A nanofluid is a fluid containing nanometer-sized particles, called nanoparticles. These fluids are engineered colloidal suspensions of nanoparticles in a base fluid. The nanoparticles used in nanofluids are typically made of metals, oxides, carbides, or carbon nanotubes. Common base fluids include water, ethylene glycol and oil.
Contents
- Synthesis
- Smart cooling nanofluids
- Nanoparticle migration
- Response stimuli nanofluids for sensing applications
- Magnetically responsive photonic crystals nanofluids
- Applications
- Journals
- Notable researchers
- References
Nanofluids have novel properties that make them potentially useful in many applications in heat transfer, including microelectronics, fuel cells, pharmaceutical processes, and hybrid-powered engines, engine cooling/vehicle thermal management, domestic refrigerator, chiller, heat exchanger,in grinding, machining and in boiler flue gas temperature reduction. They exhibit enhanced thermal conductivity and the convective heat transfer coefficient compared to the base fluid. Knowledge of the rheological behaviour of nanofluids is found to be very critical in deciding their suitability for convective heat transfer applications Nanofluids also have special acoustical properties and in ultrasonic fields display additional shear-wave reconversion of an incident compressional wave; the effect becomes more pronounced as concentration increases.
In analysis such as computational fluid dynamics (CFD), nanofluids can be assumed to be single phase fluids. However, almost all of new academic paper use two-phase assumption. Classical theory of single phase fluids can be applied, where physical properties of nanofluid is taken as a function of properties of both constituents and their concentrations. An alternative approach simulates nanofluids using a two-component model.
The spreading of a nanofluid droplet is enhanced by the solid-like ordering structure of nanoparticles assembled near the contact line by diffusion, which gives rise to a structural disjoining pressure in the vicinity of the contact line. However, such enhancement is not observed for small droplets with diameter of nanometer scale, because the wetting time scale is much smaller than the diffusion time scale.
Synthesis
Nanofluids are produced by several techniques they are, 1.Direct Evaporation (1 step), 2.Gas condensation/dispersion (2 step), 3.Chemical vapour condensation (1 step), 4.Chemical precipitation (1 step). Several liquids including water, ethylene glycol, and oils have been used as base fluids. Although stabilization can be a challenge, on-going research indicates that it is possible. Nano-materials used so far in nanofluid synthesis include metallic particles, oxide particles, carbon nanotubes, graphene nano-flakes and ceramic particles.
Smart cooling nanofluids
Realizing the modest thermal conductivity enhancement in conventional nanofluids, a team of researchers at Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research Centre, Kalpakkam developed a new class of magnetically polarizable nanofluids where the thermal conductivity enhancement up to 300% of basefluids is demonstrated. Fatty-acid-capped magnetite nanoparticles of different sizes (3-10 nm) have been synthesized for this purpose. It has been shown that both the thermal and rheological properties of such magnetic nanofluids are tunable by varying the magnetic field strength and orientation with respect to the direction of heat flow. Such response stimuli fluids are reversibly switchable and have applications in miniature devices such as micro- and nano-electromechanical systems. In 2013, Azizian et al. considered the effect of an external magnetic field on the convective heat transfer coefficient of water-based magnetite nanofluid experimentally under laminar flow regime. Up to 300% enhancement obtained at Re=745 and magnetic field gradient of 32.5 mT/mm. The effect of the magnetic field on the pressure drop was not as significant.
Nanoparticle migration
In nanofluids, it is recognized that nanoparticles do not follow the fluid streamlines passively. In fact, there are some reasons that induce a slip velocity between the nanoparticles and the base fluid. Movements of nanoparticles has significant impact on rheological and thermophysical properties of the nanofluids. Therefore, investigating the nanoparticles motion is critical for evaluating the performance of nanoparticles inclusion to the base fluid as a heat transfer medium. Since the nanoparticles are very small ( 100 nm), Brownian and thermophoretic diffusivities are the main slip mechanisms in nanofluids, as Buongiorno declared. Brownian diffusion is due to random drifting of suspended nanoparticles in the base fluid which originates from continuous collisions among the nanoparticles and liquid molecules. Thermophoresis induces nanoparticle migration from warmer to colder region (in opposite direction of the temperature gradient), making a non-uniform nanoparticle volume fraction distribution.
In fact, theoretical models estimated that nanoparticles are non-homogeneously distributed. The level of non-uniformity is completely depend on thermal boundary conditions, the nanoparticle size, shape, and material. Rigorous readers encouraged to find more interesting results in open literature.
Response stimuli nanofluids for sensing applications
Researchers have invented a nanofluid-based ultrasensitive optical sensor that changes its colour on exposure to extremely low concentrations of toxic cations. The sensor is useful in detecting minute traces of cations in industrial and environmental samples. Existing techniques for monitoring cations levels in industrial and environmental samples are expensive, complex and time-consuming. The sensor is designed with a magnetic nanofluid that consists of nano-droplets with magnetic grains suspended in water. At a fixed magnetic field, a light source illuminates the nanofluid where the colour of the nanofluid changes depending on the cation concentration. This color change occurs within a second after exposure to cations, much faster than other existing cation sensing methods.
Such response stimulus nanofluids are also used to detect and image defects in ferromagnetic components. The photonic eye, as it has been called, is based on a magnetically polarizable nano-emulsion that changes colour when it comes into contact with a defective region in a sample. The device might be used to monitor structures such as rail tracks and pipelines.
Magnetically responsive photonic crystals nanofluids
Magnetic nanoparticle clusters or magnetic nanobeads with the size 80–150 nanometers form ordered structures along the direction of the external magnetic field with a regular interparticle spacing on the order of hundreds of nanometers resulting in strong diffraction of visible light in suspension.
Applications
Nanofluids are primarily used for their enhanced thermal properties as coolants in heat transfer equipment such as heat exchangers, electronic cooling system(such as flat plate) and radiators. Heat transfer over flat plate has been analyzed by many researchers. However, they are also useful for their controlled optical properties. Graphene based nanofluid has been found to enhance Polymerase chain reaction efficiency. Nanofluids in solar collectors is another application where nanofluids are employed for their tunable optical properties.
Journals
American scientific publishers launched a journal called Journal of Nanofluids specially for nanofluids. Journal of Nanofluids covers research areas on molecular fluid, nanofluids, and related technologies.