NANOMETRE: Nanofluids Modeling Strategies Evaluation based on Natural Circulation Mini-Loops

Nanometre is a bilateral research project between Slovenia and Turkey financed by ARRS and TUBITRAK

Duration: 2023 - 2024

• PI in Slovenia: prof. dr. Jure Ravnik
• PI in Turkey: assist. prof. dr. Elif Begum Elcioglu

Abstract:

Nanofluids are colloidal mixtures of nanoparticles and common industrial liquids. Their main
advantages for energy applications are high thermal conductivity, high heat transfer coefficient (thus
high thermal efficiency), tunable absorptivity, density, and specific heat. Since the term “nanofluid”
has been given to dispersions of nanoparticles in 1995, there have been a growing tendency towards
exploring nanofluids’ utility in heat transfer applications. Such efforts require experimental and
theoretical investigations to be performed dedicatedly, using high technology equipment, tools, and
workforce. International collaborations have an important place in multi-disciplinary research as in
nanofluids field, requiring well-trained researchers and quite a self-contained kit of experimental
apparatus, tools, computers, and software, and/or at least accessibility to those. Within the COST
(European Cooperation in Science and Technology) Framework, the two successfully completed
actions, namely Nanouptake – Overcoming Barriers to Nanofluids Market Uptake (CA15119) [1] and
NANOConVEX - Nanofluids for Convective Heat Transfer Devices COST Innovators Grant (CIG15119)
[2] have contributed to nanofluids literature considerably, by enabling young researchers and experts
to join forces and perform high quality research. With the ongoing motivation from CA15119 and
CIG15119, the team members of these two projects from Turkey and Slovenia prepared this project
proposal and are highly motivated to join together to perform further high-quality research on
natural circulation mini loops with nanofluids, to contribute to the path of nanofluids industrialization,
aiming at, after careful research (i) determining the accuracies of nanofluid modeling strategies by
comparisons against experiments, (ii) supporting systems efficiency upgradation via use of nanofluids
rather than pure liquids alone, (iii) studying a natural circulation system that requires no additional
means for circulation (e.g., pumps) and exhibits low operation costs, and (iv) shedding a light to
such low power consumption systems employing nanofluids with smaller carbon footprint and in an
environment conscious way.
In addition to application-based objectives, the scientific objective of this international collaboration
is to bring a scientifically sound and precise evaluation framework for nanofluids simulation
approaches by using natural circulation mini-loops as a tool, by combining the mutually
complementary strengths of the Turkish Group (one-phase numerical modeling, experiments, and
statistical modeling) and the Slovenian Group (two-phase numerical modeling) together.