Nanofluids are important because they enhance heat transfer. Nanofluids are colloidal mixtures of nanometric metallic or ceramic particles in a base fluid, such as water, ethylene glycol or oil. Nanofluids possess immense potential to enhance the heat transfer character of the original fluid due to improved thermal transport properties. In this article, a brief overview has been presented to address the unique features of nanofluids, such as their preparation, heat transfer mechanisms, conduction and convection heat transfer enhancement, etc. About 55 published studies (1976-2015) are reviewed in this paper. It is marked from the literature survey articles that nano fluids performance are the most frequently studied as an efficient coolant for heat exchangers.

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