Characterization and stability analysis of oil‐based copper oxide nanofluids for medium temperature solar collectors

Thermal oils are widely used as heat transfer fluids in medium temperature applications. Addition of small amounts of nanoparticles in such fluids can significantly improve their thermophysical properties. This paper presents experimental investigation of an oil‐based nanofluids prepared by dispersing different concentrations (0.25 wt%–1.0 wt%) of copper oxide nanoparticles in Therminol‐55 oil using two‐step method. Shear mixing and ultrasonication were used for uniform distribution and de‐agglomeration of nanoparticles to enhance the stability of the suspensions. The effect of nanoparticles concentrations on thermophysical properties of the nanofluids was analysed by measuring thermal conductivity, dynamic viscosity, effective density and specific heat capacity at different temperatures (25 °C–130 °C). Thermal conductivity exhibited increasing trend with rising temperature and increase in nanoparticles loading. A significant decrease in dynamic viscosity and effective density against increasing temperature makes it suitable for medium temperature applications. Nano‐oils with improved thermal properties are expected to increase the efficiency of concentrating solar thermal collectors.     

Experimental investigation on thermophysical properties of solar glycol dispersed with multi-walled carbon nanotubes

This article deals with well-dispersed solar glycol-based nanofluids containing multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) nanoparticles with different particle volume concentrations of 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3%, and 0.4% prepared by typical two-step method. Thermal conductivity, viscosity and specific heat capacity of solar glycol (SG)-based MWCNT nanofluids, in the temperature range of 30°C–70°C were measured. The values of density showed a noticeable deviation from the predictions of Pak and Cho correlation. Hence, correlations are developed for thermal conductivity and viscosity from the experimental results obtained from the various range parameters of interest. The presence of MWCNT enhanced the thermal conductivity of the nanofluids by 17.26% at 0.4 vol.% particle concentration at 70°C. The relative viscosity of MWCNT nanofluids depends on the nanoparticles percentage concentration and decreases significantly with increase in temperature for higher concentrations. The presence of MWCNT enhances the specific heat of the nanofluids significantly, and this enrichment decreases with the increase of the MWCNT concentration. MWCNT/SG represents a new and innovative class of heat-transfer fluid, which possesses excellent thermophysical properties. The MWCNT/SG-based nanofluids could be suitable working fluids for solar thermal and automobile applications.     

Preparation,characterization, viscosity,and thermal conductivity of nitrogen-doped graphene aqueous nanofluids

Nanofluids perform a crucial role in the development of newer technologies ideal for industrial purposes. In this study, Nitrogen-doped graphene (NDG) nanofluids, with varying concentrations of nanoparticles (0.01, 0.02, 0.04, and 0.06 wt%) were prepared using the two-step method in a 0.025 wt% Triton X-100 (as a surfactant) aqueous solution as a base. Stability, zeta potential, thermal conductivity, viscosity, specific heat, and electrical conductivity of nanofluids containing NDG particles were studied. The stability of the nanofluids was investigated by UV–vis over a time span of 6 months and concentrations remain relatively constant while the maximum relative concentration reduction was 20 %. The thermal conductivity of nanofluids was increased with the particle concentration and temperature, while the maximum enhancement was about 36.78 % for a nanoparticle loading of 0.06 wt%. These experimental results compared with some theoretical models including Maxwell and Nan’s models and observed a good agreement between Nan’s model and the experimental results. Study of the rheological properties of NDG nanofluids reveals that it followed the Newtonian behaviors, where viscosity decreased linearly with the rise of temperature. It has been observed that the specific heat of NDG nanofluid reduced gradually with the increase of concentration of nanoparticles and temperature. The electrical conductivity of the NDG nanofluids enhanced significantly due to the dispersion of NDG in the base fluid. This novel type of fluids demonstrates an outstanding potential for use as innovative heat transfer fluids in medium-temperature systems such as solar collectors.     

Investigation on Stability and Optical Properties of Titanium Dioxide and Aluminum Oxide Water-Based Nanofluids

Water is regarded as a poor absorber of solar energy. This affects the efficiency of solar thermal systems. The addition of nanoparticles to heat transfer fluids used in solar thermal systems can enhance their optical properties. These new-generation heat transfer fluids are known as nanofluids. The present study investigates the stability and optical properties of three nanofluids, including aluminum oxide (13 nm and <50 nm) and titanium dioxide (21 nm) nanofluids. The stability of the nanofluids was observed through a photo-capturing method and zeta potential measurements. Ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectrophotometer was used to measure the absorbance and transmittance of the prepared nanofluids. The effect of factors such as type of particle, type of surfactant, and pH of the solution on the optical properties of the nanofluids was also investigated. We found that the titanium dioxide nanofluid had better optical properties but lower stability compared to aluminum oxide nanofluids.     

Characterization of Thermal Radiative Properties of Nanofluids for Selective Absorption of Solar Radiation

Nanofluids are used in device cooling, heat pipes, and other applications. Researchers in thermal engineering have extensively investigated the thermal conductivity and enhanced heat transfer of nanofluids. This study investigates the thermal radiative properties of nanofluids and discusses the characteristics of the selective absorption of solar radiation of nanofluids. Several kinds of nanoparticles are prepared using the two-step method, and the effects of dispersants, mass fractions, and nanoparticle materials on the radiative properties of nanofluids within the wavelength range of 300 nm to 2500 nm are analyzed. Dispersants can reduce the transmittance of water by <5 % within the visible spectrum. ZnO- and AlN-water nanofluids selectively absorb solar radiation, whereas ZrC- and TiN-water nanofluids absorb most of the solar radiation applied to them. The findings of this study are beneficial to research on the application of nanofluids in solar energy utilization.     

Free convection of hybrid Al2O3-Cu water nanofluid in a differentially heated porous cavity

Hybrid nanofluids are a new type of enhanced working fluids, engineered with enhanced thermo-physical properties. The hybrid nanofluids profit from the thermo-physical properties of more than one type of nanoparticles. The present study aims to address the free convective heat transfer of the Al₂O₃-Cu water hybrid nanofluid in a cavity filled with a porous medium. Two types of important porous media, glass ball and aluminum metal foam, are considered for the porous matrix. The experimental data show dramatic enhancement in the thermal conductivity and dynamic viscosity of the synthesized hybrid nanofluids, and hence, these thermophysical properties could not be modeled using available models of nanofluids. Thus, the actual available experimental data for the thermal conductivity and the dynamic viscosity of hybrid nanofluids are directly utilized in the present theoretical study. Various comparison with results published previously in the literature are performed and the results are found to be in excellent agreement. In most cases, the average Nusselt number Nu_l is decreasing function of the volume fraction of nanoparticles. The results show the reduction of heat transfer using nanoparticles in porous media. The observed reduction of the heat transfer rate is much higher for hybrid nanofluid compared to the single nanofluid.     

石墨烯纳米流体研究进展

润滑与冷却是当前工业领域两个重要的议题。前者与机械装置、零部件的使用可靠性和寿命直接相关,对减少摩擦产生的能耗具有重大意义,而后者对于高功率密度器件的热管理至关重要。二者的结合在航空航天、汽车机械等领域广泛存在,而纳米流体是一种很好的承载二者的工作介质。本文针对石墨烯纳米流体这一热点,综述了石墨烯纳米流体的分散理论基础与方法,对影响石墨烯纳米流体悬浮稳定性因素进行了调研,归纳总结了纳米流体的导热机理、影响因素以及石墨烯纳米流体进展,分析了纳米流体未实现大面积应用的主要原因,同时对石墨烯作为添加剂应用于润滑领域的进展进行了评述。最终提出石墨烯纳米流体协同增强换热与减磨润滑的应用设计。在航天器等应用领域中,由于对石墨烯纳米流体的力热耦合综合性能缺乏广泛研究,以及航天器稳定性和长期运行可靠性等问题,未来的研究应以航天传热工质为基础,进行纳米粒子针对性设计,通过系统开展基于空间环境动态流动换热性能与回路寿命的研究,为未来实现纳米流体的航天器应用奠定理论基础和提供技术支撑。     

Study of viscosity and specific heat capacity characteristics of water-based Al2O3 nanofluids at low particle concentrations

In this paper, the specific heat capacity and viscosity properties of water-based nanofluids containing alumina nanoparticles of 47 nm average particle diameter at low concentrations are studied. Nanofluids were prepared with deionised water as base fluid at room temperature by adding nanoparticles at low volume concentration in the range of 0.01%–1% to measure viscosity. The effect of temperature on viscosity of the nanofluid was determined based on the experiments conducted in the temperature range of 25°C to 45°C. The results indicate a nonlinear increase of viscosity with particle concentration due to aggregation of particles. The estimated specific heat capacity of the nanofluid decreased with increase of particle concentration due to increase in thermal diffusivity. Generalised regression equations for estimating the viscosity and specific heat capacity of nanofluids for a particular range of particle concentration, particle diameter and temperature are established.     

Measurement of volumetric thermal expansion coefficient of various nanofluids

Experiments were carried out for studying volumetric thermal expansion behavior of various nanofluids in order to evaluate their potential application in heat removal systems employing natural convection as mode of heat removal. For this purpose, various nanoparticles such as Al₂O₃, CuO, SiO₂ and TiO₂ were used, which were suspended in the base fluid (water) by ultrasonication. All nanofluids had the same concentration of 1 wt %. Each nanofluid was heated from room temperature to a maximum of about 60°C and the increase in volume due to heat addition was recorded. The volumetric thermal expansion due to heating for each nanofluid was compared to that for the base fluid for same increase in the temperature. The volumetric thermal expansion coefficient was evaluated from the measured data. Surprisingly, it was found that the nanofluids have greater volumetric thermal expansion coefficients as compared to that of the base fluid. 1The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

The effects of temperature, volume fraction and vibration time on the thermo-physical properties of a carbon nanotube suspension (carbon nanofluid)

In this investigation, nanofluids of carbon nanotubes are prepared and the thermal conductivity and volumetric heat capacity of these fluids are measured using a thin layer technique as a function of time of ultrasonication, temperature, and volume fraction. It has been observed that after using the ultrasonic disrupter, the size of agglomerated particles and number of primary particles in a particle cluster was significantly decreased and that the thermal conductivity increased with elapsed ultrasonication time. The clustering of carbon nanotubes was also confirmed microscopically. The strong dependence of the effective thermal conductivity on temperature and volume fraction of nanofluids was attributed to Brownian motion and the interparticle potential, which influences the particle motion. The effect of temperature will become much more evident with an increase in the volume fraction and the agglomeration of the nanoparticles, as observed experimentally. The data obtained from this work have been compared with those of other studies and also with mathematical models at present proven for suspensions. Using a 2.5% volumetric concentration of carbon nanotubes resulted in a 20% increase in the thermal conductivity of the base fluid (ethylene glycol).The volumetric heat capacity also showed a pronounced increase with respect to that of the pure base fluid.     

Heat transfer in turbulent nanofluids: Separation flow studies and development of novel correlations

Convective heat transfer plays a significant role in numerous industrial cooling and heating applications. This method of heat transfer can be passively improved by reconfiguring flow passage, fluid thermophysical properties, or boundary conditions. The broader scope of nanotechnology introduced several studies of thermal engineering and heat transfer. Nano-fluids are one of such technology which can be thought of engineered colloidal fluids with nano-sized particles. In the present study, turbulent forced convection heat transfer to nanofluids in an axisymmetric abrupt expansion heat exchanger was investigated experimentally. During heat transfer investigation, the functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT-COOH), polycarboxylate functionalized graphene nanoplatelets (F-GNP), SiO₂ and ZnO water-based nanofluids were used. The convective heat transfer coefficient of fully developed turbulent flow of nanofluids flowing through an abrupt enlargement with the expansion ratio (ER) of 2 was experimentally determined at a constant wall heat flux of 12,128.56 W/m². The experiments were conducted at the Re ranges of 4000–16,000. The observed Nusselt numbers were higher than in the case of fully developed pipe flow indicating the level of the turbulent transport is high even though the recirculating velocities were a few percentages of the bulk mean velocity. The effect of Reynolds number and nanofluid’s volume concentration on heat transfer and friction losses were studied, where all the results reveal that with the increase of weight concentration and Reynolds number, the local Nusselt number enhanced at the increment of axial ratios in all the cases showing greater heat transfer rates than those of the base fluids. Comparison between the examined four types of nanofluids, show that the carbon-based nanofluids have a greater effect on enhancing heat transfer (33.7% and 16.7% heat transfer performance improvement for F-GNP and MWCNT nanofluids respectively at 0.1 wt% concentration) at the downstream of the sudden expansion pipe. There is no reported work dealing with the prediction of the local Nusselt number at the distance equivalent to the axial ratio and flow through sudden expansion. So far, two excellent correlations for the Local Nusselt number are proposed with reasonably good accuracy. Furthermore, a new correlation is developed for the average Nusselt number.     

Self-rewetting fluids with suspended carbon nanostructures

Thermal management is very important in modern electronic systems. Recent researches have been dedicated to the study of the heat transfer performances of binary or multi-component heat transfer fluids with peculiar surface tension properties and in particular to "self-rewetting fluids," i.e., liquids with a surface tension increasing with temperature and concentration. Thermophysical properties like surface tension, wettability and thermal conductivity, at different temperatures, have been measured not only for binary mixtures, but also for a number of ternary aqueous solutions with relatively low freezing point and for nanoparticles suspensions (so called nanofluids). Some of them interestingly exhibit the same anomalous positive surface tension gradient with temperature as binary self-rewetting solutions. Since in the course of liquid/vapour phase change, self-rewetting fluids behaviour induces a rather strong liquid inflow (caused by both temperature and concentration gradients) from the cold region (where liquid condensates) to the hot evaporator region, several interesting applications may be envisaged, e.g., the development of advanced wickless heat pipes for utilization in reduced gravity environments. The present work is dedicated to the study of the thermophysical properties of nanofluids based on water/alcohol solutions with suspended carbon nanostructures, in particular single-wall carbon nanohorns (SWNH), synthesised by an homemade apparatus with an AC arc discharge in open air. The potential interest of the proposed studies stems from the large number of possible industrial applications, including space technologies and terrestrial applications, such as cooling of electronic components.     

Synthesis and thermal transport studies of nanofluids based on metal decorated photochemically oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes

Nanoparticle fluid suspensions were prepared using photochemically functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes in polar base fluids. Multiwalled carbon nanotubes prepared by catalytic chemical vapour deposition technique have been functionalized by irradiating with ultraviolet light of wavelength 254 nm. The photochemical oxidation of multiwalled carbon nanotubes under UV irradiation introduces oxygen containing functional groups onto the surface of the nanotubes, generating new defects on their structure. Silver nanoparticles have been deposited over multiwalled carbon nanotubes by chemical method. The enhancement in thermal conductivity of the prepared nanofluids using functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes and Ag nanoparticles deposited functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes with volume fraction, temperature and aspect ratio has been demonstrated. Silver deposited functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes based nanofluids in DI water with 0.02% volume fraction exhibit a thermal conductivity enhancement of 9.9% and 47% at room temperature and at 50 degrees C respectively.     

多壁碳纳米管水基纳米流体的对流换热特性

实验研究了纳米粉体浓度、雷诺数Re和热流密度对多壁碳纳米管水基纳米流体(MWNTs/H2O)对流换热性能的影响。纳米粉体浓度分别为0.05 g/L、0.1 g/L、0.2 g/L和0.4 g/L,雷诺数Re为500~900,热流密度为10~20 k W/m2。结果表明:1)纳米流体对流换热系数随着纳米粉体浓度、Re、热流密度的增加而增加。如在Re为631且纳米粉体浓度为0.4 g/L时,纳米流体对流换热系数比基液增大了17.6%;2)纳米流体对流换热系数的提高率明显大于对应的导热系数提高率,当纳米粉体浓度为0.05g/L时,其对流换热系数和导热系数的提高率分别为7.4%和0.15%;3)在Eubank-Proctor方程的基础上,建立了适合于低Re条件下的混和对流换热的实验关联式。     

Al₂O₃ and γAl₂O₃ Nanomaterials Based Nanofluid Models with Surface Diffusion: Applications for Thermal Performance in Multiple Engineering Systems and Industries

Thermal transport investigation in colloidal suspensions is taking a significant research direction. The applications of these fluids are found in various industries, engineering, aerodynamics, mechanical engineering and medical sciences etc. A huge amount of thermal transport is essential in the operation of various industrial production processes. It is a fact that conventional liquids have lower thermal transport characteristics as compared to colloidal suspensions. The colloidal suspensions have high thermal performance due to the thermophysical attributes of the nanoparticles and the host liquid. Therefore, researchers focused on the analysis of the heat transport in nanofluids under diverse circumstances. As such, the colloidal analysis of H₂O composed by γAl₂O₃ and Al₂O₃ is conducted over an elastic cylinder. The governing flow models of γAl₂O₃/H₂O and Al₂O₃/H₂O is reduced in the dimensionless form by adopting the described similarity transforms. The colloidal models are handled by implementing the suitable numerical technique and provided the results for the velocity, temperature and local thermal performance rate against the multiple flow parameters. From the presented results, it is shown that the velocity of Al₂O₃–H₂O increases promptly against a high Reynolds number and it decreases for high-volume fraction. The significant contribution of the volumetric fraction is examined for thermal enhancement of nanofluids. The temperature of Al₂O₃–H₂O and γAl₂O₃–H₂O significantly increases against a higher ϕ. Most importantly, the analysis shows that γAl₂O₃–H₂O has a high local thermal performance rate compared to Al₂O₃–H₂O. Therefore, it is concluded that γAl₂O₃–H₂O is a better heat transfer fluid and is suitable for industrial and technological uses.     

Magnetically-functionalized self-aligning graphene fillers for high-efficiency thermal management applications

We report on heat conduction properties of thermal interface materials with self-aligning “magnetic graphene” fillers. Graphene enhanced nano-composites were synthesized by an inexpensive and scalable technique based on liquid-phase exfoliation. Functionalization of graphene and few-layer-graphene flakes with Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles allowed us to align the fillers in an external magnetic field during dispersion of the thermal paste to the connecting surfaces. The filler alignment results in a strong increase of the apparent thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity through the layer of nano-composite inserted between two metallic surfaces. The self-aligning “magnetic graphene” fillers improve heat conduction in composites with both curing and non-curing matrix materials. The thermal conductivity enhancement with the oriented fillers is a factor of two larger than that with the random fillers even at the low ~ 1 wt.% of graphene loading. The real-life testing with computer chips demonstrated the temperature rise decrease by as much as 10 °C with use of the non-curing thermal interface material with ~ 1 wt.% of the oriented fillers. Our proof-of-concept experiments suggest that the thermal interface materials with functionalized graphene and few-layer-graphene fillers, which can be oriented during the composite application to the surfaces, can lead to a new method of thermal management of advanced electronics.     

Thermal-Conductivity and Thermal-Diffusivity Measurements of Nanofluids by 3<Emphasis Type="Italic">ω</Emphasis> Method and Mechanism Analysis of Heat Transport

A 3ω technique is developed for simultaneous determination of the thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of nanofluids. The 3ω measuring system is established, in which a conductive wire is used as both heater and sensor. At first, the system is calibrated using water with known thermophysical properties. Then, the thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of TiO₂/distilled water nanofluids at different temperatures and volume fractions and the thermal conductivity of SiO₂ nanofluids with different carrier fluids (water, ethanol, and EG) are determined. The results show that the working temperature and the carrier fluid play important roles in the enhancement of thermal transport in nanofluids. These results agree with the predictions for the temperature dependence effect by the Brownian motion model and the micro-convection model. For SiO₂ nanofluids, the thermal-conductance enhancement becomes strong with a decrease in the heat capacity of the carrier fluids. Finally, according to our results and mechanism analysis, a corrected term is introduced to the Brownian motion model for providing better prediction of heat transport performance in nanofluids.     

直接吸收式太阳能集热系统研究综述

对直接吸收式太阳能集热系统及其所用集热介质的研究现状进行了综述。用于直接吸收式太阳能集热系统的集热介质主要有黑色液体、气-固或液-固悬浮体系、熔盐及其三者的相互混合物。在直接吸收式太阳能集热系统中,由于集热介质既是吸热材料也是传热材料,因此,要求集热介质应具有吸收率高、稳定性好、热导率高、与容器相容性好等性能,但是目前传统的集热介质都存在较多的不足,难以推广应用。提出了使用纳米流体作为新一代直接吸收式太阳能集热介质,并对其进行了初步实验,得到了较好的效果。     

Analysis of three-dimensional natural convection of nanofluids by BEM

In this paper we analyse flow and heat transfer characteristics of nanofluids in natural convection flows in closed cavities. We consider two test cases: natural convection in a three-dimensional differentially heated cavity, and flow around a hotstrip located in two positions within a cavity. Simulations were performed for Rayleigh number values ranging from 10³ to 10⁶. Performance of three types of water based nanofluids was compared with pure water and air. Stable suspensions of Cu, Al₂O₃ and TiO₂ solid nanoparticles in water were considered for different volume fractions ranging up to 20%. We present and compare heat flux for all cases and analyse heat transfer enhancement attributed to nanofluids in terms of their enhanced thermal properties and changed flow characteristics. Results show that, using nanofluids, the largest heat transfer enhancements can be achieved in conduction dominated flows as well as that nanofluids increase the three-dimensional character of the flow field. We additionally examine the relationship between vorticity, vorticity flux and heat transfer for flow of nanofluids.The simulations were performed using a three-dimensional boundary element method based flow solver, which has been adapted for the simulation of nanofluids. The numerical algorithm is based on the combination of single domain and subdomain boundary element method, which are used to solve the velocity–vorticity formulation of Navier–Stokes equations. In the paper we present the adaptation of the solver for simulation of nanofluids. Additionally, we developed a dynamic solver accuracy algorithm, which was used to speed up the simulations.     

Modeling Thermal Conductivity for Alumina-Water Nanofluids

This article presents results of an ongoing investigation into the modeling of thermal conductivity for Alumina-Water nanofluids. In spite of having the promise of being an improved heat transfer medium, fundamental understanding and modeling of important thermo-physical properties of nanofluids (such as thermal conductivity) have remained a difficult task due to the possible influence of several particle and base-fluid properties on the behavior of nanofluids. The existing theories to explain the phenomenon of thermal conductivity augmentation have provided different and sometimes contrasting mechanisms. In this study, seven existing theoretical models for thermal conductivity of nanofluids have been evaluated for their accuracy by comparing the predicted versus experimental data for a wide range of test conditions. The existing models were found to provide inaccuracies (over/underpredictions) in the range of 3 to 58%. A new model has been developed using dimensionless analysis, which includes Prandtl number and a new dimensionless number that is a ratio of Reynolds number to the square root of Brinkman number for particle and fluids. The new model has been found to generally predict the thermal conductivity ratio (nanofluids to base fluids) within 5% accuracy range.