The thermal conductivity of liquid mixture

Abstract

Effective thermal conductivity of mixtures of fluids and nanometer-size particles is measured by a steady-state parallel-plate method. The tested fluids contain two types of nanoparticles, Al₂O₃ and CuO, dispersed in water, vacuum pump fluid, engine oil, and ethylene glycol. Experimental results show that the thermal conductivities of nanoparticle-fluid mixtures are higher than those of the base fluids. Using theoretical models of effective thermal conductivity of a mixture, we have demonstrated that the predicted thermal conductivities of nanoparticle-fluid mixtures are much lower than our measured data, indicating the deficiency in the existing models when used for nanoparticle-fluid mixtures. Possible mechanisms contributing to enhancement of the thermal conductivity of the mixtures are discussed. A more comprehensive theory is needed to fully explain the behavior of nanoparticle-fluid mixtures.