Experimental study on heat transfer characteristics of ice slurry

Heat transfer characteristics of ice slurry were investigated experimentally. The Reynolds number, diameter of the tubes and ice packing factor (IPF) were varied as experimental parameters. For laminar flow, it was found that the ratio of the Nusselt numbers increased with the IPF, and an approximation equation of the Nusselt number could be derived using the apparent Reynolds number, IPF and the ratio of the average diameter of the ice particles to the diameter of the test tube. For turbulent flow, the ratio of the Nusselt numbers was 1 for each condition in the case of a low IPF. However, the ratio of the Nusselt numbers increased with the IPF in the high-IPF region. Moreover, the apparent Reynolds number, which can be derived by treating the ice slurry as a pseudoplastic fluid, can be used to determine the condition under which variation in the heat transfer characteristics of ice slurry in turbulent flow occurs.