Thermophysical Behavior of Cryogenically Treated Silicon Carbide for Nanofluids

This paper deals with the influence of deep cryogenic treatment on thermophysical characteristics of silicon carbide powder for nanofluids for heat exchange applications. X-ray diffraction and scanning election microscope analysis were done with ball milled nano-SiC and cryo-SiC powders compared to conventional SiC powders. The experimental investigations on heat gain, viscosity and stability were also carried out in SiC–water and (cryogenically treated silicon carbide) cryo-SiC–water nanofluids. The results show that the deep cryogenic treatment decreases the size of the silicon carbide ball milled powder when compared to the conventional ball milled SiC powder. The SiC/water nanofluid with a pH value of 10.5 shows good stability when compared to the Sic/water nanofluid at pH 6.5. It is also found that (cryogenically treated silicon carbide) cryo-SiC–water nanofluid provides higher heat transfer than conventional SiC–water nanofluid.