Proceeding Paper

Heat Transfer Enhancement in Louvered Fin Flat Tube Radiator

Using Hybrid Nanofluids †
Waqar Ali *, Abid Hussain, Ahmed Usman, Khalid Mahmood, Muhammad Mubashir Iqbal and Haris Khan

Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Engineering and Technology, Taxila 47050, Pakistan;
[email protected] (A.H.); [email protected] (M.M.I.)
* Correspondence: [email protected]
† Presented at the Third International Conference on Advances in Mechanical Engineering 2023 (ICAME-23),

Islamabad, Pakistan, 24 August 2023.

Abstract: This research explores the potential of hybrid nanofluids to improve the thermal efficiency
of a car’s louvered fin flat-tube radiator. Hybrid nanofluids were prepared by combining distilled
water with a 0.1% vol. concentration of SiO2 and MWCNT nanoparticles, using different ratios of
nanoparticles: 80:20, 50:50, and 20:80. The experimental analysis focused on examining the heat-
transfer performance of the radiator. The results clearly demonstrated a significant improvement
in the radiator’s thermal performance when using hybrid nanofluids. These nanofluids effectively
enhanced the rate and coefficient of heat transfer. Notably, an increase of 15.6% in the Nusselt number
was observed with the SiO2 –MWCNT 20:80 water containing a 0.1% volumetric concentration of
nanoparticles. Overall, the findings highlight the promising application of hybrid nanofluids in
boosting the thermal efficacy of car radiators.

Keywords: hybrid nanofluids; flat tube radiator; CFD; thermal performance; heat-transfer coefficient

1. Introduction
Citation: Ali, W.; Hussain, A.;
The development of efficient cooling systems is crucial for optimizing the performance
Usman, A.; Mahmood, K.; Iqbal, and longevity of automotive engines. The effectiveness of traditional coolants, such as water
M.M.; Khan, H. Heat Transfer or ethylene glycol, is limited. However, recent advancements in nanotechnology have led
Enhancement in Louvered Fin Flat to the emergence of hybrid nanofluids as promising alternatives for car radiator systems [1].
Tube Radiator Using Hybrid Hybrid nanofluids, consisting of a base fluid and nanoscale additives, offer improved
Nanofluids. Eng. Proc. 2023, 45, 51. thermal properties and enhanced heat-transfer capabilities [2]. Hybrid nanofluids exhibit
https://doi.org/10.3390/ significantly enhanced heat-transfer properties compared to conventional coolants [3].
engproc2023045051 This research presents an innovative method to improve car radiator efficiency using
a mix of SiO2 and MWCNT nanoparticles. The findings have important implications
Academic Editors: Mohammad
Javed Hyder, Muhammad
for making cars and other cooling systems work better, saving energy and being more
Mahabat Khan, Muhammad Irfan
eco-friendly.
and Manzar Masud
2. Experimental Setup and Procedure
Published: 19 September 2023 SiO2 and MWCNT nanoparticles were dispersed in distilled water to create hybrid
nanofluids. In this experiment, nanoparticle concentrations were set at 0.1 vol% with
varying nanoparticle ratios of 80:20, 50:50, and 20:80. The formulation process involved
Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.
magnetic stirring to achieve a uniform dispersion, followed by sonication to further enhance
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. dispersion and break down agglomerates. Sodium carbonate was added as a surfactant
This article is an open access article to enhance stability. The resulting nanofluid exhibited improved stability and reduced
distributed under the terms and agglomeration. In the experimental setup, a Suzuki Mehran car radiator made of aluminum
conditions of the Creative Commons was used. The setup included a pump for coolant circulation, a hot fluid reservoir with a
Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// heater, a flow meter, and valves for flow control. A total of five K-type thermocouples were
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ placed at the radiator’s inlet, outlet, and various points on its wall to measure the radiator’s
4.0/). temperature. A data-acquisition system and laptop were utilized for real-time temperature

Eng. Proc. 2023, 45, 51. https://doi.org/10.3390/engproc2023045051 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/engproc

Eng. Proc. 2023, 45, 51 2 of 4

monitoring and analysis. A constant 65 ◦ C coolant temperature was maintained while

the ambient temperature was 27 ◦ C. We analyzed the performance of the radiator under
different fluid flow rates to assess its efficiency. Figure 1 represents the experimental
arrangement.

Figure 1.
1. View
Viewof
ofexperimental
experimentalarrangement.
arrangement.

The thermophysical properties of nanofluids were determined using correlations pro-

posed by different scientists [4–6]. These properties are calculated using Equations (1)–(4).

ρhnf = (ϕnf1 ∗ ρnf1 ) + (ϕnf2 ∗ ρnf2 ) + (1 − ϕ) ∗ ρbf (1)

ϕnf1 ρnf1 Cp nf1 + ϕnf2 ρnf2 Cp nf2 + (1 − ϕ)ρbf Cp bf

Cphnf = (2)
ρhnf

µhnf = (1 + 7.3ϕ + 123ϕ2 )µbf (3)

[(ϕnf1 Knf1 + ϕnf2 Knf2 )/(ϕnf1 + ϕnf2 ) + 2Kbf + 2(ϕnf1 Knf1 + ϕnf2 Knf2 ) − 2ϕKbf ]
Khnf = K (4)
[(ϕnf1 Knf1 + ϕnf2 Knf2 )/(ϕnf1 + ϕnf2 ) + 2Kbf − 2(ϕnf1 Knf1 + ϕnf2 Knf2 ) − 2ϕKbf ] bf
The rate and overall coefficient of heat transfer were determined using Equations (5)
and (6):
.
Q = mCp (Tin − Tout ) (5)

Q
U= (6)
nAs (LMTD)
.
In Equation (5), Q represents the rate of heat transfer, m represents the mass flow rate
(kg/s), Cp represents the specific heat capacity (J/kg-K), and Tin and Tout represent the
inlet and outlet temperatures (K). In Equation (6), U represents the overall heat transfer
coefficient, n represents the tube count of the radiator, and As represents the radiator
tube surface area. Equation (7) was used to calculate the logarithmic mean temperature
difference (LMTD):
T − Tout
LMTD = in T (7)
in
ln Tout
The Nusselt number, denoted as Nu, can be calculated using Equation (8):

havg Dh
Nu = (8)
k

Eng. Proc. 2023, 45, 51. https://doi.org/10.3390/engproc2023045051 www.mdpi.com/journal/engproc

 Eng. Proc. 2023, 45, 51 3 of 4

In this equation, havg represents the average coefficient of heat transfer, Dh represents
radiator’s hydraulic diameter, and k represents coolant’s thermal conductivity.
The average coefficient of heat transfer denoted as havg , was determined using Equa-
tion (9):
Q
havg = (9)
nAs (Tb − Twall )
where, Q represents the rate of heat transfer, n represents the number of tubes of the
radiator, As represents the surface area of the radiator, Tb represents the bulk temperature,
which is mean of the inlet and outlet temperatures of the coolant, and Twall is the radiator’s
wall temperature.
The Prandtl number, denoted as Pr, was determined using Equation (10):

µCp
Pr = (10)
k

3. Result and Discussion

In this study, the Prandtl number decreased as the SiO2 –MWCNT nanoparticles were
added, with the lowest value observed in the 20:80 ratio nanofluid. The nanofluid with
a 20:80 ratio of SiO2 –MWCNT exhibited the most effective heat-dissipation capabilities.
Hence, nanoparticles increased the thermal diffusivity of the nanofluid compared to its
kinematic viscosity, enhancing its heat-transfer properties.
The graphs in Figure 2 compare the heat-transfer rates and coefficients for distilled
Eng. Proc. 2023, 45, 51 2 of 3
water and the SiO2 –MWCNT hybrid nanofluids flowing at various ratios. The results show
that hybrid nanofluids outperformed distilled water in terms of heat-transfer rates and
coefficients. Both the volume flow rate and hybrid nanofluids contributed to the increased
heat transfer.

Figure
Figure2.
2. Rate
Rate and
and coefficient of heat
coefficient of heattransfer
transferwith
withvarying
varyingflow
flowrates
rates
ofof coolant.
coolant.

In Figure 3, the graph compares the Nusselt number and Reynolds number for distilled
water and the SiO2 –MWCNT hybrid nanofluids with different ratios of nanoparticles.
The outcomes demonstrated that for both the distilled water and nanofluids, raising the
Reynolds number resulted in a rise in the Nusselt number. In comparison to distilled
water, nanofluids consistently exhibited higher Nusselt numbers. Among the nanofluids,
the SiO2 –MWCNT 20:80 water nanofluid with a 0.1% concentration showed the highest
enhancement in the Nusselt number, i.e., 15.63%.
Eng. Proc. 2023, 45, 51 4 of 5

water, nanofluids consistently exhibited higher Nusselt numbers. Among the nanofluids,
Eng. Proc. 2023, 45, 51 the SiO2–MWCNT 20:80 water nanofluid with a 0.1% concentration showed the highest4 of 4
enhancement in the Nusselt number, i.e., 15.63%.

3. Relationship between Nusselt number and Reynold’s number, and

Figure 3. and relationship
relationship between
between
Nusselt number
Nusselt number enhancement
enhancement and
and different
different nanoparticle
nanoparticle ratios.
ratios.

4. Conclusions
4. Conclusions
This
This study
studyexamined
examinedthe theeffectiveness of of
effectiveness hybrid nanofluids
hybrid nanofluidsin improving radiator
in improving ther-
radiator
mal efficiency. Experimental analysis revealed that the combination
thermal efficiency. Experimental analysis revealed that the combination of SiO and MWCNT
2 of SiO2 and
nanoparticles with distilled
MWCNT nanoparticles with water enhanced
distilled its heat-transfer
water enhanced performance.
its heat-transfer Using Us-
performance. the
SiO –MWCNT 20:80 nanofluid, a 15.6% rise in Nusselt number was seen.
ing the SiO2–MWCNT 20:80 nanofluid, a 15.6% rise in Nusselt number was seen. These
2 These findings
demonstrate the potential
findings demonstrate of hybridofnanofluids
the potential for optimizing
hybrid nanofluids cooling systems
for optimizing in auto-
cooling systems
mobiles and provide valuable insights for the design of efficient radiators. Overall,
in automobiles and provide valuable insights for the design of efficient radiators. Overall, the
study
the study confirms the efficacy of hybrid nanofluids in enhancing thermal performancecar
confirms the efficacy of hybrid nanofluids in enhancing thermal performance of of
radiators.
car radiators.
Author
Author Contributions: Writing, review,
Contributions: Writing, review,and
andediting:
editing:W.A.,
W.A., A.H.,
A.H., A.U.,
A.U., K.M.,
K.M., M.M.I.
M.M.I. andand H.K.;
H.K.; su-
supervision: A.H.; project administration: A.H.; conceptualization: W.A.; methodology:
pervision: A.H.; project administration: A.H.; conceptualization: W.A.; methodology: W.A.; soft- W.A.;
software:
ware: W.A.W.A.
andand
H.K.H.K.
AllAll authors
authors have
have read
read and
and agreed
agreed totothe
thepublished
publishedversion
versionofofthe
themanuscript.
manuscript.

Funding: This
Funding: This research
research was
was self-funded
self-funded and
and did
did not
not receive
receive any
any external
external financial
financial support.
support.
Institutional
Institutional Review
Review Board Statement: Not
Board Statement: Not applicable.
applicable.
Informed
Informed Consent Statement: Not
Consent Statement: Not applicable.
applicable.
Data
Data Availability Statement: Not
Availability Statement: Not applicable.
applicable.
Conflicts
Conflicts of Interest: The
of Interest: The authors
authors declare
declare no
no conflict
conflictsofofinterest.
interest.

References
References
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