A review of the applications of nanofluids in solar energy

This article reports on the International Nanofluid Property Benchmark Exercise, or INPBE, in which the thermal conductivity of identical samples of colloidally stable dispersions of nanoparticles or “nanofluids,” was measured by over 30 organizations worldwide, using a variety of experimental approaches, including the transient hot wire method, steady-state methods, and optical methods. The nanofluids tested in the exercise were comprised of aqueous and nonaqueous basefluids, metal and metal oxide particles, near-spherical and elongated particles, at low and high particle concentrations. The data analysis reveals that the data from most organizations lie within a relatively narrow band (±10% or less) about the sample average with only few outliers. The thermal conductivity of the nanofluids was found to increase with particle concentration and aspect ratio, as expected from classical theory. There are (small) systematic differences in the absolute values of the nanofluid thermal conductivity among the various experimental approaches; however, such differences tend to disappear when the data are normalized to the measured thermal conductivity of the basefluid. The effective medium theory developed for dispersed particles by Maxwell in 1881 and recently generalized by Nan et al. [J. Appl. Phys. 81, 6692 (1997)], was found to be in good agreement with the experimental data, suggesting that no anomalous enhancement of thermal conductivity was achieved in the nanofluids tested in this exercise.

A Benchmark Study on the Thermal Conductivity of Nanofluids

Recent developments in phase change materials for energy storage applications: A review

Nanofluids—a simple product of the emerging world of nanotechnology—are suspensions of nanoparticles (nominally 1–100 nm in size) in conventional base fluids such as water, oils, or glycols. Nanofluids have seen enormous growth in popularity since they were proposed by Choi in 1995. In the year 2011 alone, there were nearly 700 research articles where the term nanofluid was used in the title, showing rapid growth from 2006 (175) and 2001 (10). The first decade of nanofluid research was primarily focused on measuring and modeling fundamental thermophysical properties of nanofluids (thermal conductivity, density, viscosity, heat transfer coefficient). Recent research, however, explores the performance of nanofluids in a wide variety of other applications. Analyzing the available body of research to date, this article presents recent trends and future possibilities for nanofluids research and suggests which applications will see the most significant improvement from employing nanofluids.

Small particles, big impacts: A review of the diverse applications of nanofluids

Selection of suitable heat transfer fluid for heat dissipation is an important consideration in the design of heat exchanging systems. Nanofluid, a colloidal mixture made of a base fluid and a nanoparticle, is a new generation of heat transfer fluids becoming a high potential fluid in heat transfer applications due to enhanced thermal conductivity. Research studies about nanofluids are on the rise owing to the mounting interest and demand for nanofluids as heat transfer fluids in a wide variety of applications. Recently, nanofluid technology has a new dimension of impregnating two or more nanoparticles in base fluids, namely hybrid or composite nanofluids. This paper reviews the preparation of metal and metal oxides nanofluids and hybrid nanofluids and the various techniques used to study the physical and chemical characteristics of nanofluids. Thermo-physical and heat transfer properties of nanofluids including the improved thermal conductivity, viscosity and specific heat models for nanofluids are presented. Finally, various application areas of nanofluids, such as transportation, electronic cooling, energy storage, mechanical applications etc. are discussed.

A review on preparation, characterization, properties and applications of nanofluids

Nanofluids, i.e. suspensions of nanoparticles in liquids, seem to be very promising as thermal vectors in systems where secondary fluids are applied. Here, the characterisation of water-based nanofluids containing titanium oxide (TiO2) in concentrations ranging between 1 and 35% in mass is presented. First of all, the mean nanoparticle diameters are studied by dynamic light scattering (DLS) technique and the nanofluid stability is analysed by Zeta potential measurements. Then, the behaviour of viscosity as a function of composition and temperature is evaluated by means of a rheometer, in the temperature range between 283 K and 343 K. Furthermore, the thermal conductivity of these nanofluids is measured, in order to understand its possible enhancement as a function of temperature and nanoparticle concentration.

Viscosity and thermal conductivity measurements of water-based nanofluids containing titanium oxide nanoparticles

In the recent years, great interest has been devoted to the unique properties of nanofluids. The dispersion process and the nanoparticle suspension stability have been found to be critical points in the development of these new fluids. For this reason, an experimental study on the stability of water-based dispersions containing different nanoparticles, i.e. single wall carbon nanohorns (SWCNHs), titanium dioxide (TiO2) and copper oxide (CuO), has been developed in this study. The aim of this study is to provide stable nanofluids for selecting suitable fluids with enhanced thermal characteristics. Different dispersion techniques were considered in this study, including sonication, ball milling and high-pressure homogenization. Both the dispersion process and the use of some dispersants were investigated as a function of the nanoparticle concentration. The high-pressure homogenization was found to be the best method, and the addition of n-dodecyl sulphate and polyethylene glycol as dispersants, respectively in SWCNHs-water and TiO2-water nanofluids, improved the nanofluid stability.

Laura Colla

Papers

Viscosity and thermal conductivity measurements of water-based nanofluids containing titanium oxide nanoparticles

Experimental stability analysis of different water-based nanofluids

Potential of carbon nanohorn-based suspensions for solar thermal collectors

Viscosity of water based SWCNH and TiO2 nanofluids

Nano-PCMs for enhanced energy storage and passive cooling applications