Experimental study on the influence of a conical cavity’s inclination angle and aspect ratio on thermal behavior of a cone cooled with nanofluid saturated porous media

Abstract

An experimental setup has been developed to measure the thermal state of a conical antenna cooled by means of porous media saturated with water-based copper nanofluid. Thermal conductivity of the used porous materials varies between 4 and 41.2 times that of the water which constitutes the base fluid of the nanofluid whose volume fraction ranges from 0% (pure water) to 5%. The antenna is placed in the center of a coaxial concentric cavity of the same shape. Aspect ratio of the enclosure varies between 0.2 and 0.6. Its base is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane with an angle ranging between 0° and 180° corresponding to a horizontal circular base with the top of the cone oriented upwards and downwards, respectively. Measurements validate the calculations obtained in a recent numerical approach based on the finite volume method. They confirm that the Maxwell and Brinkman models remain valid for the ranges of the Rayleigh number considered here (Formula presented.) and Water based-Copper nanofluid volume fraction (0–5%). This work also confirms the effectiveness of porous materials saturated with nanofluids to ensure the thermoregulation of electronic equipment dissipating a large amount of thermal power. © 2022 Taylor & Francis.