Department of Mechanical engineering

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://localhost:4000/handle/123456789/1921

Browse

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Item
    Effect of aggregation on thermal conductivity and heat transfer in hybrid nanocomposite phase change colloidal suspensions
    (AIP, 2013-11) Parameshwaran, R.
    his study aims to investigate the role of aggregation of the hybrid nanocomposite particles on thermal conductivity and heat transfer of the phase change colloidal suspensions. It is observed that the incorporation of the hybrid nanocomposite particles substantially enhances thermal conductivity of such suspensions up to 42.4% and effectively reduces their freezing time by 19.5%. The predictions and the experimental results supports the fact that the aggregation of the hybrid nanocomposite particles largely involve in the eventual thermal conductivity enhancements and heat transfer of the phase change colloidal suspensions, with a sufficiently lesser effects realized from the nanoparticles Brownian motion.
  • Item
    Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using Beta vulgaris: Role of process conditions on size distribution and surface structure
    (Elsevier, 2013-06) Parameshwaran, R.
    The present work reports the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles, using Beta vulgaris peel extract with a subsequent investigation on the size distribution and surface structure of nanoparticles formed under various process conditions. The green-chemical reduction mechanism of silver ions to nanoparticles by the active organic functional groups present in the extract was characterized, using the respective spectroscopic techniques. The effects of various process parameters, including induced intraparticle ripening, were attributed to the controlled formation of anisotropic silver nanoparticles within the supporting matrix of the extract. The plasmon absorption and resonance scattering properties were expected to be favourable for small and larger size nanoparticles (below 25 nm and above 75 nm) respectively, which was considered to be an indicative aspect for synthesizing nanoparticles of narrow size distribution. The zeta potential and dynamic light scattering (DLS) results suggest the good stability and mono-dispersed size distribution of the silver nanoparticles. The transmission electron microscope, selective area electron diffraction (SAED) and X-ray diffraction studies infer that the nanoparticles formed were spherical/quasi-spherical in shape, which primarily exhibited a face centred cubic crystal (FCC) structure. The green-chemical reduction of organic phases in the extract (especially amine (NH2) groups) as reflected through shifts observed in the Fourier-transform infra red (FTIR) peaks, reveal the possible interaction of the organic molecules with the silver ions in the effective formation, surface modification and stabilization of the silver nanoparticles.
  • Item
    Analytical and experimental investigations of nanoparticles embedded phase change materials for cooling application in modern buildings
    (Elsevier, 2012-03) Parameshwaran, R.
    his paper presents the analytical and experimental investigations of the phase change heat transfer characteristics and thermodynamic behavior of spherically enclosed phase change material (PCM) with dispersion of nanoparticles for latent thermal energy storage (LTES) system in buildings. In this study, the heat transfer characteristics in terms of the transient temperature variations, moving interface positions, complete rate of solidification and melting were analyzed for the six different PCMs considered in pure form and with dispersed nanoparticles as well. The heat transfer characteristics of the PCMs considered were analytically modeled and experimentally evaluated for the steady state and transient conditions for various heat generation parameters during freezing and melting cycles of the LTES system. The experimental results infer that for the same thermal load conditions the rate of solidification for the PCMs decreased with the increased mass fractions of nanoparticles while compared to the pure PCMs. For the same operating conditions of the LTES system, similar heat transfer characteristics were observed for the six PCMs considered. In this paper, the analytical model solutions and experimental results for the 60% n-tetradecane: 40% n-hexadecane PCM are presented. The solidification time for the 60% n-tetradecane: 40% n-hexadecane PCM embedded with the aluminium and alumina nanoparticles were expected to reduce by 12.97% and 4.97% than at its pure form respectively. Besides, the test results indicate that by increasing the mass fraction of the nanoparticles beyond the limiting value of 0.07 the rate of solidification was not significant further. Furthermore, the rate of melting was improved significantly for the PCMs embedded with the dispersed nanoparticles than the pure PCMs. The analytical solutions obtained for the pure and dispersed nanoparticles based PCMs were validated using the experimental results. The deviations observed between the analytical solutions and the experimental results were in the range of 10%–13%. Based on the analytical and experimental results the present nanoencapsulated LTES system can be regarded as a potential substitute for the conventional LTES system in buildings for achieving enhanced heat transfer characteristics and energy efficiency.