Numerical Analysis of Pool Boiling of Nanofluids for High Heat Dissipation Applications

Thermal management using nanofluids has gained popularity in recent times owing to their superior thermophysical properties enabling higher heat dissipation levels in electronic components. Boiling process or latent heat component greatly enhances the heat transfer and considering the complexity of boiling phenomenon and the high cost of nanofluids, there is an excellent scope for numerical studies in this area. In the present study, an Eulerian multiphase model is developed to ascertain the pool boiling characteristics of Alumina nanofluid at atmospheric pressure using a flat plate heater. The previous experimental study conducted by the authors is used as a reference and for validation of the numerical model. The pool boiling curves for 0.5%, 1%, and 2% Alumina nanofluids with water as base fluid are obtained through numerical simulations employing the heat flux partitioning (HFP) model. A significant enhancement in the pool boiling heat flux is reported and compared with the available literature on alumina nanofluids. The theoretical correlations for nucleate pool boiling, namely, the Rohsenow correlation and the Kandlikar correlation, were found to under-predict heat flux compared to numerical results. The significance of critical heat flux (CHF), or the onset of boiling crisis in pool boiling, is detailed and a methodology for numerically determining the same is developed. The CHF enhancement of up to 120% over the base fluid reported in the present study is found to be consistent with the experimental results.