Thermal Conductivity and Stability of Novel Aqueous Graphene Oxide–Al2O3 Hybrid Nanofluids for Cold Energy Storage

Effect of active multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) on the energy storage density of DI water for cool thermal storage system

The present research work aims to investigate the energy saving aspects in cool thermal energy storage system (CTES) by improving the thermophysical properties of deionized (DI) water. The influence of phase change enthalpy, specific heat, thermal conductivity, and cooling rate of the DI water for the dispersion of chemically functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (f-MWCNT) is studied experimentally. The covalent functionalization method is used to modify the surface of the multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) with the use of concentrated nitric acid. The nanofluid phase change materials (PCMs) in different mass concentrations (0.25%, 0.50%, and 0.75%) were prepared by dispersions of the f-MWCNT in DI water. The minimum reduction in enthalpy (4.01%) was recorded for the nano-PCM with 0.75% f-MWCNT as compared to the base PCM with 0.5% of sodium dodecyl benzene-sulfonate (10%). The thermal conductivity enhancement of 53.15% and 28.2% was recorded in both states for the nano-PCM (with 0.75%) at the temperature of - 10 °C and 5 °C respectively. Also, the enhancement of 30% and 23% in cooling rate is recorded for the dispersion of maximum concentration of f-MWCNT at the HTF temperatures of - 8 °C and - 6 °C, respectively. It is proven from the above findings that the dispersion of f-MWCNT reduces the subcooling and facilitates the running of the CTES system at a higher operating temperature.

A versatile interferometric technique for probing the thermophysical properties of complex fluids

Laser-induced thermocapillary deformation of liquid surfaces has emerged as a promising tool to precisely characterize the thermophysical properties of pure fluids. However, challenges arise for nanofluid (NF) and soft bio-fluid systems where the direct interaction of the laser generates an intriguing interplay between heating, momentum, and scattering forces which can even damage soft biofluids. Here, we report a versatile, pump-probe-based, rapid, and non-contact interferometric technique that resolves interface dynamics of complex fluids with the precision of ~1 nm in thick-film and 150 pm in thin-film regimes below the thermal limit without the use of lock-in or modulated beams. We characterize the thermophysical properties of complex NF in three exclusively different types of configurations. First, when the NF is heated from the bottom through an opaque substrate, we demonstrate that our methodology permits the measurement of thermophysical properties (viscosity, surface tension, and diffusivity) of complex NF and biofluids. Second, in a top illumination configuration, we show a precise characterization of NF by quantitively isolating the competing forces, taking advantage of the different time scales of these forces. Third, we show the measurement of NF confined in a metal cavity, in which the transient thermoelastic deformation of the metal surface provides the properties of the NF as well as thermo-mechanical properties of the metal. Our results reveal how the dissipative nature of the heatwave allows us to investigate thick-film dynamics in the thin-film regime, thereby suggesting a general approach for precision measurements of complex NFs, biofluids, and optofluidic devices.

Ethylene glycol nanofluids dispersed with monolayer graphene oxide nanosheet for high-performance subzero cold thermal energy storage

Ethylene glycol (EG) nanofluids have been intensively explored as one of the most promising solid-liquid phase change materials for subzero cold thermal energy storage (CTES). However, the prepared nanofluids usually suffer from a large supercooling degree, a long freezing period, reduced storage capacity and poor dispersion stability. Herein, we overcome these issues by developing stable EG nanofluids that are uniformly dispersed with low concentrations of monolayer ethanol-wetted graphene oxide nanosheets. The homogeneously dispersed monolayer sheet not only improves the thermal conductivity of the nanofluids (12.1%) but also provides the heterogeneous nucleation sites to trigger the crystal formation, thereby shortening the freezing time and reducing the supercooling degree. Compared with the base fluid, the nanofluids have reduced the supercooling degree by 87.2%, shortened the freezing time by 78.2% and maintained 98.5% of the latent heat. Moreover, the EG nanofluids have retained their initial stable homogeneous dispersion after repeated freezing/melting for 50 cycles, which ensures consistent CTES behavior during long-period operations. The facile preparation process, low loading requirement and consistent superior thermophysical properties would make the EG nanofluids loaded with monolayer graphene oxide sheets promising coolants for high-performance phase change-based CTES.

Enhanced Heat Transfer Performance of the Tube Heat Exchangers Using Carbon-Based Nanofluids

The wet ball milling method was used and a dispersant (gum Arabic) was added to prepare various concentrations (0.05 and 0.2 wt%) of carbon-based nanofluids (CBNFs) by a two-step synthesis method as working fluids for heat exchange. CBNFs were actually used in a tube heat exchanger (THE) for heat transfer performance experiments. The heat transfer performance of water and CBNFs was estimated under different heating powers and flow rates of working fluid. The pump power consumption (Ppe) of 0.05 wt% CBNF was found to be similar to that of water, but the Ppe of 0.2 wt% CBNF was higher than that of water. The convective heat transfer coefficient (HTC) of CBNF in the was higher than that of water, and the HTC of 0.05 wt% and 0.2 wt% CBNF was optimal at the heating power of 120 W and 80 W, respectively. The average HTC of 0.05 wt% CBNFs at 120 W heating power was about 3.33% higher than that of water, while that of 0.2 wt% CBNFs at 80 W heating power was about 4.52% higher than that of water. Considering the Ppe and HTC concomitantly, the best overall system performance was exhibited by 0.05 wt% CBNFs.

Effect of Magnetic Field on the Forced Convective Heat Transfer of Water–Ethylene Glycol-Based Fe3O4 and Fe3O4–MWCNT Nanofluids

This paper discusses the forced convective heat transfer characteristics of water–ethylene glycol (EG)-based Fe3O4 nanofluid and Fe3O4–MWCNT hybrid nanofluid under the effect of a magnetic field. The results indicated that the convective heat transfer coefficient of magnetic nanofluids increased with an increase in the strength of the magnetic field. When the magnetic field strength was varied from 0 to 750 G, the maximum convective heat transfer coefficients were observed for the 0.2 wt% Fe3O4 and 0.1 wt% Fe3O4–MWNCT nanofluids, and the improvements were approximately 2.78% and 3.23%, respectively. The average pressure drops for 0.2 wt% Fe3O4 and 0.2 wt% Fe3O4–MWNCT nanofluids increased by about 4.73% and 5.23%, respectively. Owing to the extensive aggregation of nanoparticles by the external magnetic field, the heat transfer coefficient of the 0.1 wt% Fe3O4–MWNCT hybrid nanofluid was 5% higher than that of the 0.2 wt% Fe3O4 nanofluid. Therefore, the convective heat transfer can be enhanced by the dispersion stability of the nanoparticles and optimization of the magnetic field strength.