Analysis of nanofluids as a means of thermal conductivity enhancement in heavy machineries

Purpose – Nanofluids exhibit enhanced heat transfer characteristics and are expected to be the future heat transfer fluids particularly the lubricants and transmission fluids used in heavy machinery. For studying the heat transfer behaviour of the nanofluids, precise values of their thermal conductivity are required. For predicting the correct value of thermal conductivity of a nanofluid, mathematical models are necessary. In this paper, the effective thermal conductivity of various nanofluids has been reported by using both experimental and mathematical modelling. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Hamilton and Crosser equation was used for predicting the thermal conductivities of nanofluids, and the obtained values were compared with the experimental findings. Nanofluid studied in this paper are Al2O3 in base fluid water, Al2O3 in base fluid ethylene glycol, CuO in base fluid water, CuO in base fluid ethylene glycol, TiO2 in base fluid ethylene glycol. In addition, stu...