Experimental studies on thermal and physical characteristics of mono and hybrid nanofluids

This research paper aims to present experimental findings on important thermophysical properties such as thermal conductivity, viscosity, and density of selected nanofluids. Ethylene glycol is considered as the base fluid, and multi-walled carbon nanotubes, zinc oxide, aluminum oxide nanoparticles are used in the present study. The nanopartices are chosen due to their remarkable thermal and physical properties. The results indicate that the thermal conductivity of the ethylene glycol increases in a linear manner when Al$_2$O$_3$, MWCNT, and ZnO nanoparticles are dispersed in the base fluid. Particle concentration varied from 0.1 to 0.3 vol%. The highest increment noted is 39% at the highest concentrations. The viscosity of the nanoparticles containing ethylene glycol improves with temperature, and Al$_2$O$_3$ and MWCNT have the highest improvement. Thus, the density analysis shows that the nanofluids with 0.1 and 0.2 vol% nanoparticles dispersed in ethylene glycol and having 0.2 vol% have less fluctuation compared to nanofluids with 0.3 vol%, which may affect various characteristics of the coolant considerably. This shows how nanofluids can help in managing the thermal conditions of automobiles and electronic gadgets.