Experimental investigation on the thermophysical properties of beryllium oxide-based nanofluid and nano-enhanced phase change material

Abstract

Low thermal conductivity is a primary issue in the development of efficient heat transfer fluids and materials required for the thermal management of various systems. In this work, beryllium oxide nanoparticles of size 15–25 nm and surface area 88 m2 g−1 were synthesized by polyacrylamide gel route to prepare nanofluid and nano-enhanced phase change material with enhanced thermal properties. The thermal conductivity and viscosity of the nanofluids show a linear increase with the BeO particle concentration, and a maximum thermal conductivity enhancement of 39% was obtained for 2 vol% nanofluid compared to its base fluid (deionized water). Similarly, the thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity and latent heat capacity of the nano-enhanced phase change material were also found to be increased up to 15%, 30% and 23%, respectively, for 2 vol% BeO nano-enhanced phase change material compared to the base material (polyethylene glycol). The inferred results show that the BeO nanoparticle has a significant influence in the increased thermal properties of nano-enhanced fluids and phase change materials, and thus can be used as a potential heat transfer materials in thermal applications.