Measurement of thermal and electrical conductivities of graphene nanofluids

This paper was presented at the 3rd Micro and Nano Flows Conference (MNF2011), which was held at the Makedonia Palace Hotel, Thessaloniki in Greece. The conference was organised by Brunel University and supported by the Italian Union of Thermofluiddynamics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University of Thessaly, IPEM, the Process Intensification Network, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the Heat Transfer Society, HEXAG - the Heat Exchange Action Group, and the Energy Institute.The current work experimentally investigates the thermal and electrical conductivities of nanofluids containing graphene sheets that have very high thermal conductivity. Here, the graphene is prepared from natural graphite by oxidation-reduction process through a single step method. The graphene nanofluid thus obtained exhibited greater stability even after six months of preparation without addition of any surfactants. The detailed characterization process involving TEM, UV absorption and DLS measurements revealed the well dispersed nature of nanofluid with sheets appropriately interconnected and entangled. The DLS measurement indicates a trimodal size distribution of graphene sheet ranging from 5nm to 1500nm. It was also found that the absorption peak of the sample was 269 nm. This reveals the complete reduction of graphene oxide to graphene and the value is in good agreement with the literature. The thermal conductivity is measured using the traditional Transient Hot Wire (THW) method and enhancements are substantial even at lower concentrations while such behaviour is not predicted by the classical Maxwell theory. The thermal conductivity of graphene nanofluids are measured for different concentrations of 0.01 - 0.2 volume % at different temperatures. It is observed that the thermal conductivity increases with increase in concentration of grapheme, which is as expected. The maximum enhancement obtained is 27% at 0.2% concentration. The enhancement also shows a strong temperature dependence which is unlike that of its carbon predecessors like CNT and graphene oxide nanofluids. Electrical conductivity is measured using a 4 cell conductivity meter with inbuilt automatic temperature compensation. Electrical conductivity enhancement is found to be linear with increase in graphene volume fraction

Basic and applied research in India: present and future

Models for supporting organized applied research programs Position of India in the global scenario of basic research New policy initiatives and programs

Experimental analysis of simplex atomizer spray and swirling flow interactions in unconfined conditions

An experimental study has been conducted to investigate the interaction between the conical spray produced by simplex atomizer and the swirling flow from an axial swirler. This work has been carried out in an unconfined ambience at isothermal conditions, using water. Malvern spray analyzer with a three dimensional traverse is used to characterize the swirling flow and spray interactions at various axial and radial locations. Images of spray at different conditions of air and water mass flow rates have been analyzed. Increasing the air mass flow through swirler at constant water flow rate, changes the spray structure significantly. These structural changes are sudden and highly dependent on the initial conditions of the spray. At smaller air flow rates, single-mode droplet size distribution at mid-plane changes into a bi-modal distribution at an air flow rate of about 35 kg/hr, with higher contribution of larger droplets. With further increase in air flow rate (90, 110 and 130 kg/hr), the bi-modal size distribution is maintained but with a larger volumetric fraction of small droplets. At different axial distances, the droplet size distributions are similar (single mode and bimodal distributions depending on air flow rate). But volume percentage of larger droplets is less compared to those of smaller droplets, at larger axial distance. At outer radial locations of the spray, volume percentage of larger droplets reduces and that of smaller droplets increases significantly, due to secondary droplet breakup. The interaction between the swirl and spray causes droplets to move radially outwards, resulting in droplet break-up by impact on the dome. Cases with higher air to water flow ratios exhibit significant changes in drop size distribution due to such swirl-spray interactions

Effect of lean primary-zone operation on emissions and stability of non-premixed combustors

Lean operation in the primary combustion zone of a gas turbine combustor is advantageous from NOx reduction point of view. The present work deals with the influence of lean primary zone operation on combustion performance, NOx emissions, and flame stability of a model gas turbine combustor with simplex atomizer. Air distribution is varied to operate the primary combustion zone from stoichiometric to leaner operating conditions (Φpri 1.04–0.61), at fixed fuel flow rate and overall air–fuel ratio. Combustor performance is quantified with the help of gas temperature profile at exit and species concentrations at the end of primary zone. It is found that a primary zone equivalence ratio of 0.79 is optimal for high combustor efficiency and low NOx emissions, with a stable flame. When the primary zone equivalence ratio approaches the lean blowout (LBO) limit (Φpri ∼ 0.5), intermittent low–frequency, high-amplitude pressure oscillations arise, especially at higher primary zone air flow rates. Inclusion of a metallic ring in the primary combustion zone widens the equivalence ratio for flame stability, with a small reduction in combustion efficiency. It also reduces the noise level and suppresses the intermittent high-amplitude oscillations close to LBO

Effect of Atomization Quality on Lean Blow-Out Limits and Acoustic Oscillations in a Swirl Stabilized Burner

The present experimental work highlights the influence of atomization quality on lean blow-out (LBO) limits and acoustic oscillations in a swirl stabilized burner with simplex atomizer. With decrease in the initial spray droplet diameter, the LBO limit shifts toward lower equivalence ratios. Reduction in droplet size also strongly influences the mode of LBO from diffusion flame to premixed lifted flame. Correlations have been developed for the LBO limit, involving mainly the time scales for evaporation, reaction and residence times for the fuel drops, as well as the gas flow. Delay in evaporation causes vapor accumulation before combustion and hence it influences both acoustic oscillations and LBO limit. The frequency of acoustic oscillations locks-in with the quarter wave frequency of the combustor duct for all initial droplet diameters considered. The amplitude of acoustic oscillations decreases with decrease in the initial droplet size

Observation par microscopie electronique en transmission et par topographie aux rayons X des dislocations d'interface mobiles dans un bicristal sigma=9 de silicium

SIGLEAvailable from INIST (FR), Document Supply Service, under shelf-number : TD 80945 / INIST-CNRS - Institut de l'Information Scientifique et TechniqueFRFranc

A benchmark study on the thermal conductivity of nanofluids

This article reports on the International Nanofluid Property Benchmark Exercise, or INPBE, in which the thermal conductivity of identical samples of colloidally stable dispersions of nanoparticles or “nanofluids,” was measured by over 30 organizations worldwide, using a variety of experimental approaches, including the transient hot wire method, steady-state methods, and optical methods. The nanofluids tested in the exercise were comprised of aqueous and nonaqueous basefluids, metal and metal oxide particles, near-spherical and elongated particles, at low and high particle concentrations. The data analysis reveals that the data from most organizations lie within a relatively narrow band (±10% or less) about the sample average with only few outliers. The thermal conductivity of the nanofluids was found to increase with particle concentration and aspect ratio, as expected from classical theory. There are (small) systematic differences in the absolute values of the nanofluid thermal conductivity among the various experimental approaches; however, such differences tend to disappear when the data are normalized to the measured thermal conductivity of the basefluid. The effective medium theory developed for dispersed particles by Maxwell in 1881 and recently generalized by Nan et al. [J. Appl. Phys. 81, 6692 (1997)] , was found to be in good agreement with the experimental data, suggesting that no anomalous enhancement of thermal conductivity was achieved in the nanofluids tested in this exercise