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A semi-experimental model to predict the thermal conductivity coefficient of nanofluids

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Abstract

In this study two appropriate semi-experimental models based on none-linear regression over 800 extracted experimental data to predict the thermal conductivity coefficient of nanofluids were presented. Here, the used nanofluids were spherical nanoparticles of Al2O3, TiO2, CuO, ZnO, ZrO2, CeO2, MgO, SiO2, Fe2O3, Fe3O4, Al, Cu, Fe, Ag, SiC and diamond dispersed in water, ethylene glycol, radiator coolant and various oils as base fluids. The thermal conductivity coefficient of particles and base fluid, temperature in the range of 10–80 °C, volume fraction from 0.04% to 14% were considered as effective parameters to develop first model (model 4-P), whereas, the second model were presented by taking the effect of particle diameter from 4 to150 nm into account (model 5-P). The mean square error and correlation coefficient were found to be 0.00059 and 0.9939 for 4-P model, and 0.000548 and 0.9944 for 5-P model, respectively, for all data. The highest error of the predicted value using model 5-P based on water, oil and ethylene glycols fluids were obtained 9.5, 3.9 and 3.5%, respectively, indicating proper accuracy of this model. Our proposed model was also validate using 104 experimental point. The results exhibited a low error value less than 2.1% and 5% for oil and water-based nanofluids, respectively. Hence the proposed model 5-P can be considered as an efficient model to predict the thermal conductivity coefficient of nanofluids.

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Abbreviations

Cu:

Copper

Ag:

Silver

Al2O3 :

Aluminum oxide

CuO:

Copper oxides

SiC:

Silicon carbide

CNT:

Carbon nanotubes

EG:

Ethylene glycol

EO:

Engine oil

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ahvaz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran

    Iraj Shahrivar & Ashkan Ghafouri

  2. Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Kashan, Kashan, Iran

    Zahra Niazi

  3. Institute of Nano Science and Nano Technology, University of Kashan, Kashan, Iran

    Azadeh Khoshoei

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  1. Iraj Shahrivar
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Shahrivar, I., Niazi, Z., Khoshoei, A. et al. A semi-experimental model to predict the thermal conductivity coefficient of nanofluids. Heat Mass Transfer 58, 791–799 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00231-021-03137-3

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