Effect of ionic additive on pool boiling critical heat flux of titania/water nanofluids

Abstract

TiO2/water nanofluids were prepared and tested to investigate the effects of an ionic additive (i.e., nitric acid in this study) on the critical heat flux (CHF) behavior in pool boiling. Experimental results showed that the ionic additive improved the dispersion stability but reduced the CHF increase in the nanofluid. The additive affected the self-assembled nanoparticle structures formed on the heater surfaces by creating a more uniform and smoother structure, thus diminishing the CHF enhancement in nanofluids.