Thermal characteristics of nanofluid ice slurry flowing through a spiral tube: A computational study

Nanofluid ice slurry (NICS) has recently attracted significant attention in the field of thermal engineering as an alternative refrigerant, offering a cost-effective, stable, and environmentally friendly cold storage solution. To maximize its potential, a thorough understanding of its heat transfer characteristics is crucial. Unfortunately, this information is not available for spiral tubes which are commonly used in thermal systems due to their superior heat transfer performance. This may hinder further development and implementation of this technology. Hence, the present investigation aims to analyze the flow characteristics and heat transfer mechanisms of a graphene oxide hybrid NICS within a spiral tube employing a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methodology. More specifically, an interphase heat and mass transfer model, derived from the Euler–Euler model, is formulated to accurately represent the phase transition phenomena occurring within the nanofluid. The results indicate that the spiral tube structure enhances ice crystal accumulation inside the tube, leading to lower outlet temperatures and improved heat transfer without causing ice blockage. The NICS shows a 3% higher pressure drop compared to pure water ice slurry. Increased nanoparticle concentrations enhance thermal conductivity, benefiting heat transfer, but also raise viscosity, resulting in greater internal friction. A Nusselt correlation based on Prandtl and Dean numbers is formulated to aid future studies and the design of NICS systems. When the Reynolds number increases from 3600 to 6600, the Nusselt number rises by approximately 21% for pure water ice slurry and 22% for nanofluid ice slurry.