A thermal conductivity model of nanofluids based on particle size distribution analysis

A model for predicting the thermal conductivity of nanofluids is proposed, in which the influence of nanoparticle clusters has been considered through the analysis of particle size distribution (PSD). The relation between PSD and thermal conductivity of nanofluids is established under the assumption that the nanoparticles in clusters aggregate with each other closely. A good agreement is achieved between the present model predictions and the experimental results in the literature. (C) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.