The effect of hybrid nanofluid CuO-TiO2 on radiator performance

Abstract

This study aims to improve the performance of the vehicle's cooling system called the radiator, which is part of increasing energy efficiency. Research has been done to investigate the convective heat transfer of hybrid nanofluid, using CuO and TiO2 nanoparticles and water-ethylene glycol (RC) as base fluids on a radiator. The mass concentration of the hybrid nanoparticles varied from 0.25 %, 0.30 %, and 0.35 %. For the preparation of the hybrid nanofluid through a two-step method, by mixing dry samples of CuO and TiO2 nanoparticles (50:50) and then the mixture of radiator coolant, RC (60 % water and 40 % ethylene glycol). The fluid flow varies from 20 liters per minute to 28 liters per minute. Temperature variations range from 70 °C to 90 °C by using controlled heating. Four thermocouples measure the inlet and outlet hot fluid flow and the airflow before and after the radiator. The experiment showed that the overall heat transfer coefficient increases remarkably with the increase of the hybrid nanoparticle concentration under various flow rate values. The maximum overall heat transfer coefficient increases by about 83 % compared to pure radiator coolant under 0.35 % mass concentration at a flow rate of 22 liters per minute and a temperature of 70 °C. It has also been found that the heat transfer rate is highly dependent on the radiator's mass fraction and flow rate. Increasing the mass concentration shows maximum enhancement in heat transfer rate. Inlet temperature also enhances the heat transfer rate, but its effect is small compared to nanofluid's mass concentration and flow rate. This study reveals that hybrid nanofluids can be suitable as a working fluid, especially in small-scale heat transfer devices.