Viscosity and Friction Factor of Aluminum Oxide-Water Nanofluid Flow in Circular Tubes Available to Purchase

Experiments have been conducted to characterize the viscosity and friction factor of aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) nanoparticle dispersions at 6% vol. in water. Rheological characterization of the Al₂O₃ nanofluid has shown that it exhibits a Newtonian fluid behavior for the shear rate range of 6 to 122 s⁻¹ between 6 and 75°C. Friction factor results of the nanofluid flowing through circular tubes of 1 m in length with different inner tube diameters (2.97 and 4.45 mm) were experimentally measured in the laminar and the onset of transition regions. The experimental results from this study indicate that, when the nanofluid properties are properly characterized, the friction factors of the Al₂O₃ nanofluid are largely in agreement with classical friction factor theory for single-phase flow.