J.L. Routbort

Review and Comparison of Nanofluid Thermal Conductivity and Heat Transfer Enhancements

This study provides a detailed literature review and an assessment of results of the research and development work forming the current status of nanofluid technology for heat transfer applications. Nanofluid technology is a relatively new field, and as such, the supporting studies are not extensive. Specifically, experimental results were reviewed in this study regarding the enhancement of the thermal conductivity and convective heat transfer of nanofluids relative to conventional heat transfer fluids, and assessments were made as to the state-of-the-art of verified parametric trends and magnitudes. Pertinent parameters of particle volume concentration, particle material, particle size, particle shape, base fluid material, temperature, additive, and acidity were considered individually, and experimental results from multiple research groups were used together when assessing results. To this end, published research results from many studies were recast using a common parameter to facilitate comparisons of data among research groups and to identify thermal property and heat transfer trends. The current state of knowledge is presented as well as areas where the data are presently inconclusive or conflicting. Heat transfer enhancement for available nanofluids is shown to be in the 15–40% range, with a few situations resulting in orders of magnitude enhancement.

Particle shape effects on thermophysical properties of alumina nanofluids

The thermal conductivity and viscosity of various shapes of alumina nanoparticles in a fluid consisting of equal volumes of ethylene glycol and water were investigated. Experimental data were analyzed and accompanied by theoretical modeling. Enhancements in the effective thermal conductivities due to particle shape effects expected from Hamilton–Crosser equation are strongly diminished by interfacial effects proportional to the total surface area of nanoparticles. On the other hand, the presence of nanoparticles and small volume fractions of agglomerates with high aspect ratios strongly increases viscosity of suspensions due to structural constrains. Nanoparticle surface charge also plays an important role in viscosity. It is demonstrated that by adjusting pH of nanofluid, it is possible to reduce viscosity of alumina nanofluid without significantly affecting thermal conductivity. Efficiency of nanofluids (ratio of thermal conductivity and viscosity increase) for real-life cooling applications is evaluate...

Designing for ultrahigh-temperature applications: The mechanical and thermal properties of HfB2, HfCx, HfNx and αHf(N)

The thermal conductivity, thermal expansion, Youngs Modulus, flexural strength, and brittle-plastic deformation transition temperature were determined for HfB2, HfC0.98, HfC0.67, and HfN0.92 ceramics. The mechanical behavior of αHf(N) solid solutions was also studied. The thermal conductivity of modified HfB2 exceeded that of the other materials by a factor of 5 at room temperature and by a factor of 2.5 at 820°C. The transition temperature of HfC exhibited a strong stoichiometry dependence, decreasing from 2200°C for HfC0.98 to 1100°C for HfC0.67 ceramics. The transition temperature of HfB2 was 1100°C. Pure HfB2 was found to have a strength of 340 MPa in 4 point bending, that was constant from room temperature to 1600°C, while a HfB2 + 10% HfCx had a higher room temperature bend strength of 440 MPa, but that dropped to 200 MPa at 1600°C. The data generated by this effort was inputted into finite element models to predict material response in internally heated nozzle tests. The theoretical model required accurate material properties, realistic thermal boundary conditions, transient heat transfer analysis, and a good understanding of the displacement constraints. The results of the modeling suggest that HfB2 should survive the high thermal stresses generated during the nozzle test primarily because of its superior thermal conductivity. The comparison the theoretical failure calculations to the observed response in actual test conditions show quite good agreement implying that the behavior of the design is well understood.

Zinc self-diffusion, electrical properties, and defect structure of undoped, single crystal zinc oxide

Zinc self-diffusion was measured in single crystal zinc oxide using nonradioactive 70Zn as the tracer isotope and secondary ion mass spectrometry for data collection. Crystal mass was closely monitored to measure ZnO evaporation. Diffusion coefficients were isotropic with an activation energy of 372 kJ/mol. Zinc self-diffusion is most likely controlled by a vacancy mechanism. Electrical property measurements exhibit a plateau in conductivity at intermediate pO2 with an increase in reducing atmospheres. An analysis of the defect structure is presented that indicates that oxygen vacancies are probably the intrinsic ionic defects responsible for n-type conductivity in reducing atmospheres.

Particle size and interfacial effects on thermo-physical and heat transfer characteristics of water-based α-SiC nanofluids

The effect of average particle sizes on basic macroscopic properties and heat transfer performance of alpha-SiC/water nanofluids was investigated. The average particle sizes, calculated from the specific surface area of nanoparticles, were varied from 16 to 90 nm. Nanofluids with larger particles of the same material and volume concentration provide higher thermal conductivity and lower viscosity increases than those with smaller particles because of the smaller solid/liquid interfacial area of larger particles. It was also demonstrated that the viscosity of water-based nanofluids can be significantly decreased by pH of the suspension independently from the thermal conductivity. Heat transfer coefficients were measured and compared to the performance of base fluids as well as to nanofluids reported in the literature. Criteria for evaluation of the heat transfer performance of nanofluids are discussed and optimum directions in nanofluid development are suggested.

Base fluid and temperature effects on the heat transfer characteristics of SiC in ethylene glycol/H2O and H2O nanofluids

Experimental data are presented for the thermal conductivity, viscosity, and turbulent flow heat transfer coefficient of nanofluids with SiC particles suspended in ethylene glycol (EG)/water (H2O) mixture with a 50/50 volume ratio. The results are compared to the analogous suspensions in water for four sizes of SiC particles (16–90 nm). It is demonstrated that the heat transfer efficiency is a function of both the average particle size and the system temperature. The results show that adding SiC nanoparticles to an EG/H2O mixture can significantly improve the cooling efficiency while water-based nanofluids are typically less efficient than the base fluids. This is one of the few times that substantial nanofluid heat transfer enhancement has been reported in the literature based on a realistic comparison basis of constant velocity or pumping power. The trends important for engineering efficient heat transfer nanofluids are summarized.

Nanofluids for heat transfer: an engineering approach.

An overview of systematic studies that address the complexity of nanofluid systems and advance the understanding of nanoscale contributions to viscosity, thermal conductivity, and cooling efficiency of nanofluids is presented. A nanoparticle suspension is considered as a three-phase system including the solid phase (nanoparticles), the liquid phase (fluid media), and the interfacial phase, which contributes significantly to the system properties because of its extremely high surface-to-volume ratio in nanofluids. The systems engineering approach was applied to nanofluid design resulting in a detailed assessment of various parameters in the multivariable nanofluid systems. The relative importance of nanofluid parameters for heat transfer evaluated in this article allows engineering nanofluids with desired set of properties.

An investigation of silicon carbide-water nanofluid for heat transfer applications

Thermal conductivity and mechanical effects of silicon carbide nanoparticles uniformly dispersed in water were investigated. Mean size of SiC particles was 170 nm with a polydispersity of ∼30% as determined from small-angle x-ray scattering and dynamic light scattering techniques. Room temperature viscosity of the nanofluids ranged from 2 to 3 cP for nominal nanoparticle loadings 4–7 vol %. On a normalized basis with water, viscosity of the nanofluids did not significantly change with the test temperature up to 85 °C. Optical microscopy of diluted nanofluid showed no agglomeration of the nanoparticles. Thermal conductivity of the fluid was measured as a function of the nominal nanoparticle loading ranging from 1 to 7 vol %. Enhancement in thermal conductivity was approximately 28% over that of water at 7 vol % particle loadings under ambient conditions. Enhancements in thermal conductivities for the nanofluids with varying nanoparticle loadings were maintained at test temperatures up to 70 °C. Results of ...

OXYGEN DIFFUSION IN CUPRATE SUPERCONDUCTORS

Superconducting properties of the cuprate superconductors depend on the oxygen content of the material; the diffusion of oxygen is thus an important process in the fabrication and application of these materials. In the present article, we review studies of the diffusion of oxygen in La2−xSrxCuO4, YBa2Cu3O7−δ, YBa2Cu4O8, and the Bi2Sr2Can−1CunO2n+4 (n=1 or 2) superconductors, and attempt to elucidate the atomic mechanisms responsible.

Thermophysical property-related comparison criteria for nanofluid heat transfer enhancement in turbulent flow

Heat transfer enhancement criteria for nanofluids over their base fluids are presented based on three separate considerations: Reynolds number, flow velocity, and pumping power. Analyses presented show that, among the three comparisons, the constant pumping power comparison is the most unambiguous; the constant flow velocity comparison can be quite reasonable under certain conditions but the constant Reynolds number comparison (the most commonly used in the engineering literature for nanofluids) distorts the physical situation, and therefore, should not be used.