Review on heat conduction, heat convection, thermal radiation and phase change heat transfer of nanofluids in porous media: Fundamentals and applications

Dual-crosslinked reduced graphene oxide/polyimide aerogels possessing regulable superelasticity, fatigue resistance, and rigidity for thermal insulation and flame retardant protection in harsh conditions

Polyimide (PI) aerogels have various applications in aerospace, national defense, military industry, and rail transit equipment. This paper reports a series of ultra-lightweight, high elasticity, high strength, low thermal conductivity, and high flame retardant rGO/PI nanocomposite aerogels prepared by the ice templating method. The effects of freezing processes (unidirectional freezing and random freezing), chemical composition, and environmental temperature (-196-200 °C) on the morphology, mechanical, and thermal properties of the aerogels were systematically studied. The results indicated that unidirectional aerogels exhibit anisotropic mechanical properties and thermal performance. Compression in the horizontal direction showed high elasticity, high fatigue resistance, and superior thermal insulation. Meanwhile, in the vertical direction, it demonstrated high strength (PI-G-9 reaching 14 MPa). After 10,000 cycles of compression in the horizontal direction (at 50 % strain), the unidirectional PI-G-5 aerogel still retains 90.32 % height retention, and 78.5 % stress retention, and exhibited a low stable energy loss coefficient (22.11 %). It also possessed a low thermal conductivity (32.8 mW m-1 K-1) and demonstrated good thermal insulation performance by sustaining at 200 °C for 30 min. Interestingly, the elasticity of the aerogels was enhanced with decreasing temperatures, achieving a height recovery rate of up to 100 % when compressed in liquid nitrogen. More importantly, the rGO/PI aerogels could be utilized over a wide temperature range (-196-200 °C) and had a high limiting oxygen index (LOI) ranging from 43.3 to 48.1 %. Therefore, this work may provide a viable approach for designing thermal insulation and flame-retardant protective materials with excellent mechanical properties that are suitable for harsh environments.

Comparative simulation of nonlinear radiative nano casson and maxwell fluids with periodic magnetic force and sensitivity analysis

This study investigated cyclic magneto-hydrodynamic radiative effects in Casson and Maxwell fluids, including nonlinear radiation and Arrhenius activation energy. It promotes non-Newtonian fluid use in diverse fields like industry, manufacturing, sciences, medicine, and engineering. Using boundary layer approximations, non-dimensional equations are formulated. For numerical solutions, widely recognized explicit finite difference method (EFDM) has been utilized. To ensure the robustness of EFDM results, stability and convergence tests are performed. Exploration involve a detailed sensitivity analysis by using RSM, offering a thorough understanding of influential parameters. These analyses explore complex interactions among physical parameters, affecting Nusselt number, skin friction, and Sherwood number. Maxwell fluid's velocity is more affected by periodic magnetic force than Casson fluid, during the presence of nonlinear radiation. Additionally, nonlinear thermal radiation has a greater impact on temperature and concentration profiles compared to linear radiation for both fluids. Moreover, Casson fluid has a stronger influence on the average heat transfer rate compared to Maxwell fluid with nonlinear thermal radiation which is 8.6 % greater than the Maxwell fluid. On the other hand, at constant thermal radiation (Ra), due to decrease of Brownian motion (Nb), the rate of heat transfer is reduced by 1.2 % and 0.3 % respectively for Maxwell and Casson fluid. Also, for thermophoresis parameter (Nt), this rate is reduced by 2 % and 1.6 % respectively. The investigation also revealed that the Ra exhibits a positive sensitivity towards average Nusselt number, while Nb and Nt are displayed a negative sensitivity.

Machine Learning Aided Design and Optimization of Thermal Metamaterials

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has advanced material research that were previously intractable, for example, the machine learning (ML) has been able to predict some unprecedented thermal properties. In this review, we first elucidate the methodologies underpinning discriminative and generative models, as well as the paradigm of optimization approaches. Then, we present a series of case studies showcasing the application of machine learning in thermal metamaterial design. Finally, we give a brief discussion on the challenges and opportunities in this fast developing field. In particular, this review provides: (1) Optimization of thermal metamaterials using optimization algorithms to achieve specific target properties. (2) Integration of discriminative models with optimization algorithms to enhance computational efficiency. (3) Generative models for the structural design and optimization of thermal metamaterials.

Develop the artificial neural network approach to predict thermal transport analysis of nanofluid inside a porous enclosure

This study explores the impacts of heat transportation on hybrid (Ag + MgO) nanofluid flow in a porous cavity using artificial neural networks (Bayesian regularization approach (BRT-ANN) neural networks technique). The cavity considered in this analysis is a semicircular shape with a heated and a cooled wall. The dynamics of flow and energy transmission in the cavity are influenced by various features such as the effect of magnetize field, porosity and volume fraction of nanoparticles. To explore the outcomes of these features on hybrid nanofluid thermal and flow transport, a BRT-ANN model is developed. The ANN model is trained using a dataset generated through numerical scheme. The trained ANN model is then used to predict the heat and flow transport characteristics for various input parameters. The accuracy of the ANN simulation is confirmed through comparison of the predicted results with the results obtained through numerical simulations. By maintaining the corrugated wall uniformly heated, we inspected the levels of isotherms, streamlines and heat transfer distribution. A graphical illustration highlights the characteristics of the Hartmann and Rayleigh numbers, permeability component in porous material, drag force and rate of energy transport. According to the percentage analysis, nanofluids (Ag + MgO/H2O) are prominent to enhance the thermal distribution of traditional fluids. The study demonstrates the potential of ANNs in predicting the impacts of various factors on hybrid nanofluid flow and heat transport, which can be useful in designing and optimizing heat transfer systems.

Synthesis of metakaolin-based geopolymer foamed materials using municipal solid waste incineration fly ash as a foaming agent

The existence of metallic aluminum in municipal solid waste incineration fly ash (MSWIFA) makes it challenging to recycle MSWIFA into cement materials because expansion occurs in the resultant matrices. Geopolymer-foamed materials (GFMs) are gaining attention in the field of porous materials due to their high-temperature stability, low thermal conductivity and low CO2 emission. This work aimed to utilize MSWIFA as a foaming agent to synthesize GFMs. The physical properties, pore structure, compressive strength and thermal conductivity were analyzed to assess different GFMs which were synthesized with various MSWIFA and stabilizing agent dosages. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis were conducted to characterize the phase transformation of the GFMs. Results showed that when MSWIFA content was increased from 20 to 50%, the porosity of GFMs increased from 63.5 to 73.7%, and bulk density decreased from 890 to 690 kg/m3. The addition of stabilizing agent could trap the foam, refine the cell size, and homogenize the cell size range. With the stabilizing agent increase from 0 to 4%, the porosity increased from 69.9 to 76.8%, and the bulk density decreased from 800 to 620 kg/m3. The thermal conductivity decreased with increasing MSWIFA from 20 to 50%, and stabilizing agent dosage from 0 to 4%. Compared with the collected data from references, a higher compressive strength can be obtained at the same level of thermal conductivity for GFMs synthesized with MSWIFA as a foaming agent. Additionally, the foaming effect of MSWIFA results from the H2 release. The addition of MSWIFA changed both the crystal phase and gel composition, whereas the stabilizing agent dosage had little impact on the phase composition.

Heat Transfer Performance of Gel Foam Layer with Nanoparticles Doping under a Radiative Heat Flux

The risk of fire in the chemical industry's production process is fatal. Gel foam has been widely employed in petroleum storage tanks, oil pools, and other petrochemical equipment for fire extinguishing and thermal protection. Recently, nanoparticles have been doped into gel foam to enhance thermal stability and insulation. However, heat transfer behaviors of the gel foam layer containing nanoparticles are still missing. In this study, a numerical heat transfer model of a gel foam layer containing silica nanoparticles under a radiative heat flux was established. Through simulation, the changes in foam thickness and temperature distribution were analyzed. The effects of the maximum heating temperature, initial gas content, nanoparticle size, and concentration on the thermal insulation behavior of the gel foam layer were systematically studied. The results showed that the thermal stability and insulation performance of the three-phase gel foam layer decreased with the increase in the initial gas content and particle size. Increasing the nanoparticle concentration could enhance the foam's thermal stability and insulation performance. The results provide guidance for a designing gel foam with high thermal protection performance.

Partial differential equations of entropy analysis on ternary hybridity nanofluid flow model via rotating disk with hall current and electromagnetic radiative influences

The flow of a fluid across a revolving disc has several technical and industrial uses. Examples of rotating disc flows include centrifugal pumps, viscometers, rotors, fans, turbines, and spinning discs. An important technology with implications for numerous treatments utilized in numerous sectors is the use of hybrid nanofluids (HNFs) to accelerate current advancements. Through investigation of ternary nanoparticle impacts on heat transfer (HT) and liquid movement, the thermal properties of tri-HNFs were to be ascertained in this study. Hall current, thermal radiation, and heat dissipation have all been studied in relation to the use of flow-describing equations. The ternary HNFs under research are composed of the nanomolecules aluminum oxide (Al2O3), copper oxide (CuO), silver (Ag), and water (H2O). For a number of significant physical characteristics, the physical situation is represented utilizing the boundary layer investigation, which produces partial differential equations (PDEs). The rheology of the movement is extended and computed in a revolving setting under the assumption that the movement is caused by a rotatingfloppy. Before the solution was found using the finite difference method, complicated generated PDEs were transformed into corresponding ODEs (Keller Box method). A rise in the implicated influencing factors has numerous notable physical impacts that have been seen and recorded. The Keller Box method (KBM) approach is also delivered for simulating the determination of nonlinear system problems faced in developing liquid and supplementary algebraic dynamics domains. The rate of entropy formation rises as the magnetic field parameter and radiation parameter increase. Entropy production rate decreases as the Brinkman number and Hall current parameter become more enriched. The thermal efficiency of ternary HNFs compared to conventional HNFs losses to a low of 4.8% and peaks to 5.2%.

Effect of maximum density and internal heating on the stability of rotating fluid saturated porous layer using LTNE model

The impact of heat generated inside the porous layer containing a fluid and density maximum when the porous structure is studied analytically subjected to rotation for the case of unlike temperatures of both solid and fluid phases. Two equations each representing solid and fluid phases are used as energy equations. The linear stability theory is used and is based on normal mode technique. Galerkin method is used to find the Eigen values of the problem. The rotation of the porous layer provides extra strength to the system, protecting the structure from instability, however internal heat generation does not support the system in retaining its strength, causing the system to destabilize. Both the conductivity ratio and the density function have a negative impact on system stability. Consequently, the rotation parameter Ta stabilizes the system, whereas internal heat generation, conductivity ratio, and density function destabilizes the onset of convection.

Thermal shielding performance of self-healing hydrogel in tumor thermal ablation

Thermal ablation therapy is widely used in the surgical treatment of tumors. Clinically, normal saline is generally used as an insulator to protect adjacent tissues from local high-temperature burns caused by thermal ablation. However, the flow of saline causes fluid loss, requiring frequent injections and complex operation, which is easy to lead to complications such as secondary injury and hematoma. Here, a self-healing chitosan-PEG (CP) hydrogel was proposed as a protective medium to challenge the clinical preparations. Compared with saline and non-self-healing hydrogel F127, CP hydrogel exhibited outstanding thermal shielding performance in the thermal ablation of thyroid nodule in a Beagle dog model. The transient plane source (TPS) method is used to measure thermal properties, including thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity and specific heat capacity. The thermal shielding mechanism and clinical advantages including operability, biodegradability, and biological safety of self-healing hydrogel are then revealed in-depth. Therefore, self-healing hydrogel can achieve much better thermal management in tumor thermal ablation.

Impact of the KKL Correlation Model on the Activation of Thermal Energy for the Hybrid Nanofluid (GO+ZnO+Water) Flow through Permeable Vertically Rotating Surface

The thermal energy transfer characteristics during hybrid nanofluid migration are studied in the presence of a variable magnetic field, heat source, and radiation. The flow is governed by the conservation laws of mass, momentum, and energy, whereas it is modeled by the coupled set of nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs). Suitable similarity transformations are employed to convert the developed set of PDEs to a nonlinear system of coupled ordinary differential equations (ODEs). The simplified system of ODEs is solved by using the well-established analytical procedure of homotopy analysis method (HAM). The effects of varying the strength of the physical parameters on the thermal energy transfer during hybrid nanofluid motion between two plates in which one of the plate is porous, rotating, as well as stretching are investigated through tables and two-dimensional graphs. The porosity is modeled through the Koo–Kleinstreuer model (KKL) correlation. The analysis reveals that the skin friction and Nusselt number augment with the increasing strength of the magnetic field and nanomaterials’ concentrations. The gradient in the fluid velocity has a dual dependence on the strength of the applied magnetic field and Grashof number and drops with the higher values of the unsteadiness parameter. The fluid velocity constricts with the enhancing magnetic field due to higher Lorentz forces, and it also drops with the increasing rotation rate. The enhancing buoyancy associated with higher Grashof number values augments the fluid velocity. The fluid’s temperature rises with the augmenting nanomaterial concentrations, Eckert number, nonsteadiness, heat source strength, and radiation parameter, while it drops with the higher Grashof number and Prandtl number. The applied technique of the HAM shows good convergence over a wide range of the convergent parameter. This work has potential applications in the development of efficient thermal energy transfer systems.

Shape-recoverable, piezoresistive, and thermally insulated xerogels based on nanochitin-stabilized Pickering foams

Biomass-derived porous materials are promising for various fields and preferred for sustainable development. In this work, shape-recoverable nanochitin-based xerogels with porous structure and excellent mechanical strength, thermal insulation (43.23 ± 0.17 mW/m·k) and piezoresistive properties were prepared by nanochitin-stabilized Pickering foams with chemical crosslinking for the first time through simple air-drying. At the optimized ingredients of nanochitin, surfactant (T80) and crosslinker (glutaraldehyde), the Pickering foams exhibited no significant collapse after one week, and the xerogels prepared thereof achieved a mechanical strength of 0.5-2.7 MPa at 80% strain and considerable structural stability after 100 cycles at 60% strain. Moreover, the resistance of the xerogel had a high linearity in the strain range (0-10%) and could recover to the initial value after 20 cycles. Notably, this is the first time that pure bio-based conductive xerogel has been obtained. These features make nanochitin a promising candidate for biodegradable and sustainable 3D porous materials.

A Review of Recent Passive Heat Transfer Enhancement Methods

Improvements in miniaturization and boosting the thermal performance of energy conservation systems call for innovative techniques to enhance heat transfer. Heat transfer enhancement methods have attracted a great deal of attention in the industrial sector due to their ability to provide energy savings, encourage the proper use of energy sources, and increase the economic efficiency of thermal systems. These methods are categorized into active, passive, and compound techniques. This article reviews recent passive heat transfer enhancement techniques, since they are reliable, cost-effective, and they do not require any extra power to promote the energy conversion systems’ thermal efficiency when compared to the active methods. In the passive approaches, various components are applied to the heat transfer/working fluid flow path to improve the heat transfer rate. The passive heat transfer enhancement methods studied in this article include inserts (twisted tapes, conical strips, baffles, winglets), extended surfaces (fins), porous materials, coil/helical/spiral tubes, rough surfaces (corrugated/ribbed surfaces), and nanofluids (mono and hybrid nanofluids).

Numerical and Experimental Study on Convective Heat Transfer Characteristics in Foam Materials

Foam materials are widely used in heat exchange because of their high porosity and large specific surface area. Correctly characterizing heat transfer characteristics is the key to ensuring efficient heat transfer. In this paper, single-blow transient test technology is used to experimentally measure the temperature. Silicon carbide ceramics with various thicknesses ranging from 30 to 105 mm and different pore structures were used in the experiments. The test was carried out at the velocity ranging from 0.5 to 1.8 m/s. The air temperature distributions of the inlet and outlet were obtained by processing the experimental data, and the regularity of the average volumetric heat transfer coefficient was obtained and analyzed. Subsequently, the simplified tetrakaidecahedron models with a porosity of 0.85 and 0.75 were used to analyze the heat transfer characteristics. The local thermal equilibrium and local thermal non-equilibrium at the pore scale were analyzed. By comparing the simulation with the experiment, it shows that the larger thickness affects local thermal equilibrium and leads to a decrease in the volumetric heat transfer coefficient. The conclusion can be used to guide the optimization of the design of foam material-mediated heat exchange equipment.

Optimization of double diffusive mixed convection in a BFS channel filled with Alumina nanoparticle using Taguchi method and utility concept

This research work focuses on the implementation of Taguchi method and utility concept for optimization of flow, geometrical and thermo-physical parameters for mixed convective heat and mass transfer in a backward facing step (BFS) channel filled with Alumina nanoparticle doped in water-ethylene glycol mixture. Mass, momentum, energy and solutal conservation equations for the flow field are cast in velocity-vorticity form of Navier-Stokes equations, which are solved using Galerkin’s weighted residual finite element method through isoparametric formulation. The following six parameters, expansion ratio of the BFS channel (H/h), Reynolds number (Re), buoyancy ratio (N), nanoparticle volume fraction (χ), shape of nanoparticles and thermal Grashof number (Gr_T) at three levels are considered as controlling parameters for optimization using Taguchi method. An L₂₇ orthogonal array has been chosen to get the levels of the six parameters for the 27 trial runs. Simulation results were obtained for 27 trial runs from which three different sets of optimum levels of the control parameters were obtained for maximum Nu and Sh and minimum wall shear stress during double diffusive mixed convection in the channel. Then, in order to obtain a single set of optimum levels of the control parameters to achieve maximum heat and mass transfer and minimum wall shear stress concurrently, utility concept has been implemented. Taguchi results indicate that expansion ratio and volume fraction of nanoparticles are the significant contributing parameters to achieve maximum heat and mass transfer and minimum wall shear stress. Utility concept predicts the average Nusselt number less by 2% and Sherwood number less by 3% compared to the Taguchi method with equal weightage of 40% assumed for Nusselt and Sherwood numbers and 20% for wall shear stress.