Control of radiation heat transfer through a composite window featuring ER fluid: A conceptual investigation

Abstract

Radiation heat transfer control through the application of an electric field upon an Electroheological (ER) fluid based composite material is an innovative new area of research. A conceptual experiment has been conducted to study radiation heat transfer through a composite window featuring an ER fluid. The composite window is composed of two thin glass plates with a layer of ER fluid contained between them. The glass walls were transparent except for a very thin coating of an electric-conductive film which enabled the inside of the glass surfaces to serve as electrodes. The ER fluid was contained between the glass surfaces and consisted of a suspension of micron sized crystalline zeolite particles in a silicon oil. This study has demonstrated the unique capability of ER fluids to regulate and control radiation heat transfer via transmittance measurements. A semi-empirical model is developed from the experimental data to correlate the dependence of radiation transmission through ER fluids based on several physical parameters (fv, V*, and L). This model agrees reasonably well with the measured data. The results obtained in this study are very important to those concerned with the development of a thermally smart material for heat transfer control.