Effect of CeO2 Nanoparticles on the Thermal Conductivity of Lubricating Oil: An Experimental Investigation
Authors
ZUBAIR AHMED, MUHAMMAD ALAM ZAIB KHAN, MUZAMIL KHAN and MUHAMMAD ALI KAMRAN
Abstract
Addition of nanoparticles to the engine oil is an advanced practice to improve the thermal properties (thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, and volumetric heat capacity) of engine oil and the lubricants. This study analyzes the effect of Cerium oxide nanoparticles on the thermal conductivity (k) of engine oil. The samples were prepared by means of probe sonicator in weight-by-weight composition of 0.1%, 0.3%, 0.5%, 0.7% and 0.9%. The tests were performed in two ways, in the first case it was just after preparation of samples and in second case, when these prepared samples were run in engine for 12 hours. Data was recorded from these samples in both the cases (before and after engine operation) and were tabulated relative to the base engine oil with 0% mass fraction of CeO2. Thermal conductivity shows improvement against the mass fraction and the peak changes were observed at 0.9% mass fraction. The overall results obtained showed that, thermal conductivity improved by 4.3% at 0.9% mass fraction while at mass fraction of 0.5% the thermal conductivity increased 2.8%.
