Lid-driven and inclined square cavity filled with a nanofluid: Optimum heat transfer

This paper reports a numerical study on mixed convection within a square enclosure, filled with a mixture of water and Cu (or Ag) nanoparticles. It is assumed that the temperature difference driving the convection comes from the side moving walls, when both horizontal walls are kept insulated. In order to solve the general coupled equations, a code based on the finite volume method is used and it has been validated after comparison between the present results and those of the literature. To make clear the effect of the main parameters on fluid flow and heat transfer inside the enclosure, a wide range of the Richardson number, taken from 0.01 to 100, the nanoparticles volume fraction (0% to 10%), and the cavity inclination angle (0° to 180°) are investigated. The phenomenon is analyzed through streamlines and isotherm plots, with special attention to the Nusselt number.