Performance Investigation of TiO₂ Nanofluid Coolant for Automobile Cooling Applications

Abstract

This study focused on the evaluation of TiO2 nanofluid coolant for automobile engine cooling applications. It was observed that, about 3% of thermal conductivity enhancement and above 10% convective heat transfer enhancement could be achieved with the usage of 1.0 wt.% TiO2 nanofluid coolant compared to base coolant without nanoparticles. More importantly, corrosion-inhibiting properties of TiO2 nanofluid coolant were investigated, which indicated that the nanofluid coolant possess the characteristics of a qualified engine coolant should have. The evaluation results showed that the nanofluid coolant could be a promising engine coolant for automobiles.

Titanium Dioxide: Advancements and Thermal Applications

“…Titania-based nanofluids have been tested for automotive cooling purposes as well, and quite encouraging results have been reported in recent studies. Chen et al [25,26] tested the performance of TiO 2 /water nanocoolant for automotive cooling, and they observed 10% enhancement in heat transfer coefficient at 1.0 wt.% concentration of titania nanoparticle. They performed a pump cavitation test and recorded a pump corrosion rating of 10, which means no corrosion/erosion.…”

Dielectric Properties of Boron Nitride-Ethylene Glycol (BN-EG) Nanofluids

“…A broad field of applications of the nanofluids is in the systems related to heat transfer. For example, Chen et al 15 studied the possibility of using TiO 2 nanofluids for cooling automobile engines. Similar studies in this field were conducted by other researchers.…”