Surfactants are often used in nanofluids to help improve dispersion and prevent aggregation of the resident nanoparticles. In this study, the researchers used the transient plane source (TPS) technique to measure the thermal conductivity of a variety of nanofluids with different surfactants of varying concentrations, at different temperatures and pH values. For surfactants, thermal conductivity stabilizes after the addition of a certain concentration of that surfactant. Strongly acidic and alkaline ...
Using industrial grade mullite powder and a foaming and starch consolidation process, a series of porous mullite ceramics were prepared. These ceramics were analyzed by a thermal constants analyzer, and it was determined that the ceramics had low thermal conductivities and would make good thermal insulators. The porosity of the synthesized ceramics can be controlled by the sintering temperature and by adjusting solid loading. The ceramics were subjected to theoretical ...
Ni-coated single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were dispersed in four fluids (of varying viscosities) to create four different nanofluids. Due to the magnetic properties of the coated nanotubes the researchers induced a magnetic field to increase the thermal conductivity of the nanofluids. The increase in thermal conductivity was due to the alignment of the carbon nanotubes into chains due to the magnetic field. A Thermal Constants Analyzer was used to measure ...
Microencapsulated phase change materials (MPCMs) are excellent materials for the storage of thermal energy, and through their dispersal into a carrier fluid, microencapsulated phase change slurries (MPCS) can be prepared. These slurries exhibit both excellent thermal energy storage and heat transfer properties. A series of MPCS were prepared for this research and subsequently tested for thermal conductivity and specific heat. Other methods of quantification include DSC, TGA, rheometry, and infrared ...
Since there was no literature on using the transient plane source method for the measurement of thermal conductivity and diffusivity of food products the authors did it themselves. They tested a variety of products including water, mineral oil, ethanol, beef, chicken and apples and determined that using the transient plane source method to simultaneously measure thermal conductivity and diffusivity was an accurate method....
