A Review on the Mechanisms of Heat Transport in Nanofluids

Due to superior thermal properties and many potential applications, nanofluids have recently attracted the attention of the research community. Though the experiments in nanofluids have revealed the spectacular heat transfer enhancement in them, there are many inconsistencies in the reported experimental values and controversies in the mechanisms proposed for heat transport in nanofluids. This indicates that it is crucial to be aware of the different mechanisms contributing to superior thermal properties of nanofluids and discuss the existing controversies in them. Therefore, in this article, we provide an overview of the various possible mechanisms reported in the literature that contribute to enhanced thermal conductivity of nanofluids. The other factors affecting the nanofluids thermal conductivity and the mathematical models for estimating nanofluids thermal conductivity with their limitations are also discussed.     

Radiative properties of nanofluids

Compared to thermal conductivity and convection studies with nanofluids; the optical and radiative properties of nanofluids have received much less interest. However, very recently, the number of studies on radiative heat transfer in nanofluids has been increasing. This is due to the fact that, in general, a composite nanofluid has different properties than those found in either the base fluid or the particles. At high temperatures, knowledge of the resultant radiative properties becomes increasingly significant. The concept of using direct absorbing nanofluid (suspension formed by mixing nanoparticles and a liquid) recently been shown numerically and experimentally to be an efficient method for harvesting solar thermal energy. Nanofluid is a product of emerging field of nanotechnology, where nanoparticles (1–100 nm in size) are mixed with conventional base fluids (water, oils, glycols, etc.). Nanofluids as an innovative class of heat transfer fluids represent a rapidly emerging research field where nano-science and thermal engineering coexist. Nanofluids are considered to be a two-phase system, comprised of a solid and a liquid phase. Compared to the base fluids like water or oil, nanofluids feature enhanced thermo-physical properties such as thermal diffusivity, viscosity, thermal conductivity, convective heat transfer coefficients, and optical properties. They offer unprecedented potential in many applications. Recent development in solar thermal collectors is the use of nanofluids to absorb the light directly. There is much current work going on the use of nanoparticles in several applications. With thousands of papers published every year, a comprehensive literature survey is impossible, and only selected representative publications are cited in this paper, particularly as they concern fundamental scientific insights on the fundamental optical properties of nanofluids.     

Advances of nanofluids in heat exchangers—A review

Recently, many researchers have focused on their studies on the analysis of nanofluid flows due to their participation in the enhancement of heat transfer rates in industrial processes. The ordinary fluids, such as water, mineral oils, and so on, are known for their low thermal conductivity in heat transfer processes. A significant enhancement in the thermal properties of ordinary fluid may be obtained by adding nanoparticles having a diameter of less than 100 nm or suspension of fibers. Better spreading, wetting, dispersion, and stability and with acceptable viscosity are the main advantageous properties of nanofluids on a solid surface. The nanofluids are encountered in various thermal engineering systems such as in heat exchangers, refrigeration, thermal management of fuel cells, cooling of nuclear reactors, microelectromechanical systems, and others. In particular, the thermal conversion is known as a great application of nanotechnology, and many studies have been achieved with such fluids in heat exchangers. Therefore, this paper aims to present a global insight into the different applications of nanofluids in various heat exchangers, that is, heat pipe and plate-fin heat exchangers. All research works have been summarized into three main parts: laminar, transition, and turbulent nanofluid flow regimes.     

A review on preparation methods and challenges of nanofluids

Nanofluid, as a kind of new engineering material consisting of nanometer-sized additives and base fluids, has attracted great attention from investigators for its superior thermal properties and many potential applications. In this review, we summarize the nanofluid preparation methods reported by different investigators in an attempt to find a suitable method for preparing stable nanofluids. Nanofluids are classified according to material type as metallic and nonmetallic nanoparticles since different nanoparticles need their own stability method. Various nanoparticle types with different basefluids are investigated. Moreover, challenges and future directions of applications of nanofluids have been reviewed and presented in this paper. The aim of this review is to summarize recent developments in research on the synthesis and characterization of stationary nanofluids and to try finding some challenging issues that need to be solved for future research.     

A comprehensive review of fundamentals,preparation and applications of nanorefrigerants

Nanofluids attract researchers in many ways for their enhanced heat transfer properties. Nanorefrigerant is one kind of nanofluids. It has better heat transfer performance than traditional refrigerants. Thermal conductivity, viscosity and density are the basic thermophysical properties that must be analyzed before performance analysis. This paper presents a comprehensive review of nucleate pool boiling, flow boiling, condensation and two-phase flow of refrigerant-based nanofluids. The effects of nanolubricants on boiling and two-phase flow phenomena are presented as well. Furthermore, studies of applications and preparation of refrigerant-based nanofluids are presented. For the limited studies done so far, there are some controversies from one study to another. Based on results available in the literatures, it has been found that nanorefrigerants have a much higher and strongly temperature-dependent thermal conductivity at very low particle concentrations than conventional refrigerant. This can be considered as one of the key parameters for enhanced performance for refrigeration and air conditioning systems. Because of its superior thermal performances, latest up to date literatures on this property has been summarized and presented in this paper as well.     

Thermo-physical properties of hybrid nanofluids and hybrid nanolubricants: A comprehensive review on performance

Hybrid nanofluids and hybrid nanolubricants are very new types of research which can be prepared by suspending two or more than two dissimilar nanoparticles either in a mixture or composite form in the base fluids. The term hybrid can be considered as different materials which are a combination of physical and chemical properties to form a homogeneous phase. The main objective of synthesizing hybrid nanofluids/nanolubricants is to improve the properties of single materials where it has great enhancement in thermal properties or rheological properties that are better than individually conventional nanofluids/nanolubricants. This review summarizes the previous research on the thermo-physical properties of hybrid nanofluids/nanolubricants including methods of preparation, instrumentations, development and current progress, and hybrid performance in terms of heat transfer and pressure drop. Challenges and several applications using hybrid nanofluids/nanolubricants were also discussed. Recent studies showed that the hybrid nanofluids/nanolubricants improved the performance of the single type suspended nanoparticles. Various studies of hybrid nanofluids have been carried out to investigate the heat transfer performance and thermal conductivity; however, other thermo-physical properties such as viscosity, density and specific heat have been neglected. In addition, few studies on hybrid nanolubricants were done only for thermo-physical properties. Thus, a comprehensive study on heat transfer and the other thermo-physical properties are necessary to show the potential of hybrid in engineering applications.     

Thermal performance enhancement studies using graphite nanofluid for heat transfer applications

Enhanced boiling heat transfer using nanofluids is highly relevant due to its potential applications in thermal management of systems producing large heat fluxes. However, the sedimentation of nanoparticles limits their application in heat transfer systems. So, the preparation of a stable nanofluid remains a big research challenge. The stability issues arise due to the large difference in the density of nanoparticle and the base fluid. Graphite nanoparticle is selected in this study, as it has 4.5 times lower density than copper and comparable thermal conductivity. An experimental study is conducted to evaluate the suitability of graphite nanofluid in mesh wick heat pipes, which are devices that utilize boiling and condensation principles to transfer high heat fluxes. Thermal transport properties and boiling heat transfer characteristics showed enhancement and the effect of nanofluid on the device level thermal performance is thoroughly assessed. Experimental results are compared with the published literature. A reduction in thermal resistance by 32.5% and an improvement in the heat transfer coefficient by 48.02% in comparison with base fluid clearly indicate the superiority of the graphite nanofluid for heat transfer applications.     

Single phase nanofluid thermal conductivity and viscosity prediction using neural networks and its application in a heated pipe of a circular cross section

This study investigates the single-phase simulation of nanofluid with a neural network incorporated into the thermophysical properties in governing equations for the single-phase treatment. The thermophysical properties affected are the viscosity, and the thermal conductivity, as both properties have been the area of contention in the study of nanofluid. The neural network is trained from experimental data gleaned from the available literature. The single phase and neural network are set up and solved using the finite element method in available commercial code. Grid independence was carried out, and the results were validated with experimental data that the neural networks were not trained with. It was observed that the lowest accuracy from the several simulations was 0.679% average percentage error. The results obtained agreed that nanofluids' thermal conductivity and viscosity can be accurately modeled for most single-material nanofluids and hence reducing the error in the simulations of nanofluids using the single-phase model which assumes the nanofluids are homogeneous and their properties are enhanced and effective.     

Thermal performance enhancement of flat-plate and evacuated tube solar collectors using nanofluid: A review

During the past decades, the technology to make particles in nanometer dimensions has been improved and a new kind of solid–liquid mixture, which is called a nanofluid, has appeared. Nanofluids are an advanced kind of fluid containing a small quantity of nanoparticles (usually less than 100 nm) that are uniformly and stably suspended in the liquid. The dispersion of a small amount of solid nanoparticles in conventional fluids such as water or ethylene glycol changes their thermal conductivity remarkably. Since then, nanofluids have been applied to enhance the thermal performance of many engineering systems. Recently, nanofluids have been used as heat transfer fluids to enhance the performance of solar collector devices. This paper reviews the recent progress and applications of nanofluids in flat-plate and evacuated tube solar collectors. Other than to review the efficiency of solar collectors with nanofluids, the paper also discusses the impact of nanofluids in solar collectors on economic and environmental viewpoints. Finally, the challenges and future trends in the application of nanofluids in thermal solar collectors are discussed.     

Study on forced convective heat transfer of non-newtonian nanofluids

This paper is concerned with the forced convective heat transfer of dilute liquid suspensions of nanoparticles (nanofluids) flowing through a straight pipe under laminar conditions. Stable nanofluids are formulated by using the high shear mixing and ultrasonication methods. They are then characterised for their size, surface charge, thermal and rheological properties and tested for their convective heat transfer behaviour. Mathematical modelling is performed to simulate the convective heat transfer of nanofluids using a single phase flow model and considering nanofluids as both Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluid. Both experiments and mathematical modelling show that nanofluids can substantially enhance the convective heat transfer. Analyses of the results suggest that the non-Newtonian character of nanofluids influences the overall enhancement, especially for nanofluids with an obvious non-Newtonian character.     

An extensive review of various technologies for enhancing the thermal and optical performances of parabolic trough collectors

A wide range of engineering industrial applications require both the thermal and optical efficiencies of the system to be maximized with a reasonable low penalty for the friction factor and subsequently low losses in pressure. Among the family of concentrated solar power systems, parabolic trough collectors (PTCs), which have recently received significant attention, face similar challenges. The current work presents an extensive review of the PTC systems comparing recent and past technologies, which are widely being used to improve and enhance the thermal and optical efficiencies. Furthermore, the techniques used for single and two-phase flow modeling in numerical simulations, design variables, and experimental processes have been discussed in detail. The article also presents different numerical methods and analytical approaches of implementing the nonuniform solar distribution with different design parameters. Four main technologies are comprehensively addressed to effectively enhance the thermal performance of the PTCs; changing working heat transfer fluids, replacing the working fluids by nanofluids (single and hybrid) that have higher thermal–physical properties than those of base working fluids, inserting different tabulators with various design configurations, and finally combining the advantages of nanofluids and swirl generators in the same application. The article also critically summarizes the studies investigating the enhancement of thermal performance: use of novel design of PTCs and passive heat transfer enhancement techniques. Finally, a wide range of numerical and experimental studies are proposed for the future work related to the aforementioned main technologies.     

Prediction of Thermal Conductivity and Viscosity of Ionic Liquid-Based Nanofluids Using Adaptive Neuro Fuzzy Inference System

Nowadays, ionic liquid-based nanofluids are introduced as a new class of heat transfer fluids, which exhibit superior thermal properties compared to their base ionic liquids. Potential applications of these nanofluids make it necessary to know their thermophysical properties such as thermal conductivity and viscosity. Therefore, adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) has been successfully developed to predict thermal conductivity and viscosity of ionic liquid-based nanofluids. The developed models have investigated the influence of temperature, nanoparticle concentration, and ionic liquid molecular weight on the thermophysical properties of nanofluids. After developing ANFIS structure, the capability and accuracy of the developed neuro fuzzy models have been evaluated by comparison of model predictions with experimental data extracted from the literature and calculation of statistical parameters such as coefficient of determination (R²) and average relative deviation (ARD). The ARD of ANFIS model in prediction of thermal conductivity of nanofluids is 0.72%, with a high R² of 0.9959. The values of ARD and R² for estimation of nanofluids viscosity are 5.1% and 0.9934, respectively, which indicates a satisfactory degree of accuracy for the proposed models.     

十四烷纳米流体导热系数影响因素探究

十四烷是工业中最常用的液态烷烃之一,常被用于有机溶剂，有重要的应用价值。相比于纯烷烃，烷烃基纳米流体具有许多 优异的性质，特别是导热系数的增强。本文采用实验与理论模型对比的方法，对一些影响十四烷基纳米流体导热系数的因素进行研究，包括纳米颗粒种类、浓度、温度以及稳定性。结果表明，本文中纳米流体的有效导热系数随纳米颗粒体积分数的增加而增加，随温度的升高而下降；在各种纳米颗粒中，碳纳米管对导热的增强最为显著，且碳纳米管流体具有最好稳定性。     

Thermal transport in organic/inorganic composites

Composite materials, which consist of organic and inorganic components, are widely used in various fields because of their excellent mechanical properties, resistance to corrosion, low-cost fabrication, etc. Thermal properties of organic/inorganic composites play a crucial role in some applications such as thermal interface materials for micro-electronic packaging, nano-porous materials for sensor development, thermal insulators for aerospace, and high-performance thermoelectric materials for power generation and refrigeration. In the past few years, many studies have been conducted to reveal the physical mechanism of thermal transport in organic/inorganic composite materials in order to stimulate their practical applications. In this paper, the theoretical and experimental progresses in this field are reviewed. Besides, main factors affecting the thermal conductivity of organic/inorganic composites are discussed, including the intrinsic properties of organic matrix and inorganic fillers, topological structure of composites, loading volume fraction, and the interfacial thermal resistance between fillers and organic matrix.     

Enhancement of heat transfer using nanofluids—An overview

A colloidal mixture of nano-sized particles in a base fluid, called nanofluids, tremendously enhances the heat transfer characteristics of the original fluid, and is ideally suited for practical applications due to its marvelous characteristics. This article addresses the unique features of nanofluids, such as enhancement of heat transfer, improvement in thermal conductivity, increase in surface volume ratio, Brownian motion, thermophoresis, etc. In addition, the article summarizes the recent research in experimental and theoretical studies on forced and free convective heat transfer in nanofluids, their thermo-physical properties and their applications, and identifies the challenges and opportunities for future research.     

纳米流体热导率的测量与评价

介绍了运用瞬态热线法测定不同体积份额、不同温度下水-氧化铜纳米流体的热导率。实验结果表明纳米流体较传统的纯液体具有较高的热导率;体积份额、温度对纳米流体热导率具有一定的影响;温度对纳米流体热导率影响的显著程度与纳米粒子体积份额有密切关系。     

A Complete Experimental Investigation on The Rheological Behavior of Silver Oil Based Nanofluid

In this study, thermo‐physical properties including thermal conductivity, viscosity, density and specific heat capacity of an oil based nanofluid including silver as to be nanoparticles have been experimentally studied. The results indicate an enhancement in thermal conductivity which was depended on bulk temperature and volume fraction of utilized nanofluids. Viscosity data show a significant increment through volume fraction increasing. In addition, the specific heat capacity and density of nanofluids were studied experimentally and it was found that, all measured rheological properties of these nanofluids, were not in agreement to published correlations.     

Bottom up Approach Toward Prediction of Effective Thermophysical Properties of Carbon-Based Nanofluids

ABSTRACT

Carbon-based nanofluids, mainly suspensions of carbon nanotubes or graphene sheets in water, are typically characterized by superior thermal and optical properties. However, their multiscale nature is slowing down the investigation of optimal geometrical, chemical, and physical nanoscale parameters for enhancing the thermal conductivity while limiting the viscosity increase at the same time. In this work, a bottom up approach is developed to systematically explore the thermophysical properties of carbon-based nanofluids with different characteristics. Prandtl number is suggested as the most adequate parameter for evaluating the best compromise between thermal conductivity and viscosity increases. By comparing the Prandtl number of nanofluids with different characteristics, promising overall performances (that is, nanofluid/base fluid Prandtl number ratios equal to 0.7) are observed for semidilute (volume fraction ? 0.004) aqueous suspensions of carbon nanoparticles with extreme aspect ratios (larger than 100 for nanotubes, smaller than 0.01 for nanoplatelets) and limited defects concentrations (<5%). The bottom up approach discussed in this work may ease a more systematic exploration of carbon-based nanofluids for thermal applications, especially solar ones.     

Development of Empirical Correlation for Heat Transfer to Nanofluids

Nanofluids are emerging as alternative fluids for heat transfer applications due to enhanced thermal properties. Several correlations are available in open literature for heat transfer coefficient (HTC) and thermophysical properties of nanofluids. Reliability of correlations that use effective properties for estimation of HTC needs to be checked. Comparison of experimental HTC and that estimated from existing correlations is the main objective of the present study. An empirical correlation is developed with experimental data of the HTC for zinc–water and zinc oxide–water nanofluids. Experimental HTC is compared with that estimated from developed correlation and existing correlations. The range of Re considered for the study is 4000 to 18,000. Comparison indicated large deviation in experimental values and the values estimated from existing correlations. Based on comparison results, it can be concluded that the single‐phase models of forced convective heat transfer cannot be extended to nanofluids.     

Heat transfer augmentation of ethylene glycol: water nanofluids and applications — A review

This paper introduces the historical background about the development of water based, ethylene glycol (EG) based and EG:water mixture nanofluids for the past 20 years. The primary consideration is to review the salient of research work related to EG:water mixture nanofluids and their applications. Nowadays, the fundamental studies of nanofluids are increasing rapidly for engineering applications. The determination of the forced convection heat transfer and pressure drop was reviewed for nanofluid flow in a tube. The experimental and numerical heat transfers of nanofluids were presented. A review of other relevant research studies is also provided. Substantial heat transfer literature has been studied on water based nanofluids used in the fundamental study for engineering applications. However, there are limited studies that use EG:water mixture nanofluids in evaluation of forced convection heat transfer. A number of research studies have been performed to investigate the transport properties of EG:water mixture nanofluids either in experimental or numerical approach. As the performance of EG:water mixture nanofluids could be verified through experimental studies, researchers have conducted the experimental works using several types of potential nanofluids. As a result, nanofluids have been used in certain engineering applications such as in automotive, transportation, cooling of electronics components, solar, and nuclear reactor coolant.