Role of Composition in Enhancing Heat Transfer Behavior of Carbon Nanotube-Ethylene Glycol Based Nanofluids

We report the method of tuning the thermal conductivity through the composition of multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) dispersed ethylene glycol based nanofluids. The structure and properties of the MWCNTs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. A parallel plate thermal conductivity (PPTC) set up was fabricated and used for measurement of thermal conductivity of the nanofluids. We have prepared ethylene glycol based nanofluids containing 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, 0.20, 0.25 and 0.35 wt% of MWCNTs. The thermal conductivities of these fluids were measured by keeping them between the two (parallel) plates, referred as the hot and the cold plates, of the sample holder in the PPTC apparatus. The lower plate was water-cooled and the upper plate was heated. The temperature of the hot plate was varied between 35 and 80 °C. The thermal conductivity of the fluids was calculated using the one-dimensional heat conduction equation. According to our observation, an efficient heat transfer occurs through the nanofluids with an optimum concentration of 0.20 wt% of CNTs. Our work demonstrates the importance of the composition of the nanofluids and their structural defects in heat transfer.