Lattice Boltzmann Simulation on Mixed Convection of Nanofluids in a Square Cavity

An incompressible generalized Lattice Boltzmann Method is applied to investigate the mixed convection flows utilizing nanofluids in a lid-driven cavity. The fluid in the cavity is a water-based nanofluid containing Al2O3 nanoparticles. The hydrodynamics and thermal fields are then coupled together using the Boussinesq approximation. The effects of Rayleigh number and solid volume fraction on hydrodynamic and thermal characteristics are investigated. The results obtained from lattice Boltzmann modeling clearly indicate that heat transfer augmentation is possible using nano-fluids in comparison to conventional fluids, resulting in the compactness of many industrial devices.