Experimental Study on Heat Transfer Coefficient and Friction Factor of Al2o3 Nanofluid in a Packed Bed Column

Forced convection heat transfer coefficient and friction factor are determined for flow of water and nanofluid in a vertical packed bed column. The analysis is undertaken in the laminar and transition Reynolds number range. The column is filled with spherical glass beads as the bed material. The heat transfer coefficients with Al2O3 nanofluid
increased by 12 to 15% with the increase of volume concentration from 0.02 to 0.5% compared to water. The experimental values of axial temperature are in good agreement with NTU-ε method proposed by Schumann’s model.

Keywords: Packed bed, Al2O3 nanofluid, convective heat transfer, friction factor, heat transfer enhancement.

M.M.Noor