Stephen U. S. Choi

Bio: Stephen U. S. Choi is an academic researcher from University of Illinois at Chicago. The author has contributed to research in topics: Nanofluid & Thermal conductivity. The author has an hindex of 28, co-authored 50 publications receiving 23264 citations. Previous affiliations of Stephen U. S. Choi include Argonne National Laboratory.

Measuring Thermal Conductivity of Fluids Containing Oxide Nanoparticles

Abstract: Oxide nanofluids were produced and their thermal conductivities were measured by a transient hot-wire method. The experimental results show that these nanofluids, containing a small amount of nanoparticles, have substantially higher thermal conductivities than the same liquids without nanoparticles. Comparisons between experiments and the Hamilton and Crosser model show that the model can predict the thermal conductivity of nanofluids containing large agglomerated Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} particles. However, the model appears to be inadequate for nanofluids containing CuO particles. This suggests that not only particle shape but size is considered to be dominant in enhancing the thermal conductivity of nanofluids.

Anomalous thermal conductivity enhancement in nanotube suspensions

Abstract: We have produced nanotube-in-oil suspensions and measured their effective thermal conductivity. The measured thermal conductivity is anomalously greater than theoretical predictions and is nonlinear with nanotube loadings. The anomalous phenomena show the fundamental limits of conventional heat conduction models for solid/liquid suspensions. We have suggested physical concepts for understanding the anomalous thermal behavior of nanotube suspensions. In comparison with other nanostructured materials dispersed in fluids, the nanotubes provide the highest thermal conductivity enhancement, opening the door to a wide range of nanotube applications.

Thermal Conductivity of Nanoparticle -Fluid Mixture

Abstract: Effective thermal conductivity of mixtures of e uids and nanometer-size particles is measured by a steady-state parallel-plate method. The tested e uids contain two types of nanoparticles, Al 2O3 and CuO, dispersed in water, vacuum pump e uid, engine oil, and ethylene glycol. Experimental results show that the thermal conductivities of nanoparticle ‐e uid mixtures are higher than those of the base e uids. Using theoretical models of effective thermal conductivity of a mixture, we have demonstrated that the predicted thermal conductivities of nanoparticle ‐e uid mixtures are much lower than our measured data, indicating the dee ciency in the existing models when used for nanoparticle ‐e uid mixtures. Possible mechanisms contributing to enhancement of the thermal conductivity of the mixtures are discussed. A more comprehensive theory is needed to fully explain the behavior of nanoparticle ‐e uid mixtures. Nomenclature cp = specie c heat k = thermal conductivity L = thickness Pe = Peclet number P q = input power to heater 1 r = radius of particle S = cross-sectional area T = temperature U = velocity of particles relative to that of base e uids ® = ratio of thermal conductivity of particle to that of base liquid ¯ = .® i 1/=.® i 2/ ° = shear rate of e ow Ω = density A = volume fraction of particles in e uids Subscripts

Mechanisms of heat flow in suspensions of nano-sized particles (nanofluids)

Abstract: Recent measurements on nanofluids have demonstrated that the thermal conductivity increases with decreasing grain size. However, such increases cannot be explained by existing theories. We explore four possible explanations for this anomalous increase: Brownian motion of the particles, molecular-level layering of the liquid at the liquid/particle interface, the nature of heat transport in the nanoparticles, and the effects of nanoparticle clustering. We show that the key factors in understanding thermal properties of nanofluids are the ballistic, rather than diffusive, nature of heat transport in the nanoparticles, combined with direct or fluid-mediated clustering effects that provide paths for rapid heat transport.

Convective Transport in Nanofluids

Abstract: Nanofluids are engineered colloids made of a base fluid and nanoparticles (1-100 nm) Nanofluids have higher thermal conductivity' and single-phase heat transfer coefficients than their base fluids In particular the heat transfer coefficient increases appear to go beyond the mere thermal-conductivity effect, and cannot be predicted by traditional pure-fluid correlations such as Dittus-Boelter's In the nanofluid literature this behavior is generally attributed to thermal dispersion and intensified turbulence, brought about by nanoparticle motion To test the validity of this assumption, we have considered seven slip mechanisms that can produce a relative velocity between the nanoparticles and the base fluid These are inertia, Brownian diffusion, thermophoresis, diffusioplwresis, Magnus effect, fluid drainage, and gravity We concluded that, of these seven, only Brownian diffusion and thermophoresis are important slip mechanisms in nanofluids Based on this finding, we developed a two-component four-equation nonhomogeneous equilibrium model for mass, momentum, and heat transport in nanofluids A nondimensional analysis of the equations suggests that energy transfer by nanoparticle dispersion is negligible, and thus cannot explain the abnormal heat transfer coefficient increases Furthermore, a comparison of the nanoparticle and turbulent eddy time and length scales clearly indicates that the nanoparticles move homogeneously with the fluid in the presence of turbulent eddies so an effect on turbulence intensity is also doubtful Thus, we propose an alternative explanation for the abnormal heat transfer coefficient increases: the nanofluid properties may vary significantly within the boundary layer because of the effect of the temperature gradient and thermophoresis For a heated fluid, these effects can result in a significant decrease of viscosity within the boundary layer, thus leading to heat transfer enhancement A correlation structure that captures these effects is proposed

Thermal properties of graphene and nanostructured carbon materials

Abstract: Recent years have seen a rapid growth of interest by the scientific and engineering communities in the thermal properties of materials. Heat removal has become a crucial issue for continuing progress in the electronic industry, and thermal conduction in low-dimensional structures has revealed truly intriguing features. Carbon allotropes and their derivatives occupy a unique place in terms of their ability to conduct heat. The room-temperature thermal conductivity of carbon materials span an extraordinary large range--of over five orders of magnitude--from the lowest in amorphous carbons to the highest in graphene and carbon nanotubes. Here, I review the thermal properties of carbon materials focusing on recent results for graphene, carbon nanotubes and nanostructured carbon materials with different degrees of disorder. Special attention is given to the unusual size dependence of heat conduction in two-dimensional crystals and, specifically, in graphene. I also describe the prospects of applications of graphene and carbon materials for thermal management of electronics.

Investigation on Convective Heat Transfer and Flow Features of Nanofluids

Abstract: Low thermal conductivity is a primary limitation in the development of energy-efficient heat transfer fluids that are required in many industrial applications. In this paper we propose that an innovative new class of heat transfer fluids can be engineered by suspending metallic nanoparticles in conventional heat transfer fluids. The resulting {open_quotes}nanofluids{close_quotes} are expected to exhibit high thermal conductivities compared to those of currently used heat transfer fluids, and they represent the best hope for enhancement of heat transfer. The results of a theoretical study of the thermal conductivity of nanofluids with copper nanophase materials are presented, the potential benefits of the fluids are estimated, and it is shown that one of the benefits of nanofluids will be dramatic reductions in heat exchanger pumping power.

Thermal Properties of Graphene, Carbon Nanotubes and Nanostructured Carbon Materials

Abstract: Recent years witnessed a rapid growth of interest of scientific and engineering communities to thermal properties of materials. Carbon allotropes and derivatives occupy a unique place in terms of their ability to conduct heat. The room-temperature thermal conductivity of carbon materials span an extraordinary large range – of over five orders of magnitude – from the lowest in amorphous carbons to the highest in graphene and carbon nanotubes. I review thermal and thermoelectric properties of carbon materials focusing on recent results for graphene, carbon nanotubes and nanostructured carbon materials with different degrees of disorder. A special attention is given to the unusual size dependence of heat conduction in two-dimensional crystals and, specifically, in graphene. I also describe prospects of applications of graphene and carbon materials for thermal management of electronics.

Anomalously increased effective thermal conductivities of ethylene glycol-based nanofluids containing copper nanoparticles

Abstract: It is shown that a “nanofluid” consisting of copper nanometer-sized particles dispersed in ethylene glycol has a much higher effective thermal conductivity than either pure ethylene glycol or ethylene glycol containing the same volume fraction of dispersed oxide nanoparticles. The effective thermal conductivity of ethylene glycol is shown to be increased by up to 40% for a nanofluid consisting of ethylene glycol containing approximately 0.3 vol % Cu nanoparticles of mean diameter <10 nm. The results are anomalous based on previous theoretical calculations that had predicted a strong effect of particle shape on effective nanofluid thermal conductivity, but no effect of either particle size or particle thermal conductivity.