Heat exchange is
a key function in many processes and industries that use heating and cooling. Optimizing
the efficiency of heat exchange is a key goal in many processes. Better thermal
conductivity increases heat transfer efficiency, resulting in lower costs and
lower energy use.
Nanofluids, or
nanoparticles, are composed of nano-sized particles. Turbulators are usually
made of stainless steel and are made up of small metal baffles or coiled wire.
There are many different kinds of turbulators suited for different applications.
The combination of nanofluids and turbulators has the potential to increase
thermal conductivity significantly, which could make thermal energy storage and
discharge more efficient. More broadly, better thermal conductivity can
significantly improve electric heating and cooling, saving money and emissions
by lowering energy use. The use of novel working fluids can also lead to
efficiency increases. Heat exchange efficiency can also be improved for solar
collection applications.
A collaboration
of researchers from the UAE, the UK, Saudi Arabia, Greece, and Malaysia set out
to define the challenges and opportunities for the emerging methods of
optimizing heat exchange via new working nanofluids and turbulators. Their work
was explained in a 2025 article in the journal Applied Thermal Engineering. While
the researchers are optimistic about the future implications there are still
problems to be solved before the commercialization of the technique, explaining
that it:
“…requires careful consideration of potential drawbacks,
such as increased nanoparticle deposition, which may reduce system efficiency.
This holistic approach considers economic, environmental, and social factors,
ensuring compliance with global sustainability benchmarks and contributing to
energy system sustainability research."
They note the opportunities and challenges:
"The future energy systems are going to be designed
based on the principles of efficiency and the usage of new materials. Some of
the major challenges in research involve developing new materials and
combinations to achieve cost reductions and enhancement of heat transfer using
turbulators and special fluids.”
They note that in addition to basic heating and cooling this
research can be beneficial in automotive and aerospace engineering, where the
control of heat, or thermal management, is very important. Design
considerations are very important to success.
"Moreover, applying heat transfer
enhancement techniques can lead to a higher pressure drop in the flow, which
increases the unit's operational cost, especially in the cases with
turbulators. However, the proper design of the enhanced units can minimize the
increase in the pumping work demand, and finally, the overall designs can
effectively enhance the global system performance."
They explain that the research needs to be tested,
presumably in pilots, to get to the development stage, from lab to field, from
theory to practice. They note the potential for improvement in aeronautical and
automotive heating and cooling, which can improve fuel economy. The tech can
also be used in heat pumps and refrigeration. They indicate that there is great
potential in the agri-food industry.
Turbulators
An August 2022
paper in Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments compared different
types of turbulators in heat transfer efficiency. They found that roughness
geometry on the heat transfer surface of the collector plate is a very good way
to improve the heat transport rate through a solar air heater duct.
“Roughness elements like multi v-fashion ribs with gaps,
multi arc-fashion ribs with gaps, discrete multiple arc-fashion ribs, and
conical ring turbulator with jet-impingement are found to have maximum heat
transfer ratio compared to the base model in the respective parametric range. A
mathematical model with 90% porous serpentine-wavy wire mesh on a collector
plate was found to have thermal efficiency and an effective efficiency of 80%
and 74%, respectively. The three-sided ribbed SAHD is far superior (40–48%
increase in efficiency) to that of single-sided SAHD. Maximum effective
efficiency of 80.12% was observed for a parallel-pass double duct with inclined
ribs.”
Turbulators
promote turbulence or turbulent flow of fluids that pass within them. Heat transfer
enhancement techniques include active and passive methods. Turbulators are a
passive method that involves modifying the heat transfer surface of the system.
They increase turbulent flow via the creation of eddies and vortices. Different
types of turbulators, or turbulence promoter configurations are shown below.
Source: Turbulence Promoters for Heat Transfer Enhancement. Jorge C Melo Gonzalez and Martin Picon Nunez. Progress in Petrochemical Science. March 27, 2018. Petrochemical Industry in India: Determinants, Challenges and Opportunities
The paper in
Applied Thermal Engineering explored the scientific literature regarding turbulator
and heat transfer optimization, looking at different turbulator designs. They
noted the issues with pressure drops mentioned above, explaining that there can
be tradeoffs between
“…enhancement in thermal performance and operational
challenges related to increased pressure drops, where more energy has to be put
into a system in order to overcome such pressure drops.”
Nanofluids
According to the paper
in Applied Thermal Engineering:
“The nanofluids are novel working fluids with improved
thermal properties that are used in energy applications to increase the thermal
conductivity in the flow and lead to higher heat transfer rates.”
The authors summarize the different research results showing
efficiency improvements from using different nanofluids. One was a “photovoltaic-driven
nanofluid-assisted thermoelectric air conditioning unit.” They also note
some as-of-yet unresolved challenges:
“Research on nanofluids in various energy systems, such
as PV-NTEAC, has shown promising energy savings and improvements in various
varied performance metrics. However, long-term stability analysis,
environmental impact, and nanofluid lifecycle costs remain unconsidered.”
Nanofluids and Turbulators in Combination and Future Research, Including Machine Learning and AI-enhanced Research
Regarding the
combination of turbulators and nanofluids used in combination, the researchers cited
recent research:
“Combining nanofluids with turbulators can lead to a
global optimal design because two different thermal enhancement techniques are
applied in parallel. Aissa et al. [30] used nanofluids and turbulators to
improve solar thermal collectors. The researchers found that combining these
two strategies boosts solar collector thermal efficiency. However, further
research requires further research on nanofluid stability with turbulators,
greater pumping power, and long-term operating concerns. The review stresses the
need for more experiments to determine the efficacy and viability of this
integrated method in solar energy applications.”
TechXplore notes
that they emphasize the potential for machine learning and AI to optimize the
combined use of new working nanofluids and turbulators.
“They also urge scientists to introduce machine learning
in their research to optimize their technologies and devices using nanofluids
and turbulators. This approach "leverages AI and machine learning to tune
a system to the most optimal configuration for business. It greatly reduces
experimentation and accelerates the dissemination of technologies."
Phase change
materials (PCM) and their nanoparticle combinations look promising in future
thermal applications. The paper authors reviewed many other studies including
one that utilized deep learning for thermal system management.
As noted, they see
AI and machine learning as key to optimizing heat transfer efficiency. They
note the power of AI to save time on experimental setup and to decrease computational
costs while designing and simulating energy systems. They also emphasize the
importance of considering long-term stability in these nanofluid-turbulator
combinations. The authors propose the following use cases:
• Improved
aeronautical and automotive cooling systems: Nanofluids can be used to enhance
the heat transfer inside car cooling systems. This will provide improved
performance and better fuel economy for automobiles. Specific case studies can
be done on this.
• Industrial heat
exchangers: These turbulators can be applied in pilot projects to determine
their energy consumption in such industries; the pilot projects should focus on
chemical processing and on HVAC systems in large commercial buildings.
• Renewable
systems shall research new and imaginative materials to be utilized as heat
transfer fluids in solar thermal collectors and systems to extract heat from
geothermal sources. These systems could have some real-world applications. The
efficiency gains can be tested with prototypes or pilot installations to
determine if problems arise in these solutions when scaled up to larger sizes.
• Machine Learning
for Optimization: It leverages AI and machine learning to tune a system to the
most optimal configuration for business. It greatly reduces experimentation and
accelerates the dissemination of technologies.
References:
Nanofluids
and turbulators have potential to boost renewable energy and slash dependence
on fossil fuels. Science X staff. TechXplore. January 6, 2025. Nanofluids
and turbulators have potential to boost renewable energy and slash dependence
on fossil fuels
Nanofluids,
turbulators, and novel working fluids for heat transfer processes and energy
applications: Current status and prospective. Zafar Said, Evangelos Bellos, Hafiz
Muhammad Ali, Saidur Rahman, and Christos Tzivanidis. Applied Thermal
Engineering. Volume 258, Part A, 1 January 2025, 124478. Nanofluids,
turbulators, and novel working fluids for heat transfer processes and energy
applications: Current status and prospective - ScienceDirect
Implementation
of hybrid rib-turbulators on the thermal performance of solar air heater duct:
A collective review. Mahanand, Yadaba ; Senapati, Jnana Ranjan. Sustainable
Energy Technologies and Assessments, Volume 52, id.102345. August 2022. Implementation
of hybrid rib-turbulators on the thermal performance of solar air heater duct:
A collective review - Astrophysics Data System
Turbulence
Promoters for Heat Transfer Enhancement. Jorge C Melo Gonzalez and Martin Picon
Nunez. Progress in Petrochemical Science. March 27, 2018. Petrochemical
Industry in India: Determinants, Challenges and Opportunities
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