Thermal–electrical–hydraulic properties of Al2O3–SiO2 hybrid nanofluids for advanced PEM fuel cell thermal management

• Published in: Journal of thermal analysis and calorimetry 2021, Vol.143 (2), p.1555-1567
• Main Authors: Khalid, Saifuddin, Zakaria, Irnie, Azmi, W. H., Mohamed, W. A. N. W.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aluminum oxide; Analytical Chemistry; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Coolants; Electrical resistivity; Feasibility; Fuel cells; Hydraulic properties; Hydraulics; Inorganic Chemistry; Measurement Science and Instrumentation; Nanofluids; Physical Chemistry; Physical properties; Polymer Sciences; Proton exchange membrane fuel cells; Silicon dioxide; Thermal conductivity; Thermal management; Viscosity
• ISSN: 1388-6150; 1588-2926
• DOI: 10.1007/s10973-020-09695-8

Hybrid nanofluid is a new revolutionized cooling liquid with improved thermo-physical properties as compared to conventional coolant. This paper presents the feasibility of hybrid Al 2 O 3 –SiO 2 nanofluids as an advanced coolant for PEM fuel cell application in terms of thermal–electrical–hydraulic thermo-physical properties. Nine mixture ratios of Al 2 O 3 –SiO 2 were used in this experiment, ranging from 10:90 to 90:10 mixture ratios. The result demonstrated that both thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity decreased as the percentage of Al 2 O 3 was increased in the mixture. In contrast, the dynamic viscosity property increased as the Al 2 O 3 percentage ratio was increased. In summary, property enhancement ratio (PER) of thermo-hydraulic (PER t/v ) and thermo-electrical (PER t/e ) was established. Both PER t/v and PER t/e analyses favor 10:90 ratio of Al 2 O 3 –SiO 2 hybrid as the most feasible ratio for the implementation in PEMFC. This is due to the dominant effect of thermal over viscosity and electrical conductivity.