Promising Nanoparticle-Based Heat Transfer Fluids-Environmental and Techno-Economic Analysis Compared to Conventional Fluids

Thermal conductivity of ethylene glycol and propylene glycol nanofluids with boron nitride nano-barbs

This study investigates the potential of composite allotrope boron nitride nanobarbs (BNNBs) as nanoparticles for enhancing the thermal conductivity of nanofluids based on mixtures of ethylene glycol and propylene glycol with water. BNNBs are allotrope composites composed of boron nitride nanotube cores with walls decorated with attached hexagonal boron nitride crystals, creating a jagged morphology that facilitates the formation of a connected network and contributes to the enhancement of thermal conductivity in nanofluids. BNNBs exhibit high thermal conductivity due to efficient phonon transfer and they are electrical insulators owing to their wide bandgap. The effect of BNNB concentration in carrier fluids on nanofluid thermal conductivity was investigated by introducing BNNBs into ethylene glycol-water and propylene glycol-water mixtures at 0-10 wt%. The results showed that BNNBs enhanced thermal conductivity of carrier fluids up to 45%, and the enhancement was proportional to the concentration of BNNBs in the carrier fluid. The study also investigated the dispersion stability of BNNBs in different solvents using Hansen Solubility Parameters, revealing that propylene glycol mixtures demonstrated better long-term stability compared to ethylene glycol mixtures. The findings suggest that BNNBs have great potential for use as thermally conductive nanoparticles in nanofluids for various heat transfer applications. Future research should focus on enhancing the dispersion stability of BNNB nanofluids and exploring the influence of BNNB morphology on the thermal conductivity and other thermophysical properties of nanofluids.

Thermodynamic Analysis of a Flat Plate Solar Collector with Different Hybrid Nanofluids as Working Medium-A Thermal Modelling Approach

In this study, the performance of hybrid nanofluids in a flat plate solar collector was analysed based on various parameters such as entropy generation, exergy efficiency, heat transfer enhancement, pumping power, and pressure drop. Five different base fluids were used, including water, ethylene glycol, methanol, radiator coolant, and engine oil, to make five types of hybrids nanofluids containing suspended CuO and MWCNT nanoparticles. The nanofluids were evaluated at nanoparticle volume fractions ranging from 1% to 3% and flow rates of 1 to 3.5 L/min. The analytical results revealed that the CuO-MWCNT/water nanofluid performed the best in reducing entropy generation at both volume fractions and volume flow rate when compared to the other nanofluids studied. Although CuO-MWCNT/methanol showed better heat transfer coefficients than CuO-MWCNT/water, it generated more entropy and had lower exergy efficiency. The CuO-MWCNT/water nanofluid not only had higher exergy efficiency and thermal performance but also showed promising results in reducing entropy generation.