Simulation of nanofluid natural convection based on single-particle hydrodynamics in energy-conserving dissipative particle dynamics (eDPD)

In the present study, the nanofliud natural convection is investigated by the energy-conserving dissipative particle dynamics (eDPD) method, where the nanoparticles are considered at the single-particle level. The thermal expansion coefficient β and the viscosity μ of the simulated system containing nanoparticles are calculated and found to be in close alignment with the previous simulation results. The single-particle hydrodynamics in eDPD enables simulations of nanofluid natural convection with higher Rayleigh numbers and greater nanoparticle volume fractions. Additionally, this approach is utilized to simulate the nanoparticle distribution during the enhanced heat transfer process in the nanofluid natural convection. The localized aggregation of nanoparticles enhances the heat transfer performance of the nanofluid under specific Rayleigh numbers and nanoparticles volume fractions.