Timofeeva E.V., Singh D., Yu W., France D.
Argonne National Laboratory, US
Keywords: engineered fluids, heat transfer, nanofluids, systems engineering
Nanofluids are the new expanding area in nanotechnology, with applications as wide as biomedical, lubrication, thermal management, energy generation, energy conversion, and energy storage. Variety and unique characteristics of nanomaterials allow for engineering the multifunctional fluid media with new desired characteristics. High thermal conductivity is good for heat transfer, high specific heat advances the thermal energy storage, reduced surface tension improves evaporative/boiled cooling, etc. With nanomaterials one can not only improve the thermo-physical properties of liquids but also introduce additional functionality, such as novel applications of nanofluids in solar collectors, photovoltaic energy generation, and electric energy storage.An overview of systematic studies that address the complexity of nanofluid systems and advance the understanding of nanoscale contributions to viscosity, thermal conductivity, and cooling efficiency of nanofluids will be presented. The factors and mechanisms contributing to the fluid cooling efficiency will be discussed first, followed by a review of nanofluid engineering parameters and a brief analysis of their contributions to basic thermo-physical properties. The systems engineering approach will be used to describe how various nanofluid parameters contribute to the systems cooling performance. The latter also offers insights into the principles of the efficient nanofluid design for heat transfer and other novel applications.
Journal: TechConnect Briefs
Volume: 2, Nanotechnology 2013: Electronics, Devices, Fabrication, MEMS, Fluidics and Computational (Volume 2)
Published: May 12, 2013
Pages: 404 - 407
Industry sector: Sensors, MEMS, Electronics
Topic: Modeling & Simulation of Microsystems
ISBN: 978-1-4822-0584-8