Date of Award:

8-2013

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Committee Chair(s)

Heng Ban

Committee

Heng Ban

Committee

Byard Wood

Committee

Christine Hailey

Abstract

Heat removal and management is a concern for any technology that deals with high power, small size, or a lack of convenient thermal transport methods. A potential solution to this heat crisis lies in the field of nanofluids, which consist of colloidal suspensions of nanometer (one billionth of a meter) sized particles within a host fluid. Nanofluids have been of particular interest since their creation due to their exciting, unique, and often times anomalous thermal transport behavior. In many cases, a nanofluid can be custom made to fit a particular need and can act as a flexible cooling method, adapting to the requirements of a specific system. In essence, they have the potential to become the world’s first smart/adaptable coolants. This research investigated the thermal behavior and transport phenomena of an, until now, unexplored area of nanofluid science, that of cryogenic nanofluids. Cryogenic nanofluids are similar to traditional nanofluids; however, they utilize cryogenic liquids as their host fluids. This enables them to use the extreme temperature gradients inherent to cryogenics in conjunction with the customizable and anomalous behavior of nanofluids. This thesis focused on the creation of three distinct multi-walled carbon nanotube based cryogenic nanofluids with liquid oxygen acting as the matrix fluid. A custom made, transient hot wire system was used to measure the effective thermal conductivity of these unique cryogenic nanofluids as they vary with particle type and volume fraction. This thesis also included the details of the experimental, theoretical, and numerical methodologies that formed the foundation of this research, along with discussions on the various aspects of nanofluid science, thermal conductivity, and the measurement of cryogenic nanofluids. Finally, the possible future research and real world applications of cryogenic nanofluids was explored.

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