Numerical evaluation of nano-encapsulated PCM slurry as the heat transfer nanofluid

Year 2025, Volume: 5 Issue: 2, 55 - 66, 31.12.2025

Muhammet Kaan Yeşilyurt

https://izlik.org/JA69FM46MZ

Abstract

This study investigates the flow and heat transfer properties of a water-based heat transfer fluid (ePCM-S) containing nano-encapsulated paraffin-based MF/LA (ePCM) using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to improve cooling performance in thermal systems. The study compares the thermohydraulic behavior of pure water and 2% ePCM-S fluids at a constant heat flux of 850 W/m² and an inlet velocity of 0.012 m/s. The geometric model consists of a flat-channel serpentine absorber plate operating in the laminar regime. Fluid properties are modeled with temperature-dependent expressions for density, viscosity, thermal conductivity, and specific heat capacity. Phase change effects are integrated into the energy equations using user-defined functions (UDFs). The results show that the ePCM additive significantly improves the fluid's temperature distribution, reduces the maximum surface temperature compared to pure water, and increases the average Nusselt number. Although pressure drop increased due to increased viscosity, ePCM-S increased overall energy efficiency with a thermal enhancement factor (TEF > 1). In this context, it was concluded that water-ePCM slurry with 2% ePCM added offers high heat storage capacity with low pumping power requirements, and therefore can be considered an efficient and sustainable heat transfer fluid for PVT systems.

Keywords

ePCM slurry , heat transfer fuid , uniform cooling , thermal enhancement

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