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.     

MgO nanofluids: higher thermal conductivity and lower viscosity among ethylene glycol-based nanofluids containing oxide nanoparticles

Five kinds of oxides, including MgO, TiO₂, ZnO, Al₂O₃ and SiO₂ nanoparticles were selected as additives and ethylene glycol (EG) was used as base fluid to prepare stable nanofluids. Thermal transport property investigation demonstrated substantial increments in the thermal conductivity and viscosity of all these nanofluids with oxide nanoparticle addition in EG. Among all the studied nanofluids, MgO–EG nanofluid was found to have superior features, with the highest thermal conductivity and lowest viscosity. The thermal conductivity enhancement ratio of MgO–EG nanofluid increases nonlinearly with the volume fraction of nanoparticles. In the experimental temperature range of 10–60°C, thermal conductivity enhancement ratio of MgO–EG nanofluids appears to have a weak dependence on the temperature. Viscosity measurements showed that MgO–EG nanofluids demonstrated Newtonian rheological behaviour, and the viscosity significantly decreases with the temperature. The thermal conductivity and viscosity increments of the nanofluids are much higher than the corresponding values predicted by the existing classical models for the solid–liquid mixture.     

Elaboration of thermophysical performance enhancement mechanism of functionalized boron nitride/graphite hybrid nanofluids

This study mainly investigated the physicochemical characteristics of ethylene glycol/ water (EG/W) based hydroxyl-functionalized boron nitride (BN-OH) and graphite (G) hybrid nanofluids. A novel simple and efficient annealing method was proposed to have hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) nanoparticles functionalized to improve the synergistic role between hybrid G/BN-OH nanoparticles. Meanwhile, the dispersion stability, thermal stability, and rheological behavior of diverse nanofluids (h-BN, BN-OH, G, G/BN and G/BH-OH) were comprehensively evaluated. The results showed that the G/BN-OH hybrid nanofluids demonstrate both better dispersion stability and thermal stability, as well as a lower increase in viscosity. In addition, the thermal conductivity of G/BN-OH hybrid nanofluids was increased by up to 18.05% with a concentration of 0.2 wt% when compared to the base fluid. Ultimately, the complicated theoretical mechanism of thermophysical performance augment for G/BH-OH hybrid nanofluids was reliably presented. The enhanced thermal conductivity of nanofluids may be attributed to the formation of adsorption layers and the synergistic effect of the thermal conductivity network.     

Dynamic characteristics of an environment-friendly refrigerant: Ammonia-water based TiO2 nanofluids

A device combining operation and dispersion was constructed to investigate the dynamic characteristics of ammonia-water based TiO₂ nanofluids, including suspending ability, viscosity and surface tension for the first time. The results show that the dynamic circulating process can greatly improve the suspending ability of ammonia water based TiO₂ nanofluids. Effect of sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) on the suspending ability is investigated experimentally and theoretically. The absorbency ratio of TiO₂ nanofluids with SDBS declines faster than that without surfactant at first, and then trends to gentle or even increase slightly in the later stages, which exhibits a better suspending ability for a long-term operation. Ultrasonic vibration brings a sudden but unsustainable rise in suspending ability. The results also showed that the dynamic circulating process has little effect on the viscosity of TiO₂ nanofluids and the surface tension is primarily determined by the addition of SDBS.     

Experimental evaluation of thermophysical properties of oil-based titania nanofluids for medium temperature solar collectors

Thermal oils are widely used as working fluids in the medium temperature heat transfer applications including concentrating solar thermal collectors. However, the weak thermal characteristics of these oils are major drawbacks in their successful application in the medium-high temperature solar collectors. Fortunately, the emergence of nanotechnology has provided the opportunity to alter thermo-physical properties of base fluids by adding small amount of sub-micron size solid particles possessing better properties. This paper presents an experimental investigation of thermophysical properties of an oil-based nanofluid to be used in the medium temperature solar collector for enhanced thermal energy transport. The colloidal suspensions were prepared by dispersing different weight fractions (0.25 wt.%, 0.5 wt.%, 0.75 wt.% and 1.0 wt.%) of Titania nanoparticles in Therminol-55 oil using two-step method. Shear mixing and high energy ultrasonication was employed to achieve uniform mixing and de-agglomeration of the nanoparticles in order to enhance the stability of the colloidal suspensions. Thermophysical properties of the nanofluids were determined as a function of nanoparticles concentrations in the temperature range of 25 °C–130 °C. The experimental results demonstrated substantial improvement in thermal conductivity of the nano-oils with an increase in nanoparticles loading which further enhanced at higher temperatures. Dynamic viscosity and effective density displayed a decreasing trend against rising temperature which indicate the effectiveness of these nanofluids for medium temperature heat supply. Nano-oils with superior thermal properties can improve the performance of medium temperature solar thermal collectors.     

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.     

Cu-水纳米流体的分散行为及导热性能研究

通过测定Cu-水纳米悬浮液的Zeta电位和吸光度,采用Hotdisk热物性分析仪测量了其导热系数,探讨了不同pH值和分散剂浓度对Cu-水纳米悬浮液分散稳定性和导热性能的影响.结果表明,pH值和分散剂加入量是影响Cu-水纳米悬浮液分散稳定和导热系数的重要因素.最优化的pH值和分散剂加入量能显著提高水溶液中Cu表面Zeta电位绝对值,增大了颗粒间静电排斥力,悬浮液分散稳定性较好,导热系数较高.从分散稳定和导热系数提高两个方面来考虑,pH=9.5左右被选为最优化值,在0.1%Cu-H2O纳米流体中,0.07%SDBS被选为最优化浓度.另外,Cu-水纳米流体的导热系数随纳米粒子质量分数的增大而增大,呈非线性关系,且比现有理论(Hamilton-Crosser模型)预测值大.     

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.     

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.     

Mechanism of heat transport in nanofluids

We have calculated thermal conductivity of alumina nanofluids (with water and ethylene glycol as base fluids) using temperature as well as concentration-dependent viscosity, η. The temperature profile of η is obtained using Gaussian fit to the available experimental data. In the model, the interfacial resistance effects are incorporated through a phenomenological parameter α. The micro-convection of the alumina nanoparticle (diameter less than 100 nm) is included through Reynolds and Prandtl numbers. The model is further improved by explicitly incorporating the thermal conductivity of the nanolayer surrounding the nanoparticles. Using this improved model, thermal conductivity of copper nanofluid is calculated. These calculations capture the particle concentration-dependent thermal conductivity and predict the dependence of the thermal conductivity on the size of the nanoparticle. These studies are significant to understand the underlying processes of heat transport in nanofluids and are crucial to design superior coolants of next generation.     

Effect of Al$$_$$O$$_3$$3 Nanoparticles Additives on the Density,Saturated Vapor Pressure,Surface Tension and Viscosity of Isopropyl Alcohol

This paper presents results of an experimental study of the density, saturated vapor pressure, surface tension and viscosity of Al\(_2\)O\(_3\) nanoparticle colloidal solutions in isopropyl alcohol. Studies of the thermophysical properties of nanofluids were performed at various temperatures and concentrations of Al\(_2\)O\(_3\) nanoparticles. The paper gives considerable attention to a turbidimetric analysis of the stability of nanofluid samples. Samples of nanofluids remained stable over the range of parameters of the experiments, ensuring the reliability of the thermophysical property data for the Al\(_2\)O\(_3\) nanoparticle colloidal solutions in isopropyl alcohol. The studies show that the addition of Al\(_2\)O\(_3\) nanoparticles leads to an increase of the density, saturated vapor pressure and viscosity, as well as a decrease for the surface tension of isopropyl alcohol. The information reported in this paper on the various thermophysical properties for the isopropyl alcohol/Al\(_2\)O\(_3\) nanoparticle model system is useful for the development of thermodynamically consistent models for predicting properties of nanofluids and correct modeling of the heat exchange processes.     

Thermophysical Properties of Aqueous Solutions Near the Equilibrium Freezing Temperature

Measurements of the surface tension, viscosity, and thermal conductivity of LiBr and LiSCN aqueous binary solutions have been performed to determine the thermophysical properties near the equilibrium freezing temperature. A differential capillary-rise method for surface tension and the transient hot-wire method for thermal conductivity were employed. Furthermore, a rotational viscometer was utilized for the measurement of viscosity. Correlation equations for the data of the aqueous binary test solutions as a function of temperature and concentration are presented.     

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.     

Photothermal Study of Two Different Nanofluids Containing SiO2 and TiO2 Semiconductor Nanoparticles

Thermal and optical properties of two different nanofluids containing SiO₂ and TiO₂ semiconductor nanoparticles were studied by thermal lens spectrometry (TLS) and spectrophotometry. In the case of SiO₂ nanofluids the transmission electron microscopy technique was used to obtain the SiO₂ nanoparticle sizes to investigate the size effect of these nanoparticles on the sample thermal diffusivity which is important in some medical applications such as photothermal-modulated drug delivery systems. On the other hand for the case of TiO₂ nanofluids, the photopyroelectric technique, TLS, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction were employed to investigate the concentration effect on the thermal properties of these nanofluids. Thermal diffusivities and effusivities as functions of the TiO₂ nanoparticle concentrations were obtained. From the experimental results, an incremental increase in the thermal diffusivities and effusivities was observed when the nanoparticle concentration was increased, indicating that the nanoparticle concentration is an important factor to be considered to obtain nanofluids with more thermal efficiency which are required for some applications, such as degradation of residual water.     

Particle shape effect on the viscosity and thermal conductivity of ZnO nanofluids

The viscosity and thermal conductivity of ZnO nanofluids with nanoparticle shapes of nearly rectangular and of sphere, were experimentally investigated under various volume concentrations of the nanoparticles, ranging from 0.05 to 5.0 vol.%. The viscosity of the nanofluids increased with increases in the volume concentration by up to 69%. In addition, the enhancement of the viscosity of the nearly rectangular shape nanoparticles was found to be greater by 7.7%, than that of the spherical nanoparticles. The thermal conductivity of the ZnO nanofluids increased by up to 12% and 18% at 5.0 vol.% for the spherical and the nearly rectangular shape nanoparticles, respectively, compared to that of the base fluid (water). The shape of the particles is found to have a significant effect on the viscosity and thermal conductivity enhancements.     

Thermophysical Properties of γ-Titanium Aluminide: The European IMPRESS Project

In the framework of its 6th Framework Programme, the European Union funds the Integrated Project IMPRESS, related to industrial applications of Ti–Al and Ni–Al alloys. One central task of this project is the precise determination of the relevant thermophysical properties of selected alloys for both the solid and liquid phases. The properties to be measured include thermal data such as heat of fusion, specific heat, and thermal conductivity, as well as thermophysical and transport properties such as density, surface tension, and viscosity. In addition to conventional high-temperature equipment, containerless methods are used. This article introduces the IMPRESS project, and discusses the first results obtained to date.     

Thermophysical Properties of 1,1,1,3,3-Pentafluorobutane (R365mfc)

This paper presents an experimental study on various thermophysical properties of a new fluoroalkane, 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluorobutane (R365mfc). The thermal conductivity of R365mfc was measured in the liquid phase near saturation conditions at temperatures between 263 and 333 K using a parallel plate instrument with an uncertainty of less than ±5%. For the measurement of the saturated liquid density between 273 and 353 K, a vibrating tube instrument was used. The uncertainty of the density measurements is less than ±0.1%. In addition, experimental data have been obtained for R365mfc under saturation conditions over a wide temperature range from about 253 to 460 K using light scattering techniques. Light scattering from the bulk fluid has been applied for measuring both the thermal diffusivity and the sound speed in the liquid and vapor phases. Light scattering by surface waves on a horizontal liquid–vapor interface has been used for the simultaneous determination of the surface tension and kinematic viscosity of the liquid phase. With the light scattering techniques, uncertainties of less than ±1.0, ±0.5, ±1.0, and ±1.2% have been achieved for the thermal diffusivity, the sound speed, the kinematic viscosity, and the surface tension, respectively.     

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.     

Experimental study on heat transfer enhancement of nanofluid flow through helical tubes

Fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics of nanofluids flowing through helically coiled tubes under uniform heat flux condition are studied experimentally. The turbulent flow of two different kinds of nanofluids, i.e. Ag-water and SiO₂-water, are examined. Three different helically coiled tubes along with straight ones are constructed to investigate the effects of geometrical parameters such as pitch circle diameter and helical pitch as well as nanoparticle volume concentration. The viscosity and thermal conductivity of nanofluids are determined experimentally in different volume fractions and temperatures. The range of Reynolds number is from 8900 to 11970. The experimental outcomes show that using nanoparticles in coiled tubes can be more effective in improving the heat transfer rate than the straight tube. Empirical correlations are extracted based on experimental data to predict the Nusselt number and friction factor of turbulent nanofluids flow through helically coiled tubes.