Thermo-physical properties of water based lanthanum oxide nanofluid. An experimental study

Abstract The aim of the paper is the experimental investigation of the thermo-physical properties and efficiency of a new type of nanofluid with high potential in thermal applications, namely the water based lanthanum oxide nanofluid. The nanoparticles of La 2 O 3 were synthesized and characterized using XDR and TEM techniques. Thermal conductivity and viscosity of the prepared aqueous nanofluids were measured within the range of the temperature of 20 °C to 50 °C for three mass concentrations of the nanoparticles: 0.5%, 2.0% and 3.0%. Correlations for both thermal conductivity and viscosity based on the experimental results were also proposed. Furthermore, the efficiency of lanthanum oxide and the influence of the nanoparticles mass concentration on heat transfer coefficient and pumping power were also studied for both laminar and turbulent regimes.