Experimental and theoretical studies of nanofluid thermal conductivity enhancement: a review

Nanofluids, i.e., well-dispersed (metallic) nanoparticles at low- volume fractions in liquids, may enhance the mixture's thermal conductivity, knf, over the base-fluid values. Thus, they are potentially useful for advanced cooling of micro-systems. Focusing mainly on dilute suspensions of well-dispersed spherical nanoparticles in water or ethylene glycol, recent experimental observations, associated measurement techniques, and new theories as well as useful correlations have been reviewed

Natural convection of silica-water nanofluids based on experimental measured thermophysical properties: critical analysis

International audienceAn experimental and numerical study was performed to investigate the effect of different formulas for nanofluid thermal conductivity and dynamic viscosity on natural convective heat transfer. It was found that the heat transfer across the enclosure using different models can be enhanced or deteriorated with respect to the base fluid. Also, it was found that the inconsistencies in the reported thermal conductivity and dynamic viscosity from different research groups are mainly due to the characterization of the nanofluid, including determination of colloidal stability and particle size, (i.e., aggregates size) within nanofluid