A Comprehensive Review on Natural Convection and Entropy Generation in a Square Cavity Utilizing Nanofluid

Abstract

Natural convection is a useful phenomenon used in many applications such as electronic cooling, solar energy, nuclear energy, and heat exchangers. For that, many researchers numerically and experimentally investigated how to enhance heat transfer in thermal systems. Recently, nanofluid proves to have higher thermal conductivity than pure base fluid. Therefore, many researchers numerically and experimentally investigated the natural convection utilizing nanofluid. This paper aims to give a comprehensive review of numerical research works about the natural convection and entropy generation inside a square cavity with one internal heat source or two internal heat sources utilizing nanofluid. The considered shapes of the internal heat source are square, rectangular, circular, and thin shapes. The parameters that effects the heat transfer and the entropy generation have been discussed in detail including Rayleigh number, the volume fraction of nanoparticles, the type of the nanoparticles, the dimensions of the internal heat source, the location of the internal heat source, and the inclination angle of the cavity. The optimum thermal system has the maximum heat transfer with the minimum entropy generation. This optimum system can be obtained by locating the internal heat source at the bottom near the cold wall, utilizing silver nanoparticles with an optimum value of volume fraction, and tilting the cavity to an optimum angle.