Effect of Surfactant Concentration and Nanoparticle Loading on the Thermal Conductivity and Viscosity of Aluminum Oxide/Water Nanofluids
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This study experimentally investigates the effects of surfactant concentration and nanoparticle volume fraction on the thermophysical properties of Al₂O₃/water-based nanofluids under ambient conditions. Nanofluids were prepared using a two-step method with three nanoparticle volume fractions (0.01, 0.05, and 0.1 vol.%) and three surfactant amounts (0.05, 0.10, and 0.15 g). Thermal conductivity and dynamic viscosity were measured to evaluate the combined influence of formulation parameters on heat transfer performance and flow behavior. The results showed that thermal conductivity increased with both nanoparticle concentration and surfactant amount, with a maximum enhancement of approximately 4–5% compared to the base fluid. Dynamic viscosity also increased, reaching about 15–20% higher than that of pure water under the same conditions. These findings indicate a clear trade-off between thermal conductivity enhancement and viscosity increase. While higher surfactant concentrations may influence particle distribution within the suspension and contribute to thermal conductivity enhancement, they also lead to increased flow resistance. Therefore, careful optimization of surfactant concentration is required to achieve a balance between improved thermal performance and acceptable viscosity characteristics. This work provides a systematic evaluation of surfactant concentration under ambient conditions and offers useful insight into formulation-oriented nanofluid design.
Authors: Ali Rahman Ali Alburgheef, Semahat Doruk
Institution: Çankırı Karatekin University
Language: English
Subfield: Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes
Field: Chemical Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7163402655