This study investigates the thermal conductivity and viscosity of copper nanoparticles in ethylene glycol. The nanofluid was prepared by synthesizing copper nanoparticles using a chemical reduction method, with water as the solvent, and then dispersing them in ethylene glycol using a sonicator. Volume loadings of up to 2% were prepared. The measured increase in thermal conductivity was twice the value predicted by the Maxwell effective medium theory. The increase in viscosity was about four times of that predicted by the Einstein law of viscosity. Analytical calculations suggest that this nanofluid would not be beneficial as a coolant in heat exchangers without changing the tube diameter. However, increasing the tube diameter to exploit the increased thermal conductivity of the nanofluid can lead to better thermal performance.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
1 April 2008
Research Article|
April 02 2008
Enhanced thermal conductivity and viscosity of copper nanoparticles in ethylene glycol nanofluid
J. Garg;
J. Garg
a)
1Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
B. Poudel;
B. Poudel
2Department of Physics,
Boston College
, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 02467, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
M. Chiesa;
M. Chiesa
1Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
J. B. Gordon;
J. B. Gordon
1Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
J. J. Ma;
J. J. Ma
1Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
J. B. Wang;
J. B. Wang
4School of Environmental Science and Engineering,
Huazhong University of Science and Technology
, People’s Republic of China
Search for other works by this author on:
Z. F. Ren;
Z. F. Ren
2Department of Physics,
Boston College
, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 02467, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
Y. T. Kang;
Y. T. Kang
5School of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering,
Kyung Hee University
, South Korea
Search for other works by this author on:
H. Ohtani;
H. Ohtani
3Materials and Nanotechnology Department, Research and Advanced Engineering,
Ford Motor Company
, Dearborn, Michigan 48121, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
J. Nanda;
J. Nanda
3Materials and Nanotechnology Department, Research and Advanced Engineering,
Ford Motor Company
, Dearborn, Michigan 48121, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
G. H. McKinley;
G. H. McKinley
1Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
G. Chen
G. Chen
1Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
a)
Electronic mail: jivtesh@mit.edu.
J. Appl. Phys. 103, 074301 (2008)
Article history
Received:
October 22 2007
Accepted:
January 22 2008
Citation
J. Garg, B. Poudel, M. Chiesa, J. B. Gordon, J. J. Ma, J. B. Wang, Z. F. Ren, Y. T. Kang, H. Ohtani, J. Nanda, G. H. McKinley, G. Chen; Enhanced thermal conductivity and viscosity of copper nanoparticles in ethylene glycol nanofluid. J. Appl. Phys. 1 April 2008; 103 (7): 074301. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2902483
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Sign In
You could not be signed in. Please check your credentials and make sure you have an active account and try again.
Sign in via your Institution
Sign in via your InstitutionPay-Per-View Access
$40.00