Sand-propylene glycol-water nanofluids for improved solar energy collection

Experiments were carried out on the preparation, thermophysical properties' measurement and application of surfactant-free, sand-propylene glycol-water nanofluids for solar energy collection. Thermal conductivity enhancement of 16.3% and viscosity reduction of 47% were observed for 2 vol % sand-PG-water nanofluid at 28 °C. Microconvection caused by Brownian motion was identified as one of the mechanisms of thermal conductivity enhancement. The relative viscosity of sand-propylene glycol-water nanofluid was less than 1 over a temperature range of 10–60 °C and sand nanoparticle concentration range of 0.5–2 vol %. The lower viscosity of sand-PG-water nanofluids in comparison to that of propylene glycol-water mixture is attributed to non-covalent interactions between sand nanoparticles and propylene glycol, leading to perturbation of hydrogen bonding network. The use of 2 vol % sand-PG-water nanofluid resulted in enhancement of heat transfer and solar energy collection by 16.5%. Our results demonstrate that sand-PG-water nanofluids are suitable for use as heat transfer fluid in solar collectors.

[1]  K. S. Rajan,et al.  Thermo-physical properties of engineered dispersions of nano-sand in propylene glycol , 2014 .

[2]  A. Sousa,et al.  Experimental investigations in heat transfer and friction factor of magnetic Ni nanofluid flowing in a tube , 2014 .

[3]  K. S. Rajan,et al.  Viscosity and thermal conductivity of dispersions of sub-micron TiO2 particles in water prepared by stirred bead milling and ultrasonication , 2012 .

[4]  Ali J. Chamkha,et al.  Theoretical analysis of natural convection boundary layer heat and mass transfer of nanofluids: Effects of size, shape and type of nanoparticles, type of base fluid and working temperature , 2015 .

[5]  J. Philip,et al.  Review on thermal properties of nanofluids: Recent developments. , 2015, Advances in colloid and interface science.

[6]  M. Harmelin,et al.  Crystal-amorphous phase transition induced by ball-milling in silicon , 1990 .

[7]  Saad Mekhilef,et al.  Energy performance of an evacuated tube solar collector using single walled carbon nanotubes nanofluids , 2015 .

[8]  I. Pop,et al.  A review of the applications of nanofluids in solar energy , 2013 .

[9]  K. S. Rajan,et al.  MgO-Therminol 55 nanofluids for efficient energy management: Analysis of transient heat transfer performance , 2015 .

[10]  Xinyu Lei,et al.  Stability and enhanced thermal conductivity of ethylene glycol-based SiC nanofluids , 2015 .

[11]  Angel Huminic,et al.  Thermal conductivity, viscosity and surface tension of nanofluids based on FeC nanoparticles , 2015 .

[12]  Bin Sun,et al.  Flow and convective heat transfer characteristics of Fe2O3–water nanofluids inside copper tubes , 2015 .

[13]  Dongzhou Jia,et al.  Experimental Evaluation of the Lubrication Performance of MoS2/CNT Nanofluid for Minimal Quantity Lubrication in Ni-based Alloy Grinding , 2015 .

[14]  Kamaruzzaman Sopian,et al.  Nanofluids for improved efficiency in cooling solar collectors – A review , 2014 .

[15]  N. Akbar.  Entropy generation and energy conversion rate for the peristaltic flow in a tube with magnetic field , 2015 .

[16]  Rajan K. Sekar,et al.  Sub-micron dispersions of sand in water prepared by stirred bead milling and ultrasonication: A potential coolant , 2012 .

[17]  Dongsik Kim,et al.  Effects of aggregation on the thermal conductivity of alumina/water nanofluids , 2012 .

[18]  K. S. Rajan,et al.  A formulation strategy for preparation of ZnO–Propylene glycol–water nanofluids with improved transport properties , 2014 .

[19]  Sarit K. Das,et al.  Scaling analysis for the investigation of slip mechanisms in nanofluids , 2011, Nanoscale research letters.

[20]  K. S. Rajan,et al.  Preparation and characterization of sub-micron dispersions of sand in ethylene glycol-water mixture , 2012 .

[21]  K. S. Rajan,et al.  Viscosity and thermal conductivity of dispersions of gum arabic capped MWCNT in water: Influence of MWCNT concentration and temperature , 2013 .

[22]  Haifeng Zhu,et al.  A novel one-step chemical method for preparation of copper nanofluids. , 2004, Journal of colloid and interface science.

[23]  K. S. Rajan,et al.  Transport properties of nano manganese ferrite–propylene glycol dispersion (nanofluids): new observations and discussion , 2013, Journal of Nanoparticle Research.

[24]  O. Mamat,et al.  Mechanical milling of tronoh silica sand nanoparticles using low speed ball milling process , 2013 .

[25]  Wei Yu,et al.  A Review on Nanofluids: Preparation, Stability Mechanisms, and Applications of Ethylene Glycol – Water Based Nanofluids Dispersed with Multi Walled Carbon Nanotubes , 2024, INTERANTIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IN ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT.

[26]  H. Ali,et al.  Experimental investigation of convective heat transfer augmentation for car radiator using ZnO–water nanofluids , 2015 .

[27]  D. Das,et al.  Specific Heat Measurement of Three Nanofluids and Development of New Correlations , 2009 .

[28]  S. Jang,et al.  Effect of particle shape on suspension stability and thermal conductivities of water-based bohemite alumina nanofluids , 2015 .

[29]  Stephen U. S. Choi.  Enhancing thermal conductivity of fluids with nano-particles , 1995 .

[30]  K. S. Rajan,et al.  Heat transfer performance and transport properties of ZnO-ethylene glycol and ZnO-ethylene glycol-water nanofluid coolants , 2014 .

[31]  Ahmad Amiri,et al.  A comprehensive review of thermo-physical properties and convective heat transfer to nanofluids , 2015 .

[32]  N. Akbar,et al.  Entropy generation analysis for metachronal beating of ciliated Cu-water nanofluid with magnetic field , 2016 .

[33]  Gholamhassan Najafi,et al.  The enhancement of effective thermal conductivity and effective dynamic viscosity of nanofluids – A review , 2016 .

[34]  Noreen Sher Akbar.  Entropy Generation Analysis for a CNT Suspension Nanofluid in Plumb Ducts with Peristalsis , 2015, Entropy.

[35]  K. S. Rajan,et al.  Rapid synthesis of MgO nanoparticles & their utilization for formulation of a propylene glycol based nanofluid with superior transport properties , 2014 .

[36]  Saeed Zeinali Heris,et al.  Experimental investigation of the effects of silica/water nanofluid on PV/T (photovoltaic thermal units) , 2014 .

[37]  Gopalan Ramesh,et al.  Review of thermo-physical properties, wetting and heat transfer characteristics of nanofluids and their applicability in industrial quench heat treatment , 2011, Nanoscale research letters.

[38]  K. S. Rajan,et al.  Low viscous ZnO–propylene glycol nanofluid: a potential coolant candidate , 2013, Journal of Nanoparticle Research.

[39]  Ajay M. Patel,et al.  Effect of Waviness on the Dynamic Characteristics of Double Walled Carbon Nanotubes , 2014 .

[40]  Amit Rai Dixit,et al.  Rheological behaviour of nanofluids: A review , 2016 .

[41]  N. Akbar,et al.  Non-Aligned Ethylene-Glycol 30% Based Stagnation Point Fluid over a Stretching Surface with Hematite Nano Particles , 2016 .

[42]  W. Roetzel,et al.  TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE OF THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY ENHANCEMENT FOR NANOFLUIDS , 2003 .

[43]  J. Zhan,et al.  Preparation and tribological performances of Ni-P-multi-walled carbon nanotubes composite coatings , 2012 .

[44]  K. S. Rajan,et al.  Development of CuO–ethylene glycol nanofluids for efficient energy management: Assessment of potential for energy recovery , 2015 .

[45]  K. S. Rajan,et al.  Transport properties of ultra-low concentration CuO–water nanofluids containing non-spherical nanoparticles , 2012 .

[46]  Vajiheh Sabeti,et al.  Optimization of a novel combined cooling, heating and power cycle driven by geothermal and solar energies using the water/CuO (copper oxide) nanofluid , 2015 .

[47]  Jianzhong Lin,et al.  Flow and heat transfer characteristics of nanofluids containing rod-like particles in a turbulent pipe flow , 2016 .

[48]  N. Akbar.  Metallic nanoparticles analysis for the blood flow in tapered stenosed arteries: Application in nanomedicines , 2016 .

[49]  Moh’d A. Al-Nimr,et al.  Using nanofluids in enhancing the performance of a novel two-layer solar pond , 2014 .

[50]  G. Peterson,et al.  Experimental investigation of temperature and volume fraction variations on the effective thermal conductivity of nanoparticle suspensions (nanofluids) , 2006 .

[51]  Y. Setty,et al.  Stable colloidal copper nanoparticles for a nanofluid: Production and application , 2014 .

[52]  O. Mamat,et al.  Studying the Effects of Adding Silica Sand Nanoparticles on Epoxy Based Composites , 2013 .

[53]  K. S. Rajan,et al.  Nanoparticle Clustering Influences Rheology and Thermal Conductivity of Nano-Manganese Ferrite Dispersions in Ethylene Glycol and Ethylene Glycol-Water Mixture , 2014 .

[54]  K. S. Rajan,et al.  Development and assessment of ceria–propylene glycol nanofluid as an alternative to propylene glycol for cooling applications , 2016 .

[55]  Maryam Shafahi,et al.  Performance evaluation of nanofluids in solar energy: a review of the recent literature , 2015 .

[56]  J. Shiomi,et al.  Temperature dependent thermal conductivity increase of aqueous nanofluid with single walled carbon nanotube inclusion , 2012 .

[57]  S Nadeem,et al.  Numerical investigation on MHD oblique flow of Walter's B type nano fluid over a convective surface , 2015 .

[58]  J. Eastman,et al.  Measuring Thermal Conductivity of Fluids Containing Oxide Nanoparticles , 1999 .

[59]  S. K. Pabi,et al.  Effects of Particle Shape and Fluid Temperature on Heat-Transfer Characteristics of Nanofluids , 2013, Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance.

[60]  K. V. Sharma,et al.  Empirical and theoretical correlations on viscosity of nanofluids: A review , 2013 .

[61]  Manoj Kumar Sinha,et al.  Performance evaluation of Ti–6Al–4V grinding using chip formation and coefficient of friction under the influence of nanofluids , 2015 .

[62]  N. Akbar.  Endoscopy Analysis for the Peristaltic Flow of Nanofluids Containing Carbon Nanotubes with Heat Transfer , 2015 .