| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 669974 | International Journal of Thermal Sciences | 2012 | 5 Pages |
Enhancement of thermal conductivity for nanofluids has been demonstrated in numerous experiments and analysis. The present study calculates the thermal conductivity and reveals molecular-level mechanisms for copper nanoparticles suspended in ethylene glycol using molecular dynamic simulations. Computed thermal conductivities of the nanofluids using Green-Kubo formalism and using Nonequilibrium MD Methods are compared. Contributions for possible heat transfer modes in molecular level are quantized, including modes of convection and interaction using Green-Kubo formalism. The simulations not only confirm that the enhancement of thermal conductivity due to the suspending nanoparticle is increased with volume fraction and the size of the nanoparticle but also identify the significant contributions from atom interaction.
► Present study calculates thermal conductivity for nanofluid using MD simulations. ► The nanofluid is composed of copper nanoparticles suspended in ethylene glycol. ► Green-Kubo formalism and Nonequilibrium MD Methods are employed and compared. ► Contributions by possible heat transfer modes at the molecular level are quantized. ► The inter-atom interactions play major roles in the thermal conductivity enhancement.
