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Numerical analysis of percolation formation in carbon nanotube based nanofluids
Author(s) -
Lamas Bruno,
Abreu Bruno,
Fonseca Alexandra,
Martins Nelson,
Oliveira Mónica
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
international journal for numerical methods in engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.421
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1097-0207
pISSN - 0029-5981
DOI - 10.1002/nme.4510
Subject(s) - nanofluid , carbon nanotube , percolation (cognitive psychology) , thermal conductivity , thermal conduction , brownian motion , materials science , nanofluidics , nanotechnology , mechanics , flexibility (engineering) , statistical physics , computer simulation , interfacial thermal resistance , thermal , nanotube , nanoparticle , thermal resistance , composite material , physics , heat transfer , thermodynamics , mathematics , quantum mechanics , neuroscience , biology , statistics
SUMMARY The intriguing behaviour of carbon nanotube suspensions shows that thermal conduction cannot be described by conventional approaches. These results led the researchers on the percolation and the interfacial layer resistance (also known as Kapitza resistance) as the main mechanisms governing the effective thermal conductivity enhancement for these nanoparticles suspensions. A numerical simulation on the behaviour of these suspensions, when subjected to a Brownian force field, was conducted to characterize the main factors affecting the dynamic interactions and percolation structures formation. To this end, three different numerical models based on continuum mechanics were developed. The obtained results suggest that the size, shape and aspect ratio of the nanoparticles are main factors controlling the dynamic network formation. On the other hand, the influence of the Brownian motion and the structural flexibility of the nanotubes seem to have a rather negligible effect on the results. The numerical model developed and proposed here may assist in understanding and correlating the experimental thermal conductivity data of nanofluids, contributing to demystify some of the intriguing behaviours reported. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.