Experimental study on the effect of copper oxide nanoparticles on thermophysical properties of ethylene glycol–water for using in indirect heater at city gate stations

This study aimed to investigate the increase in heat transfer in the indirect heater at a city gate station (CGS) with the addition of copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles to water–ethylene glycol base fluids. Indirect heaters are typically used at CGSs to raise the heat transfer coefficient of output gas flow from ? 5 to 15 °C. Moreover, manufacturing laboratory equipment in the presence of water–ethylene glycol base fluid and the nanoparticle in volume fractions of 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 at a temperature of 40–70 °C was discussed using dimensional simulation and analysis. The physical properties of the base fluid and nanofluid were measured using precise devices. Heat transfer tests for the base and nanofluid, as well as replacing of the air by gas, were conducted in a simulated and developed device. According to the obtained results with respect to the changes in convection and conduction heat transfer, enhancement of temperature difference at a rate of 36% was observed in the indirect heater with nanoparticle volume concentration of 0.2% at a temperature of 70 °C. Moreover, the Nusselt number showed a relatively good agreement with theoretical discussions.

     

The Effect of Zinc Oxide and Calcium Carbonate Nanoparticles on the Thermal Conductivity of Polypropylene

The thermal conductivity (TC) of compression-moulded polypropylene (PP) and PP filled with 5–15% zinc oxide (ZnO) or calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) nanoparticles, prepared by extrusion, was studied using a thermal conductivity analyzer (TCA). The effect of nanoparticle content and crystallinity on the thermal conductivity was investigated using conventional methods, including SEM, XRD, and DSC. The incorporation of nanoparticles improved the crystallinity and thermal conductivity simultaneously. The experimental TC values of the PP nanocomposites with different level of nanoparticles concentration showed a linear increase with an increase in crystallinity. The TC improvement in PP/ZnO nanocomposite was greater than that of PP/calcium carbonate nanocomposites. This fact can be attributed to the intrinsic, better thermal conductivity of the ZnO nanoparticles. Several models were used for prediction of the TC in the nanocomposites. In the PP/ZnO nanocomposites the TC values correlated well with the values predicted by the Series, Maxwell, Lewis and Nielson, Bruggeman, and De Loor models up to 10 wt%.