Thermal Conductivity of Al2O3 and CeO2 Nanoparticles and Their Hybrid Based Water Nanofluids: An Experimental Study

Abstract

In many heat exchange systems, there is a demand to improve the thermal conductivity of the working fluids to make those fluids more efficient, and this can be done by dispersing solid nanomaterials into conventional liquids. In the present work, the thermal conductivity of alumina, ceria, and their hybrid with ratio (50:50) by volume-based deionized water nanofluids was experimentally measured. The nanofluids were prepared by two-step method with a range of dilute volume concentration (0.01-0.5 % Vol.), and measured at various temperatures (35, 40, 45, and 50 ºC). The experimental data for basefluid and nanofluids were verified with theoretical and experimental models, and the results have shown good agreement within the accuracy of the thermal conductivity tester. The results demonstrated that the higher thermal conductivity enhancement percentages for Al2O3, CeO2, and their hybrid nanofluids were (5.3 %, 3.3 %, and 8.8 %) at volume concentration (0.5 % Vol.) and temperature (50 ºC) compared to deionized water, respectively. Moreover, a correlation was proposed for the thermal conductivity enhancement ratio of the hybrid nanofluid and showed good accuracy with measured experimental data.