A Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Brownian Motion of a Nanoparticle in a Nanofluid. Issue 4 (2nd October 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Azimi, Seyyed Shahabeddin; Kalbasi, Mansour
• Is Part Of: Nanoscale and microscale thermophysical engineering. Volume 21:Issue 4(2017)
• Page Start: 263
• Page End: 277
• Publication Date: 2017-10-02
• Subjects: Brownian motion -- heat transfer -- molecular dynamics simulation -- nanofluid -- nanoparticle; Heat -- Transmission -- Periodicals; Heat -- Transmission; Electronic journals; Periodicals; 621.402
• DOI: 10.1080/15567265.2017.1286420
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1556-7265

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Brownian motion of nanoparticles is one of the mechanisms proposed to explain how nanoparticles improve the thermal conductivity of nanofluids where it has been assumed that a large volume of the surrounding base fluid is dragged by the moving nanoparticle, which leads to the heat transfer enhancement. Therefore, the necessary condition for this mechanism to play a key role is that the velocity vector of the moving nanoparticle points in the same direction as the velocity vectors of the surrounding base fluid. Using equilibrium molecular dynamics simulation and modeling a nanofluid, this mechanism is examined where the angles between the velocity vector of the nanoparticle and the velocity vectors of the surrounding base fluid are considered. The results for these angles indicate that the moving nanoparticle cannot considerably drag the surrounding base fluid even with increasing temperature. Furthermore, it is found that the moving nanoparticle may cause a weak thermal dispersion (fluctuation) around itself.