Application of nanoparticles in domestic refrigerators

The reliability and performance of a domestic refrigerator with nanoparticles in the working fluid was investigated experimentally. Mineral oil with TiO2 nanoparticles mixtures were used as the lubricant instead of Polyol-ester (POE) oil in the 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (HFC134a) refrigerator. The compatibility of nonmetallic materials in the system with the HFC134a and mineral oil-nanoparticles mixtures was studied before the refrigerator performance tests. The refrigerator performance with the nanoparticles was then investigated using energy consumption tests and freeze capacity tests. The results indicate that HFC134a and mineral oil with TiO2 nanoparticles works normally and safely in the refrigerator. The refrigerator performance was better than the HFC134a and POE oil system, with 26.1% less energy consumption used with 0.1% mass fraction TiO2 nanoparticles compared to the HFC134a and POE oil system. The same tests with Al2O3 nanoparticles showed that the different nanoparticles properties have little effect on the refrigerator performance. Thus, nanoparticles can be used in domestic refrigerators to considerably reduce energy consumption.