Nanofluids thermal conductivity measurement in a bénard cell

Abstract

Thermal conductivity measurements of nanofluids were the subject of a considerable amount of published research works. Up to now, the experimental results reported in the current literature are still scarce and show many discrepancies. In this paper we propose measurements of this parameter using another experimental set-up. Because of very good thermal controls and big aspect ratio, the Bénard set-up is particularly well suited to determine the thermal conductivity. The aim of this paper is to detail the experimental measurement protocol. The investigated liquid is composed of single walled carbon nanotubes dispersed in water. The effect of liquid temperature on thermal conductivity was investigated. Obtained results confirm the potential of nanofluids in enhancing thermal conductivity and also show that the thermal conductivity temperature dependence is nonlinear, which is different from the results for metal/metal oxide nanofluids. © 2013 Mohamed Mojahed et al.