Nanofluids:
Advanced Flow and Heat Transfer Fluids
Deionized water prior to Oil prior to (left) and
after (right) evaporation
(left) and after (right)
of Cu nanoparticles
&Mr.Subash
dispersionM
ofs.E.Jamuna
Al2O3
nanoparticles
Asst.Professsor
Mecanical Engineering
1
First Nanofluids
2
www.kostic.niu.edu
Nanofluids:
Suspensions of nanoparticles in base fluids
Size does matter: unique transport properties,
different from conventional suspensions:
do not settle under gravity, do not block flow, etc
Enhancing functions and properties by
combining and controlling interactions
Combining different nanoparticles (structure,
size) in different base-fluids with additives
Controlling interactions using different mixing
methods and thermal-, flow-, catalyst-, and other
field-conditions
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nanofluids applications
Advanced, hybrid nanofluids:
Heat-transfer nanofluids
Tribological nanofluids
Surfactant and Coating nanofluids
Chemical nanofluids
Process/Extraction nanofluids
Environmental (pollution cleaning) nanofluids
Bio- and Pharmaceutical-nanofluids
Medical nanofluids
(drug delivery and functional tissue-cell interaction)
Background
Need for Advanced Flow and Heat-Transfer
Fluids and Other Critical Applications
Concept of Nanofluids
Materials for Nanoparticles and Base Fluids
Methods for Producing
Nanoparticles/Nanofluids
Characterization of Nanoparticles and
Nanofluids
Thermo-Physical Properties
Flow and Heat-Transfer Characterization
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Advanced Flow and Heat-Transfer
Challenges
The heat rejection requirements are continually increasing due to trends
toward faster speeds (in the multi-GHz range) and smaller features (to
<100 nm) for microelectronic devices, more power output for engines,
and brighter beams for optical devices.
Cooling becomes one of the top technical challenges facing high-tech
industries such as microelectronics, transportation, manufacturing, and
metrology.
Conventional method to increase heat flux rates:
extended surfaces such as fins and micro-channels
increasing flow rates increases pumping power.
However, current design solutions already push available technology to
its limits.
advanced fluids with potential to improve flow & thermal characteristics
are of critical importance.
Nanofluids are promising to meet and enhance the challenges.
Conventional heat transfer fluids have
inherently poor thermal conductivity
compared to solids.
Conventional fluids that contain mm- or
m-sized particles do not work with the
emerging miniaturized technologies
because they can clog the tiny channels
of these devices.
Modern nanotechnology provides
opportunities to produce nanoparticles.
Nanofluids are a new class of advanced
heat-transfer fluids engineered by
dispersing nanoparticles smaller than
100 nm (nanometer) in diameter in
conventional heat transfer fluids.
Thermal conductivity (W/m-K)
Concept of Nanofluids
2500
2000
1500
1000
1-Engine Oil
2-Ethylene Glycol
3-Water
4-Alumina
5-Silicon
6-Aluminum
7-Copper
8-Silver
9-Carbon
500
0.15
0.25
0.61
Material
Thermal conductivity of typical materials
Solids have thermal conductivities
that are orders of magnitude larger
than those of conventional heat
transfer fluids.
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10 m
1m
0.1 m
1 cm
1 mm
100 m
10 m
1 m
100 nm
10 nm
1 nm
0.1 nm
Laptop Computer
Sensors
Microchannel
Bacteria
Viruses/ NPs
Small molecules
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Why Use Nanoparticles?
The basic concept of dispersing solid particles in fluids to enhance thermal
conductivity can be traced back to Maxwell in the 19th Century.
Studies of thermal conductivity of suspensions have been confined to
mm- or mm-sized particles.
The major challenge is the rapid settling of these particles in fluids.
Nanoparticles stay suspended much longer than micro-particles and, if below a
threshold level and/or enhanced with surfactants/stabilizers, remain in suspension
almost indefinitely.
Furthermore, the surface area per unit volume of nanoparticles is much larger
(million times) than that of microparticles (the number of surface atoms per unit of
interior atoms of nanoparticles, is very large).
These properties can be utilized to develop stable suspensions with enhanced flow,
heat-transfer, and other characteristics
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Materials for Nanoparticles and Base Fluids
Materials for nanoparticles and base fluids are diverse:
1. Nanoparticle materials include:
Oxide ceramics Al2O3, CuO
Metal carbides SiC
Nitrides AlN, SiN
Metals Al, Cu
Nonmetals Graphite, carbon nanotubes
Layered Al + Al2O3, Cu + C
PCM S/S
Functionalized nanoparticles
2. Base fluids include:
Water
Ethylene- or tri-ethylene-glycols and other coolants
Oil and other lubricants
Bio-fluids
Polymer solutions
Other common fluids
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Methods for Producing
Nanoparticles/Nanofluids
Two nanofluid production methods has been developed.
In two-step process for oxide nanoparticles (Kool-Aid method),
nanoparticles are produced by evaporation and inert-gas condensation
processing, and then dispersed (mixed, including mechanical agitation and
sonification) in base fluid.
A patented one-step process (see schematic) simultaneously makes and
disperses nanoparticles directly into base fluid; best for metallic nanofluids.
Other methods:
Chem. Vapor Evaporation; Chem. Synthesis; new methods
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Production of Copper
Nanofluids
Nanofluids with copper
ResistivelyHeated
Crucible
Liquid
CoolingSystem
Schematic diagram of nanofluid
production system designed for
direct evaporation/condensation of
metallic vapor into low-vaporpressure liquids.
nanoparticles have been produced
by a one-step method.
Copper is evaporated and
condensed into nanoparticles by
direct contact with a flowing and
cooled (low-vapor-pressure) fluid.
For some nanofluids, a small
amount of thioglycolic acid (<1 vol.
%) was added to stabilize
nanoparticle suspension and further
improve the dispersion, flow and HT
characteristics.
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Insulated and
vertically-adjustable boat-heater
evaporator
Rotating drum with
moving nanofluid film
Nitrogen
cooling plate with coils and fins
FIG. 2: Proposed improvements for the one-step,
direct-evaporation nanofluid production apparatus
www.kostic.niu.edu
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TEM Characterization of Copper
Nanoparticles
The one-step nanofluid
production method resulted in a
very small copper particles (10
nm diameter order of magnitude)
Very little agglomeration and
sedimentation occurs with this
new and patented method.
Bright-field TEM micrograph of Cu
nanoparticles produced by direct
evaporation into ethylene glycol.
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Dispersion Experiments
Deionized water prior to Oil prior to (left) and
ght) evaporation
Dispersion
that(ristable
suspensions of
(left) experiments
and after (right)showafter
of Cu nanoparti
les
dispersion
of Al2Onanoparticles
3
oxide
and metallic
can becachieved
in
nanoparticles
common base fluids.
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Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes (MWNTs) in Oil
CNT nanofluids with and without
dispersant: (a) NTs quickly settle
without use of a proper dispersant,
and (b) NTs are well dispersed and
suspended in the oil with succinimide
dispersant (5 wt.%).
Multi-wall nano-tubes (MWNTs) were
produced in a chemical vapor deposition
reactor, with xylene as the primary carbon
source and ferrocene to provide the iron
catalyst.
MWNTs have a mean dia. of ~25 nm and
a length of ~50 m; contained an average
of 30 annular layers.
Nanotube-in-synthetic oil (PAO) nanofluids
were produced by a two-step method.
Stable nanofluids with carbon-nanotubes
and enhanced thermal conductivity are
promising for critical heat transfer
applications.
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Four Characteristic Features of
Nanofluids
Pioneering nanofluids research in ANL has inspired physicists, chemists, and
engineers around the world.
Promising discoveries and potentials in the emerging field of nanofluids have been
reported.
Nanofluids have an unprecedented combination of the four characteristic features
desired in energy systems (fluid and thermal systems):
Increased thermal conductivity (TC)
at low nanoparticle concentrations
Strong temperature-dependent TC
Non-linear increase in TC with nanoparticle concentration
Increase in boiling critical heat flux (CHF)
These characteristic features of nanofluids make them suitable for the next
generation of flow and heat-transfer fluids.
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Enhanced Nanofluid Thermal
Conductivity
Nanofluids containing <10 nm diameter
copper (Cu) nanoparticles show much higher
TC enhancements than nanofluids containing
metal-oxide nanoparticles of average
diameter 35 nm.
Volume fraction is reduced by one order of
magnitude for Cu nanoparticles as compared
with oxide nanoparticles for similar TC
enhancement.
The largest increase in conductivity (up to
40% at 0.3 vol.% Cu nanoparticles) was seen
for a nanofluid that contained Cu
nanoparticles coated with thioglycolic acid.
Thermal conductivity enhancement of
copper, copper oxide, and alumina
particles in ethylene glycol.
Appl. Phys. Lett. 78, 718, 2001.
A German research group has also used
metal nanoparticles (NPs) in fluids, but these
NPs settled. The ANL innovation was
depositing small and stable metal
nanoparticles into base fluids by the onestep direct-evaporation method.
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Nonlinear Increase in Conductivity
with Nanotube Loadings
1.08
1.06
1.04
1.02
1.00
0.0
Nanotubes yield by far the highest
thermal conductivity enhancement ever
achieved in a liquid: a 150% increase
in conductivity of oil at ~1 vol.%.
0.4
0.8
1.2
Measured and predicted thermal
conductivity enhancement for
nanotube-in-oil nanofluids.
Appl. Phys. Lett. 79, 2252, 2001.
Thermal conductivity of nanotube
suspensions (solid circles) is much
greater than predicted by existing
models (dotted lines).
The measured thermal conductivity is
nonlinear with nanotube volume
fraction, while all theoretical predictions
clearly show a linear relationship
(inset).
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Temperature-Dependent
Conductivity
1 .3
Das et al. (*) explored the temperature
dependence of the thermal conductivity
of nanofluids containing Al2O3 or CuO
nanoparticles.
A l 2 O 3 (1 % )
A l 2 O 3 (4 % )
Thermal conductivity ratio water
1 .2 5
1 .2
1 .1 5
Their data show a two- to four-fold
increase in thermal conductivity
enhancement over a small temperature
range, 20C to 50C.
1 .1
1 .0 5
1
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
T e m p e ra tu re (
C)
Temperature dependence of thermal
conductivity enhancement for Al2O3in-water nanofluids
The strong temperature dependence of
thermal conductivity may be due to the
motion of nanoparticles.
(*) J. Heat Transfer, 125, 567, 2003.
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Significant Increase in Critical
Heat Flux
You et al. measured the critical heat flux
(CHF) in pool boiling of Al2O3-in-water
nanofluids.
Their data show unprecedented
phenomenon: a three-fold increase in
CHF over that of pure water.
The average size of the departing
bubbles increases and the bubble
frequency decreases significantly in
nanofluids compared to pure water.
CHF enhancement for Al2O3-in-water
nanofluids
The nanofluid CHF enhancement cannot
be explained with any existing models of
CHF.
You et al., Appl. Phys. Lett., in press.
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Nanofluid Structure
Although liquid molecules close to a
solid surface are known to form layered
structures, little is known about the
interactions between this nanolayers
and thermo-physical properties of these
solid/liquid nano-suspensions.
ANL team (Choi et.al.) proposed that
the nanolayer acts as a thermal bridge
between a solid nanoparticle and a bulk
liquid and so is key to enhancing
thermal conductivity.
Schematic cross section of nanofluid
structure consisting of nanoparticles,
bulk liquid, and nanolayers at
solid/liquid interface.
From this thermally bridging nanolayer
idea, a structural model of nanofluids
that consists of solid nanoparticles, a
bulk liquid, and solid-like nanolayers is
hypothesized.
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Nanolayer-Dependent
Conductivity
A three- to eight-fold increase in the
thermal conductivity of nanofluids
compared to the enhancement without
considering the nanolayer occurs when
nanoparticles are smaller than r = 5 nm.
However, for large particles (r >> h), the
nanolayer impact is small.
Thermal conductivity enhancement
ratio as a function of particle radius
for copper-in-ethylene-glycol
suspension.
J. Nanoparticle Res., 5, 167, 2003.
This finding suggests that adding
smaller (<10 nm diameter) particles
could be potentially better than adding
more larger-size nano-particles.
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(
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Brownian motion of nanoparticles
A new model that accounts for the
Brownian motion of nanoparticles in
nanofluids captures the concentration
and temperature-dependent conductivity.
In contrast, conventional theories with
motionless nanoparticles fail to predict
this behaviour (horizontal dashed line).
The model predicts that water-based
nanofluids containing 6-nm Cu
nanoparticles (curve with triangles) are
much more temperature sensitive than
those containing 38-nm Al2O3 particles,
with an increase in conductivity of nearly
a factor of two at 325 K.
Water Cu
1.8
(6nm )
1.6
1.4
Water Al 2O3
(38.4nm )
1.2
1.0
300
305
310
315
320
325
Temperature (K)
Temperature-dependent thermal
conductivities of nanofluids at a fixed
concentration of 1 vol.%, normalized
to the thermal conductivity of the
base fluid.
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Summary: New Applications
Development of methods to manufacture diverse,
hybrid nanofluids with polymer additives with
exceptionally high thermal conductivity while at the
same time having low viscous friction.
High thermal conductivity and low friction are critical
design parameters in almost every technology requiring
heat-transfer fluids (cooling or heating). Another goal
will be to develop hybrid nanofluids with enhanced
lubrication properties.
Applications range from cooling densely packed
integrated circuits at the small scale to heat transfer in
nuclear reactors at the large scale.
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Summary: Nature & Self-Assembly
Nature is full of nanofluids, like blood, a complex
biological nanofluid where different nanoparticles (at
molecular level) accomplish different functions
Many natural processes in biosphere and atmosphere
include wide spectrum of mixtures of nanoscale particles
with different fluids
Many mining and manufacturing processes leave waste
products which consist of mixtures of nanoscale
particles with fluids
A wide range of self-assembly mechanisms for
nanoscale structures start from a suspension of
nanoparticles in fluid
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Summary: Future Research
Little is known about the physical and chemical surface
interactions between the nanoparticles and base fluid
molecules, in order to understand the mechanisms of
enhanced flow and thermal behavior of nanofluids.
Improved theoretical understanding of complex nanofluids will
have an even broader impact
Development of new experimental methods for characterizing
(and understanding) nanofluids in the lab and in nature.
Nanoscale structure and dynamics of the fluids: using a
variety of scattering methods; small-angle x-ray scattering
(SAXS), small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), x-ray photon
correlation spectroscopy (XPCS), laser based photon
correlation spectroscopy (PCS) and static light scattering.
Development of computer based models of nanofluid
phenomena including physical and chemical interactions
between nanoparticles and base-fluid molecules.
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Summary: Beyond Coolants
Beyond the primary goal of producing enhanced flow and heat
transfer with nanofluids, the research should lead to important
developments in bio-medical applications, environmental
control and cleanup and directed self-assembly at the
nanoscasle.
Possible spectrum of applications include more efficient flow
and lubrication, cooling and heating in new and critical
applications, like electronics, nuclear and biomedical
instrumentation and equipments, transportation and industrial
cooling, and heat management in various critical applications,
as well as environmental control and cleanup, bio-medical
applications, and directed self-assembly of nanostructures,
which usually starts from a suspension of nanoparticles in
fluid.
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