal global performance. The constructal volume fraction is obtained to minimize the system overall temperature difference and overall thermal resistance. The constructal thermal resistance is an overall property fixed only by the system global geometry and the average thermal conductivity of nanofluids used in the system. Efforts to enhance the thermal conductivity of nanofluids are important to reduce the constructal overall thermal resistance. The constructal nanofluids that maximize the system performance depend on both the type of nanofluids and the system configuration, and are always having a nonuniform particle volume fraction for all the cases studied in the present work. Nanofluids research and development should thus focus on not only nanofluids but also systems that use them. © 2010 World Scientific Publishing Company.