An experimental investigation was conducted to examine the effects of variations in the temperature and volume fraction on the steady-state effective thermal conductivity of two different nanoparticle suspensions. Copper and aluminum oxide, CuO and Al 2 O 3 , nanoparticles with area weighted diameters of 29 and 36 nm, respectively, were blended with distilled water at 2%, 4%, 6%, and 10% volume fractions and the resulting suspensions were evaluated at temperatures ranging from 27.5 to 34.7°C. The results indicate that the nanoparticle material, diameter, volume fraction, and bulk temperature, all have a significant impact on the effective thermal conductivity of these suspensions. The 6% volume fraction of CuO nanoparticle/distilled water suspension resulted in an increase in the effective thermal conductivity of 1.52 times that of pure distilled water and the 10% Al 2 O 3 nanoparticle/distilled water suspension increased the effective thermal conductivity by a factor of 1.3, at a temperature of 34°C. A two-factor linear regression analysis based on the temperature and volume fraction was applied and indicated that the experimental results are in stark contrast to the trends predicted by the traditional theoretical models with respect to both temperature and volume fraction. The available models are reviewed and the possible reasons for the unusually high effective thermal conductivity of nanofluids are analyzed and discussed.

A steady-state method was used to evaluate the effective thermal conductivity of Al2O3∕distilled water nanofluids with nanoparticle diameters of 36 and 47nm. Tests were conducted over a temperature range of 27–37°C for volume fractions ranging from 0.5% to 6.0%. The thermal conductivity enhancement of the two nanofluids demonstrated a nonlinear relationship with respect to temperature, volume fraction, and nanoparticle size, with increases in the volume fraction, temperature, and particle size all resulting in an increase in the measured enhancement. The most significant finding was the effect that variations in particle size had on the effective thermal conductivity of the Al2O3∕distilled water nanofluids. The largest enhancement difference observed occurred at a temperature of approximately 32°C and at a volume fraction of between 2% and 4%. The experimental results exhibited a peak in the enhancement factor in this range of volume fractions for the temperature range evaluated, which implies that an optimal size exists for different nanoparticle and base fluid combinations. This phenomenon can be neither predicted nor explained using the theoretical models currently available in the literature.

No abstract

The natural convection heat transfer characteristics of [Formula: see text] nanofluids comprised of 47 nm, [Formula: see text] and water, with volume fractions ranging from 0.5% through 6%, has been investigated through a set of experimental measurements. The temperature of the heated surface and the Nusselt number of different volume fractions of [Formula: see text] nanofluids natural convection tests clearly demonstrated a deviation from that of pure base fluids (distilled water). In the investigation, a deterioration of the natural convection heat transfer coefficient was observed with increases of the volume fraction of the nanoparticles in the nanofluids. The deterioration phenomenon was further investigated through a visualization study on a 850 nm diameter polystyrene particle/water suspension in a bottom heating rectangular enclosure. The influence of particle movements on the heat transfer and natural flow of the polystyrene particle/DI water suspension were filmed, and the temperature changes on the heating and cooling surfaces were recorded. The results were analyzed in an effort to explain the causes of the natural convection heat transfer deterioration of the 47 nm [Formula: see text] nanofluids observed in the experiments. The visualization results confirmed the natural convective heat transfer deterioration, and further explained the causes of the deterioration of the nanofluids natural convective heat transfer.

An experimental investigation of the combustion behavior of nano-aluminum (n-Al) and nano-aluminum oxide (n-Al2O3) particles stably suspended in biofuel (ethanol) as a secondary energy carrier was conducted. The heat of combustion (HoC) was studied using a modified static bomb calorimeter system. Combustion element composition and surface morphology were evaluated using a SEM/EDS system. N-Al and n-Al2O3 particles of 50- and 36-nm diameters, respectively, were utilized in this investigation. Combustion experiments were performed with volume fractions of 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10% for n-Al, and 0.5, 1, 3, and 5% for n-Al2O3. The results indicate that the amount of heat released from ethanol combustion increases almost linearly with n-Al concentration. N-Al volume fractions of 1 and 3% did not show enhancement in the average volumetric HoC, but higher volume fractions of 5, 7, and 10% increased the volumetric HoC by 5.82, 8.65, and 15.31%, respectively. N-Al2O3 and heavily passivated n-Al additives did not participate in combustion reactively, and there was no contribution from Al2O3 to the HoC in the tests. A combustion model that utilized Chemical Equilibrium with Applications was conducted as well and was shown to be in good agreement with the experimental results.