Turbulent Hybrid Nanofluid Flow in Corrugated Channels with Vortex Generators: A Numerical Study

Nanofluids are an important technology for enhancing heat transfer in industrial applications by incorporating high thermal conductivity nanoparticles into base fluids. However, they often require higher pumping power and energy consumption. This study employs a two-dimensional (2D) approximation of vortex generators (VGs) in a turbulent trapezoidal channel with nanoparticle concentrations of Al2O3, SiO2, and TiO2. Simulations are performed using ANSYS Fluent 2021 with the Finite Volume Method (FVM) and the k–ε turbulence model to capture turbulence characteristics, eddy viscosity, and turbulent kinetic energy production. The introduction of vortex generators improves fluid mixing and reduces the thermal boundary layer, resulting in enhanced heat transfer, with a performance evaluation criterion (PEC) of 1.08 for water (baseline case without nanofluids). The single nanofluids further optimize heat transfer, increasing the Nusselt number and pressure drop while balancing thermal performance, reaching a PEC of 1.6 for SiO2 at 3% concentration, representing a 48% improvement over the baseline. A hybrid mixture of 1% Al2O3 and 2% SiO2 achieves the same PEC of 1.6 as single SiO2 nanoparticles, but with higher heat transfer and lower pressure drop, demonstrating improved thermal performance.