Experimental investigation of ultrasonic cycle/magnetic stirrer (UC/MS) effect on water/α -Al2O3 nanofluid stability and thermal conductivity and its ANFIS/PSO modeling

Abstract

Nanoparticles suspended in a fluid can improve heat transfer and lubrication performance. In this study, a new method was selected to investigate water/α-Al2O3 nanofluid stability, so a combined approach (Ultrasonic Cycle/Magnetic Stirrer (UC/MS)) was used to this aim. Also, an adaptive neuro-fuzzy system (ANFIS) joined with particle swarm optimization (PSO) to predict the stability of α-Al2O3 nanofluid. The ultrasonic cycle showed that it can be considered a vital parameter in creating the stability of nanofluids. Nanofluid was prepared by UC/MS technique at different pHs, ultrasonic cycles, and concentrations of nanoparticles, which resulted in reliable stability. In this method, with 10 min of sonication operation with cycle 7, PH 11, and volume concentration of 0.25 vol%, the value of zeta potential reached −32.8 mV, while in other studies, to achieve zeta potential above ±30 mV, a sonication operation was performed for up to 120 min. Also, the effect of ultrasonic cycles includes 1, 3, and 7, pH and volume concentration of nanoparticles specifically investigated and showed that with the increases of the ultrasonic cycles, pH, and concentration, the value of zeta potential increased.