Some experimental tests were conducted to reveal the enhancement of the ferrofluid heat transfer under a permanent magnetic field. This research aims to investigate the effect of various external magnetic fields on convective heat transfer characteristics of the ferrofluid (magnetic nanofluid). Comparison of theoretical predictions and experimental data were conducted to validate the rationality of the test results, and a good agreement with less than 10% deviations was found. The deviations from experimental data decrease with an increase of the Reynolds number (Re) from 391 to 805. Results from the case with 5 cannulas indicate that a continuous increase in the magnetic flux density (by increasing the quantity of the magnets) can improve the heat transfer enhancement significantly. The ferrofluids with a magnetic cannula shows heat transfer enhancements of 26.5% and 54.5% at Re = 391 and 805, respectively. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.