Nanofluids for Improved Efficiency in Cooling Systems

rk spony Efficiency and Renewable E n

Abstract
The present scenario of high thermal loading coupled with high flux levels demands exploration of new heat transfer augmentation mechanisms. In this context, Nanofluids may emerge as alternative heat transfer fluids. The term Nanofluids is used to indicate a special class of heat transfer fluids that contain stabilized nanoparticles (50 nm) of metallic/non metallic substances uniformly and stably suspended in an engineering fluid. This paper deals with
the property characterization, performance and potential applications of nanofluids .

Keywords Nano size, Properties, Potential benefits, Applications

INTRODUCTION
Heat transfer technology stands at the cross roads of miniaturization on one hand and astronomical increase in heat flux on the other. The usual enhancement techniques for heat transfer can hardly meet the challenge of ever increasing demand of heat removal in processes involving electronic chips, laser applications or similar high energy devices. The factors which limit the usual techniques are many folded. One major limitation is the poor thermal characteristics of usual heat transfer fluids. Metals in solid form have orders-of-magnitude higher thermal conductivities than those of fluids. This inherent inadequacy of these fluids makes the heat removal mechanism less effective even with the best utilization of their flow properties. For example, the thermal conductivity of copper at room temperature is about 700 times greater than that of water and about 3000 times greater than that of engine oil, as shown in Fig. 1.

2500 1. Engine oil (0.143) 2. Ethylene glycol (0.253) 3. Water (0.613) 4. Alumina 5. Aluminium 6. cooper 7. Silver 8.Carbon Nanotubes

Thermal conductivity W/mK

2000

1500

1000

500

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Figure 1: THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY OF TYPICAL MATERIALS[1]

Therefore, the thermal conductivities of fluids that contain suspended solid metallic particles could be expected to be significantly higher than those of conventional heat transfer fluids. The idea of increasing thermal conductivity of fluids with conducting particles suspended on them is not new. Ahuja [2] and Liu et al. [3] carried out the studies on practical implication of hydrodynamics and heat transfer of slurries. The major problems with such suspensions are the rapid settling of these particles, the abrasive action of the particles and clogging in small flow passages Thus even though the slurries have higher conductivities, they are hardly useable as heat transfer fluids. These problems can be overcome by using nano sized particles. Nanofluids are new class of heat transfer fluids and are engineered by suspending nanometersized particles like copper oxide, carbon nanotubes etc. in conventional heat transfer fluids such as water, ethylene glycol, or engine oil. The average size of particles used in nanofluids is below 50 nm. Modern nanotechnology provides great opportunities to process and produce materials with average crystallite sizes below 50 nm. Nanofluids have 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 DittusBoelters.

THERMO PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF NANOFLUIDS There have been models to evaluate the thermal conductivities of fluids suspended with nano/micro sized particles. With the Hamilton and Crosser model applied to copper nanoparticles in water, the effective thermal conductivity of the copper/water system was estimated[1]. The effects of particle volume fraction and shape on the thermal conductivity ratio for a copper-water system are plotted in Fig. 2

FIGURE 3: EFFECT OF PARTICLE VOLUME FRACTION AND SPHERICITY ON THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY RATIO FOR COPPER/WATER SYSTEM.[1]

The results clearly show that the thermal conductivity of the fluid/particle system depends on both particle volume fraction and the shape. Assuming that the sphericity (defined as the ratio of the surface area of a sphere with a volume equal to that of the particle to the surface

area of the particle) of copper nanoparticles is 0.3, the thermal conductivity of water can be enhanced by a factor of 1.5 at the low nanoparticle volume fraction of 5%. This finding demonstrates theoretically the feasibility of nanofluids,i.e, metallic nanoparticles are capable of significantly increasing the thermal conductivity of conventional heat transfer fluids. . The thermal conductivities behavior of nanofluids with low particle concentrations(1-5 vol.%) was also studied experimentally[1]. Thermal conductivities of four oxide nanofluids were measured. In particular, water and ethylene-glycol- based nanofluids, containing copper oxide and aluminum oxide nanoparticles, were tested. The experimental results show that these nanofluids have substantially higher thermal conductivities than the same liquids without nanoparticles. For example, a 20% improvement in the thermal conductivity of ethylene glycol was seen when 4% copper oxide was dispersed in this fluid (see Fig. 4). Measurements show that less than 1.% conductivity 40%. copper nanoparticles in ethylene glycol improve the effective thermal

Figure 4: T HERMAL CONDUCTIVITY OF WATER AND ETHYLENE GLYCOL IMPROVES WITH INCREASING VOLUMEFRACTION OF COPPER OXIDE OR ALUMINUM OXIDE NANOPARTICLES DISPERSED IN BASE FLUIDS .[1]

F IGURE 5: T HERMAL CONDUCTIVITY OF ENGINE OIL WITH CARBON NANOTUBES

Fig. 5 shows the increase in thermal conductivity with the addition of carbon nanotubes to engine oil. It is observed that at a volume fraction of 1% the thermal conductivity increases by 250%

Figure 6: T EMPERATURE-DEPENDENT THERMAL CONDUCTIVITIES OF NANOFLUIDS .[4]

Fig.6 shows the dependence of thermal conductivity of water alumina system on temperature. For 4% volume fraction the enhancement goes from 9.4% to 24.3% with temperature rising from 21C to 51C. This temperature dependant property implies that nanofluids are smart fluids sensing their thermal environment and adjusting their thermal conductivity accordingly. POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF NANOFLUIDS AS A COOLANT There is now great industrial interest in nanofluids. Some of the specific potential benefits of nanofluids are described below. Improved Heat Transfer and Stability: Because heat transfer takes place at the surface of the particle, it is desirable to use a particle with a large surface area. Nanoparticles provide extremely high surface areas for heat transfer and therefore have great potential for use in heat transfer. The much larger relative surface areas of nanophase powders, when compared with those of conventional micrometer-sized powders, should markedly improve the heat transfer capabilities and stability of the suspensions. Reduced Pumping Power: In heat exchangers that use conventional fluids, the heat transfer coefficient can be increased only by significantly increasing the velocity of the fluid in the heat

transfer equipment. However, the requited pumping power increases significantly with increasing velocity. For a nanofluid flowing in the same heat transfer equipment at a fixed velocity, enhancement of heat transfer due to increased thermal conductivity can be estimated. For example, to improve the heat transfer of a conventional fluid by a factor of 2, pumping power must be increased by a factor of about 10. However, if a nanoparticle-based fluid with a thermal conductivity =3 times that of a conventional fluid were used in the same heat transfer equipment, the rate of heat transfer would be doubled .Therefore, the potential savings in pumping power is significant with nanofluids. Minimal Clogging: Nanophase metals are believed to be ideally suited for applications in which fluids flow through small passages, because the metallic nanoparticles are small enough that they are expected to behave like molecules of liquid. This will open up the possibility of using nanoparticles even in microchanels for many envisioned high-heat-load applications. Miniaturized Systems: Nanofluid technology will support the current industrial trend toward component and system miniaturization by enabling the design of smaller and lighter heat exchanger systems. Miniaturized systems will reduce heat transfer fluid inventory. Cost and Energy Savings: Successful employment of nanofluids will result in significant energy and cost savings because heat exchange systems can be made smaller and lighter, existing system for such fluids but also to develop a method for direct evaporation of nanoparticles into high-vapor-pressure fluids such as water. OTHER POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS The application of nanofluids is not limited to cooling. Nanofluids have got wide variety of applications in various fields such as biomedical engineering, nanomedicine etc... For example in cancer therapy ferrofluids (a type of nanofluid) will be forced in to tumor interior. Then the patient is subjected to a rapidly shifting magnetic field. Magnetic particles in the Ferro fluid quickly changes their orientation, causing friction and heat which will destroy the tumors.

CONCLUSION
Downscaling, or miniaturization, has been the major trend in modern science and technology. Stable suspensions of carbon nanotubes, oxide and metallic nanoparticles in conventional heat

transfer fluids can be achieved by maintaining the particle size below a threshold level. Studies of nanofluids reveals high thermal conductivities and heat transfer coefficients compared to those of conventional fluids. Nanofluids are one of the most discussed and emerging research topic.

REFERECES
[1] Choi, U.S,(1998) , Nanofluid technology current status and future, Second Korean- American Scientists and Engineers Association Research Technologies October 22- 24, Vienna, pp 2- 21 [2] Ahuja, A. S., (1975), Augmentation of Heat Transport in LaminarFlow of Polystyrene Suspension: Experiments and Results, J. Appl. Phys., 46(8) 8, pp 3408-3416 [3] Liu, K. V., Choi, U. S., and Kasza, K. E., (1988), Measurement of Pressure Drop and Heat Transfer in Turbulent Pipe Flows of Particulate Slurries, Argonne National Laboratory Report, ANL-88-15. [4]S.K. Das, N. Putra, P. Theisen, W. Roetzel (2003) Temperature Dependence of Thermal Conductivity Enhancement for Nanofluids, ASME J. Heat Transfer, 125, no. 4, pp 567-574