Thermal conductivity of low-particle-concentration suspensions: Correlation function approach

A method of determining the thermal conductivity of nanofluids is proposed. The approach uses the two-point correlation function of local thermal conductivities, which can be estimated from an optical image of the fluid. The effect of the particles shape and their agglomeration on the thermal conductivity of nanofluids is investigated. Effective increase in the particles concentration due to ordering at the nanoparticle-liquid interface is considered. It is shown that the effective media approximation holds for nanofluids with a low volume fraction of nanoparticles.