Heat Transfer Augmentation in Forced Convection Flow Using a Dilute Aqueous Suspension of Molybdenum Disulphide Nanoparticles

Abstract

This paper presents a numerical investigation of forced convection heat transfer in a water based molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) nanofluid flowing through a three-dimensional porous enclosure. The flow is governed by the non-Darcy regime, modeled using the Darcy-Brinkman-Forchheimer (DBF) equation, while the energy equation is formulated under the local thermal equilibrium assumption. The highly nonlinear coupled system of equations is solved using a finite difference method (FDM) with a uniform grid, enhanced by the Alternating Direction Implicit (ADI) scheme for computational efficiency. A systematic grid independence study is conducted to ensure solution accuracy. The results quantify the enhancement of thermal performance, demonstrating that the Nusselt number increases significantly with higher nanoparticle volume fractions, greater geometric complexity of the porous medium (shape factor), and increased inertial effects (Forchheimer number). The study conclusively establishes that the use of water-MoS2 nanofluids in structured porous media is a highly effective strategy for augmenting heat transfer, with promising applications in the design of advanced thermal management systems.