Enhancing Engine Cooling Efficiency: Evaluating Zinc & Magnesium Oxide Nanofluid Viscosity

In this study, the viscosity and thermal performance of nanofluids based on ZnO-MgO mixed oxide nanoparticles added in different concentrations to ethylene glycol-water mixture are characterized with potential applications in engine cooling. The work began with two needs: the increasing importance of better heat removal in automotive engines, where traditional coolants struggle to adequately maintain good thermal conductivity but at low viscosity to acceptable levels; and a chance opportunity for exploration provided by MMD/MILab Engineer Andrew Cricee. The work wants to improve the cooling properties, but still keeping good fluidity by integrating ZnO-MgO nanoparticles. Preparation method the preparation of ZnO-MgO nanofluids was done using volume concentrations of 0.1%, 0.3% and 0.5%. To determine chemical properties, viscosity measurements were made on the Dragonfly using a Brookfield viscometer at temperatures ranging from 25 ° C to 80 ° C while varying the nanoparticle concentration as well as temperature. Furthermore, measurements for thermal conductivity were also done in order to evaluate the heat transfer ability of the nanofluids with reference to common coolants. Present work is novel in the area of ZnO-MgO mixed oxide based nanofluids as joint correlation analysis and no such reports are available in context with automotive cooling systems. The results show that, at higher nanoparticle loading ratios, the viscosity is increased but as temperature is elevated, the opposite effect takes place so heat can be dissipated while having a lower resistance to fluid flow. Thus, with the incorporation of ZnO-MgO nanofluids as coolants but also their thermal conductivity enhanced at higher temperatures as well as at higher concentrations, it serves its prime purpose to replace conventional coolants in an internal combustion engine system allowing superior performance and longevity of the engine. The present work reports the potential of ZnO-MgO nanofluids for active engine cooling applications and high thermal efficiency.