A comprehensive numerical analysis of heat transfer enhancement in NEPCM-water mixtures using oscillating fin and oriented magnetic fields

This study investigates heat transfer in a square cavity filled with nano-encapsulated phase change material (NEPCM) and water, featuring a flexible oscillating fin and subjected to an inclined magnetic field. Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) was used to solve the governing equations. The study includes verifying the effect of the following parameters: Rayleigh number from 10³ to 10⁵, Hartmann number from 0 to 30, Stefan number from 0.1 to 0.9, NEPCM concentration from 0.01 to 0.04, fusion temperature from 0.1 to 0.9, oscillation amplitude from 0.05 to 0.15, magnetic field angle from 0^o to 90^o. The results showed that heat transfer enhanced by increasing Rayleigh number and NEPCM concentration, with Nusselt number increasing by 82.8 % as Rayleigh number rises from 10⁴ to 10⁵. Conversely, increasing Hartmann number suppresses convection, reducing Nusselt by 17 % as Hartmann increases from 5 to 30. An optimal fusion temperature of θ_f ≈ 0.5 maximizes heat transfer efficiency. The flexible fin's oscillation amplitude modestly improves heat transfer, while the magnetic field's inclination angle exhibits a non-linear effect with an optimal angle around 45°. These results offer guidance on how to best optimise NEPCM-based thermal management systems for a range of applications.

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Published in: International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
See article on publisher's website: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.icheatmasstransfer.2024.108455