Flow and Heat Transfer Property of Oldroyd-B-Fluid-Based Nanofluids Containing Cylindrical Particles in a Pipe

Flow and heat transfer property of Oldroyd-B-fluid-based nanofluids containing cylindrical particles are studied in a pipe with circular cross-section in the range of Reynolds number (Re) from 100 to 2000, Weissenberg number (We) from 0.1 to 2, particle aspect ratio (β) from 2 to 16 and particle volume concentration (Φ) from 0.1% to 2.5%. The motion equation of Oldroyd-B fluid with particles, the equation for probability density function of particle orientation and convection-diffusion equation for particles are solved numerically. The numerical method used in the simulation is validated by comparing with the available results. The effects of Re, We, β and Φ on the friction factor (f), Nusselt number (Nu) and ratio of energy performance evaluation criterion (PECt/PECf) for Oldroyd-B-fluid-based nanofluids to that for Oldroyd-B fluids are discussed. The results showed that the values of f and Nu of Oldroyd-B-fluid-based nanofluids are larger than that of water-based nanofluids and that of pure Oldroyd-B fluids. The values of f increase with increasing Re, We and Φ, but with decreasing β. The values of Nu and PECt/PECf are enhanced with increasing Re, We, β and Φ. The increase of f is larger than that of Nu at lower Re, but is less than that of Nu at higher Re. It is more effective to use Oldroyd-B-fluid-based nanofluids with cylindrical nanoparticles to improve the heat transfer at the conditions of higher Re, We, β and Φ. Finally, the correlation formula of PECt/PECf as a function of Re, We, β and Φ is derived.