International Journal of New Practices in Management and Engineering
Volume 10 Issue 01 (2021)
ISSN: 2250-0839
© IJNPME 2021
12
Thermal Property Investigation in Nanolubricants via Nano-
Scaled Particle Addition
Dr. Nitin Sherje
Head of Mechanical Department, S.K.N.C.O.E. Pune India
npsherje@sinhgad.edu
Article History
Article Submission
19 November 2020
Revised Submission
17 January 2021
Article Accepted
1 March 2021
Article Published
31
st
March 2021
Abstract
In nanolubricants, the increase in scholarly attention has been attributed to the
affirmation that they exhibit enhanced thermo-physical features and that they can
also be used in various thermal applications. Some of these applications where they
could be incorporated include solar energy harvesting, industrial applications, and
heat exchanger effectiveness enhancement. Recently, various approaches have been
employed to enhance the coefficient of heat transfer, especially between the fluid
contact surfaces and the working fluids. When it comes to conventional fluids of heat
transfer, examples being ethylene glycol/water, thermal oils, and water, some
studies document that they exhibit limitations. For instance, these fluids exhibit low
thermal properties when compared to the solids with which they interact. To respond
to this dilemma, there have been efforts in this study to have the fluids’ thermal
properties improved via nano-scaled particle addition, causing marked evolutions
in the evaluations of the behavior of fluids of heat transfer. Indeed, findings suggest
that in base fluids, when the solid particles are suspended, there tends to be an
enhancement in the fluid’s energy transmission; hence, notable improvements in
material thermal conductivity properties, besides the betterment of material heat
transfer characteristics.
Keywords: Nanolubricants, Heat Transfer Characteristics
I. Introduction
Nanolubricants entail nano-scaled particles’ engineered colloidal suspensions in the given base fluids
[1]. Generally, the nano-scaled particles come in the form of carbon-based elements, metallic oxides,
and metals [2]. Indeed, with nanoparticle introduction, more and more studies have investigated the
subject of colloidal dispersion in selected fluids. Here, it has been avowed that upon dispersion in fluids,
nanoparticles exhibit some notable degree of stability. Also, they have been documented to be able to
steer improvements in the fluids’ thermal properties [3]. The adequacy of nanolubricants that makes
them ideal for use as heat transfer fluids has also been linked to their promising features such as reduced
pump power (outperforming pure liquids and ensuring that the intensified heat transfer is realized),
particle/fluid nanolayer existence, and the particles’ state of Brownian motion [4].
II. Methodology
Of importance to note is that even with the aforementioned benefits with which nanolubricants tend to
be associated, they have been observed to experience certain application-based limitations. For instance,
in the fluid, issues of aggregation and sedimentation continue to be raised even at a time when the
nanolubricants’ stability has been improved via the addition of surfactants and the use of magnetic
stirring, pH modulation, and ultra-sonication [5]. In addition, given devices, fluid circulation rate