A novel approach for engineering efficient nanofluids by radiolysis

Abstract

Abstract This contribution reports for the first time the possibility of using radiolysis to engineer stable efficient nanofluids which exhibit an enhanced thermal conductivity. The validation was confirmed on Ag-H2O and Ag-C2H6O2 nanofluids fabricated via g-radiolysis within the mild dose range of 0.95 × 103–2.45 × 103 Gray. The enhanced thermal conductivity of Ag-H2O and Ag-C2H6O2 nanofluids, was found to be g-radiations dose dependent. In the latter case of Ag-C2H6O2 nanofluid, the relative enhancement in the temperature range of 25–50 °C was found to be 8.89%, 11.54%, 18.69%, 23.57% and 18.45% for D1 = 0.95 × 103 Gray, D2 = 1.2 × 103 Gray, D3 = 1.54 × 103 Gray, D4 = 1.80 × 103 Gray and D5 = 2.45 × 103 Gray respectively. Yet not optimized, an enhancement of the effective thermal conductivity as much as 23.57% relatively to pure C2H6O2 was observed in stable Ag-C2H6O2 nanofluids. Equivalent results were obtained with Ag-H2O.