Thermal Property Investigation in Nanolubricants via Nano- Scaled Particle Addition

Abstract

In nanolubricants, the increase in scholarly attention has been attributed to the affirmation that they exhibit enhanced thermo-physical features and that they can also be used in various thermal applications. Some of these applications where they could be incorporated include solar energy harvesting, industrial applications, and heat exchanger effectiveness enhancement. Recently, various approaches have been employed to enhance the coefficient of heat transfer, especially between the fluid contact surfaces and the working fluids. When it comes to conventional fluids of heat transfer, examples being ethylene glycol/water, thermal oils, and water, some studies document that they exhibit limitations. For instance, these fluids exhibit low thermal properties when compared to the solids with which they interact. To respond to this dilemma, there have been efforts in this study to have the fluids’ thermal properties improved via nano-scaled particle addition, causing marked evolutions in the evaluations of the behavior of fluids of heat transfer. Indeed, findings suggest that in base fluids, when the solid particles are suspended, there tends to be an enhancement in the fluid’s energy transmission; hence, notable improvements in material thermal conductivity properties, besides the betterment of material heat transfer characteristics.