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Numerical Simulation of Nanofluid Suspensions in a Geothermal Heat Exchanger

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  • Xiao-Hui Sun

    (School of Mechanical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China)

  • Hongbin Yan

    (School of Marine Science and Technology, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China)

  • Mehrdad Massoudi

    (U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA 15236-0940, USA)

  • Zhi-Hua Chen

    (Key Laboratory of Transient Physics, Nanjing University of Science & Technology, Nanjing 210094, China)

  • Wei-Tao Wu

    (School of Mechanical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China)

Abstract

It has been shown that using nanofluids as heat carrier fluids enhances the conductive and convective heat transfer of geothermal heat exchangers. In this paper, we study the stability of nanofluids in a geothermal exchanger by numerically simulating nanoparticle sedimentation during a shut-down process. The nanofluid suspension is modeled as a non-linear complex fluid; the nanoparticle migration is modeled by a particle flux model, which includes the effects of Brownian motion, gravity, turbulent eddy diffusivity, etc. The numerical results indicate that when the fluid is static, the nanoparticle accumulation appears to be near the bottom borehole after many hours of sedimentation. The accumulated particles can be removed by the fluid flow at a relatively high velocity. These observations indicate good suspension stability of the nanofluids, ensuring the operational reliability of the heat exchanger. The numerical results also indicate that a pulsed flow and optimized geometry of the bottom borehole can potentially improve the suspension stability of the nanofluids further.

Suggested Citation

  • Xiao-Hui Sun & Hongbin Yan & Mehrdad Massoudi & Zhi-Hua Chen & Wei-Tao Wu, 2018. "Numerical Simulation of Nanofluid Suspensions in a Geothermal Heat Exchanger," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-18, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:11:y:2018:i:4:p:919-:d:140902
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    3. Gianpiero Colangelo & Brenda Raho & Marco Milanese & Arturo de Risi, 2021. "Numerical Evaluation of a HVAC System Based on a High-Performance Heat Transfer Fluid," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-18, June.
    4. Marco Milanese & Francesco Micali & Gianpiero Colangelo & Arturo de Risi, 2022. "Experimental Evaluation of a Full-Scale HVAC System Working with Nanofluid," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-14, April.
    5. Joanna Piotrowska-Woroniak, 2021. "Determination of the Selected Wells Operational Power with Borehole Heat Exchangers Operating in Real Conditions, Based on Experimental Tests," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-21, April.
    6. Hossein Javadi & Javier F. Urchueguia & Seyed Soheil Mousavi Ajarostaghi & Borja Badenes, 2021. "Impact of Employing Hybrid Nanofluids as Heat Carrier Fluid on the Thermal Performance of a Borehole Heat Exchanger," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-26, May.
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    8. Joanna Piotrowska-Woroniak, 2021. "Assessment of Ground Regeneration around Borehole Heat Exchangers between Heating Seasons in Cold Climates: A Case Study in Bialystok (NE, Poland)," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-32, August.
    9. Luka Boban & Dino Miše & Stjepan Herceg & Vladimir Soldo, 2021. "Application and Design Aspects of Ground Heat Exchangers," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-31, April.
    10. Abdelazim Abbas Ahmed & Mohsen Assadi & Adib Kalantar & Tomasz Sliwa & Aneta Sapińska-Śliwa, 2022. "A Critical Review on the Use of Shallow Geothermal Energy Systems for Heating and Cooling Purposes," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-22, June.
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