Performance Simulation of a Double Tube Heat Exchanger Based on Different Nanofluids by Aspen Plus

A heat exchanger’s performance depends heavily on the operating fluid’s transfer of heat capacity and thermal conductivity. Adding nanoparticles of high thermal conductivity materials is a significant way to enhance the heat transfer fluid's thermal conductivity. This research used engine oil containing alumina (Al₂O₃) nanoparticles and copper oxide (CuO) to test whether or not the heat exchanger’s efficiency could be improved. To establish the most effective elements for heat transfer enhancement, the heat exchangers thermal performance was tested at 0.05% and 0.1% concentrations for Al₂O₃ and CuO nanoparticles. The simulation results showed that the percentage increase in Nusselt number (Nu) for nanofluid at 0.05% particle concentration compared to pure oil was 9.71% for CuO nanofluids and 6.7% for Al₂O₃ nanofluids. At 0.1% concentration, the enhancement percentage in Nu was approximately 23% for CuO and 18.67% for Al₂O₃ nanofluids, respectively. At a concentration of 0.1%, CuO nanofluid increased the LMTD and overall heat transfer coefficient (U) by 7.24 and 5.91% respectively. Both the overall heat transfer coefficient (U) and the heat transfer coefficient (h_n) for CuO nanofluid at a concentration of 0.1% increased by 5.91% and 10.68%, respectively. The effectiveness (ε_n) of a heat exchanger was increased by roughly 4.09% with the use of CuO nanofluid in comparison to Al₂O₃ at a concentration of 0.1%. The amount of exergy destruction in DTHX goes down as Re and volume fractions go up. Moreover, at 0.05% and 0.1% nanoparticle concentrations, the percentage increase in dimensionless exergy is 10.55% and 13.08%, respectively. Finally, adding the CuO and Al₂O₃ nanoparticles improved the thermal conductivity of the main fluid (oil), resulting in a considerable increase in the thermal performance and rate of heat transfer of a heat exchanger.