Effect of Al2O3-Cu/Water Hybrid Nanofluid on Natural Convection in an Inverted T-Shaped Enclosure

Abstract

In the present study, the effect of Al2O3-Cu/water hybrid nanofluid (HNF) flow, governed by modified Navier-Stokes equations coupled with energy conservation on heat and mass transfer due to the natural convection in an inverted T shape domain is investigated numerically by solving coupled non-linear PDE model using finite element method. The effect of the governing parameters like source length, Rayleigh number (Ra), 1 ≤ Ra ≤ 104, breadth of the vertical tube, volume fraction of nanoparticle (Φ), 0 ≤ Φ ≤ 0.01, 1 ≤ Pr ≤ 50, and aspect ratio (AR), 0.5 ≤ AR ≤ 2, etc. on Nusselt number has been analyzed and presented through tabulated values and Matlab plotting. Also, the flow and heat transfer sensitivity to the the governing parameters are depicted through the streamline and isotherm contours.