Experimental Study of Heat Transfer of a Car Radiator with CuO/Ethylene Glycol-Water as a Coolant

Conventional heat transfer fluids such as water and ethylene glycol (EG) can be used for cooling fluids in car radiators, and have relatively poor heat transfer performance. One method for increasing heat transfer in car radiators uses nanofluids. Nanofluids as a new technology are obtained by dispersing nanoparticles on the base fluids. In the present study, CuO (60 nm) nanoparticles were used in a mixture of water/EG as a base fluid. Then, the thermal performance of a car radiator was studied. The experiment was performed for different volumetric concentrations (0.05–0.8 vol%) of nanofluids of different flow rates (4–8 lit/min) and inlet temperatures (35, 44, 54°C). The results showed that nanofluids clearly enhanced heat transfer compared to the base fluid. In the best condition, the heat transfer coefficient enhancement of about 55% compared to the base fluid was recorded.