Can nanofluids become the innovative heat transportation medium of the next generation?

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K03965
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 19020:Thermal engineering-related
• Research Institution: Yamagata University
• Principal Investigator: Akamatsu Masato 山形大学, 大学院理工学研究科, 教授 (40315320)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: ナノフルード / 熱伝達特性 / 自然対流 / 強制対流 / 有効粘度 / 有効熱伝導率 / Al2O3ナノ粒子

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Nanofluids are an innovative new class of heat transfer fluids could be engineered by suspending nanoparticles in conventional heat transfer fluids. Hence,nanofluids are expected to exhibit high thermal conductivities and high heat transfer rates compared to those of currently used heat transfer fluids.
In the present research, we showed the effective viscosity of Al2O3-water nanofluids by the tuning fork vibro viscometers, the effective thermal conductivity of Al2O3-water nanofluids by the flat plate comparison method, the laminar flow forced convective heat transfer characteristics of Al2O3-water nanofluids in a horizontal tube experimentally, the heat transfer characteristics of natural convection of Al2O3-water nanofluids in a vertical cylindrical enclosure by the transient three dimensional numerical computations, and the heat transfer characteristics of forced convection of Al2O3-water nanofluids in a horizontal pipe by the transient two dimensional numerical computations.

Free Research Field

伝熱工学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

水などの分散媒に分散質としてナノオーダーの粒子を分散させたナノフルードの有効熱伝導率は分散媒の熱伝導率よりも大きくなることが予期される．それ故，ナノフルードの自然対流および強制対流熱伝達は分散媒のそれらより促進されることが期待されたため，盛んに研究が行われるようになった．しかしながら，本研究によりAl2O3-水ナノフルードの粘度と熱伝導率は水のそれらよりも大きくなることが示されたが，密閉円筒容器内のAl2O3-水ナノフルードの自然対流熱伝達および等熱流束加熱された水平円管内のAl2O3-水ナノフルードの強制対流熱伝達は水のそれらよりも抑制されることを実験と数値解析の両面から解明した．