Applications of nanofluids in porous medium: A critical review

This investigation provides a review on the applications of nanofluids in porous media. The transport phenomena in porous media have been of continuing interest for the past decades. This is due to its wide applications in solar receiver devices, building thermal insulation, heat exchangers, energy storage units, ceramic processing, and catalytic reactors to name a few. Furthermore, nanofluids have been also used in porous media due to their superior thermal characteristics. This review is structured into two parts: The first part focuses on presenting the latest results for the thermal conductivity, viscosity, specific heat, and the thermal expansion coefficient of nanofluids reported in the literature. The second part of this review is allocated to the applications of nanofluids in thermal systems filled with porous medium and of different geometries, flow regimes, boundary conditions, and different types of nanofluids and thermophysical properties. Finally, future studies on the applications of nanofluids in porous media are recommended in this review.