Investigation of Dispersion, Stability, and Tribological Performance of Oil-Based Aluminum Oxide Nanofluids

Abstract

The term nanofluid was first proposed by Choi in 1995 and has been studied ever since due to their unique characteristics. Despite their great promise for thermal and tribological properties, the issue of preparing stable and well-dispersed solutions has been the major problem with this new classification of fluid. In this study, the effects of different dispersion procedures and methods on the stability of oil-based Al2O3 nanofluids were investigated. Sample concentration of surfactant and nanoparticles was studied for solution stability. Sample stability was also compared using a different stabilizing agent. The experimentally determined tribological performance for stabilized alumina nanofluids was investigated. Ball-on-disk tests were conducted and friction data was collected over time. The resulting wear data was analyzed using an optical surface profiler. The stabilized nanofluid was tested for enhanced thermal properties. A semi-transient hot plane method was used to acquire thermal conductivity data.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2012
Accession Number
ADA570445

Entities

People

  • Steven J. Thrush

Organizations

  • Oakland University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Engineered Resilient Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aluminum Oxides
  • Chemical Synthesis
  • Chemistry
  • Friction
  • Material Degradation Processes
  • Materials
  • Materials Laboratories
  • Materials Processing
  • Materials Science
  • Materials Testing
  • Metal Oxide Nanoparticles
  • Metal Oxides
  • Metallic Nanoparticles
  • Metals
  • Nanoparticles
  • Nanotechnology
  • Polyethylene Glycols

Fields of Study

  • Materials science

Readers

  • Combustion science or combustion engineering.
  • Nanocomposite Materials Science
  • Tribology (the study of the boundary interaction between sliding surfaces, lubrication, wear and friction).

Technology Areas

  • Biotechnology