In this work, heat transfer behaviour of γ-Al2O3/water nanofluid in turbulent flow condition in a dimple plate heat exchanger is investigated. The effects of flow rates of hot and cold fluids for different concentrations (0.1, 0.2 and 0.3%w/w) of suspended nanoparticles on the heat characteristics and effect of enhancement by the addition of nanoparticles to base fluid are also examined. The comparison of the heat transfer behavior of nanofluid with that of the base fluid (water) resulted in heat transfer augmentation with an increase in the concentration of the nanoparticle. The γ-Al2O3/water nanofluid possesses better heat transfer performance than the base fluid at higher nanoparticle concentrations. The studies on pressure drop are also investigated to determine the friction factor of the fluid in the Reynolds number range. Nusselt number correlations are developed for the working fluids for evaluation of heat transfer coefficient. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd