Numerical Simulation and Optimization of Forced Convection Heat Transfer of Magnetic Nanofluid in a Channel in the Presence of a Non-Uniform Magnetic Field

In this paper, the effect of an external non-uniform magnetic field on forced convective heat transfer of magnetite nanofluid (ferrofluid) in a heated channel is studied numerically. The main goal is to emphasize the importance of magnetic field location and investigate the possibility of heat transfer enhancement by finding the optimum location of magnetic field source.It is observed that the magnetic field results in creation of recirculation zones which affect the thermal boundary layer thickness and Nusselt number. Results show that the effect of magnetic field location on the heat transfer is completely dependent on the thermal boundary condition. It is also shown that the flow and temperature fields can be manipulated by application of multiple magnetic field sources. Using genetic algorithm (GA), an optimum arrangement for locations of eight magnetic field sources is obtainedresulting in a27% heat transfer enhancement compared to the case of no magnetic field.