Enhancing convective heat transfer in engine oil: a comparative study of various nanoparticles

The study explores heat transfer properties of five different nanofluid flows past an oil cooling system. The numerical investigation is carried out by developing mathematical model by utilising nanofluids volume fraction in engine oil based nanofluid containing solid particles of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), aluminium oxide (Al2O3), titanium oxide (TiO2), graphene oxide (GO), and copper (Cu). The system of PDE is converted to ODE using appropriate similarity transformations and then solved by employing the FEM. The influence of different nanoparticles on temperature and velocity distributions are analysed graphically. Additionally, the impact of various nanoparticles for the key parameters on the rate of heat transfer and coefficient of skin friction are presented in tabular form. The GO nanoparticles suspended in engine oil exhibit the comparatively lowest temperature and skin friction coefficient, and highest heat transfer capabilities. It may therefore be considered as the best lubricant for engines as it offers low friction and temperature, potentially extending the engine component's lifespan.