A study on stability and thermophysical properties (density and viscosity) of Al2O3 in water nanofluid

The dispersion and stability of nanofluids obtained by dispersing Al2O3 nanoparticles (obtained from different sources) in water have been analyzed. The differences arising from different dispersion techniques, the resulting particle size distribution, and time stability among the different samples are evaluated. Then the volumetric behavior up to high pressures (25 MPa) and atmospheric pressure viscosity were experimentally determined. It has been found that the influence of particle size in density is subtle but not negligible, but the differences in viscosity are very large and must be taken into account for any practical application. These viscosity differences can be rationalized by considering a theory describing the aggregation state of the nanofluid. (C) 2009 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3187732]