The thermal conductivity of alumina nanofluids in water, ethylene glycol, and ethylene glycol+water mixtures

Abstract

We present new data on the thermal conductivity of nanofluids consisting of alumina nanoparticles dispersed in water, ethylene glycol, and ethylene glycol+water mixtures. We also demonstrate that our previously published model is able to describe the temperature, particle size, and particle volume fraction dependence of these nanofluids without any adjustable parameters, irrespective of the base fluid used (water, ethylene glycol, or water+ethylene glycol mixtures). Furthermore, we demonstrate how the model may be used to check the consistency of literature data on all alumina nanofluids.