NER: Nanoparticle-Filled Liquid Fuels for Efficient Energy Conversion

美国国家科学基金会-活性纳米结构和纳米系统(ANN)(NSF05-610)纳米探索性研究(NER)摘要提案编号：CTS-0608850主要研究员：Phelan，Patrick从属关系：亚利桑那州立大学提案标题：NER：纳米颗粒填充的液体燃料用于高效能量转换该提案是响应纳米科学与工程倡议，NSF05-610，NER类别而收到的。纳米燃料是含有少量可燃纳米颗粒的液体燃料。纳米颗粒的存在可能使燃料更有效地燃烧，并增加燃料的体积热含量。以前的工作已经表明，将纳米颗粒添加到其他液体中，如水，可以改善液体内的热量和质量传递，部分原因是纳米颗粒的布朗运动引起的“搅拌”。该项目的目的是探索这种强化的传热和传质是否可以导致液体燃料的改进。柴油或汽油等液体燃料燃烧效率的任何提高，都将对燃料消耗产生巨大影响，并可能对排放产生巨大影响。这项工作的更广泛影响是巨大的。我们进行的基本实验室测量，再加上含有纳米颗粒的液滴如何燃烧的理论模型，将使我们能够量化纳米燃料的有益影响，并导致可能减少我们对化石燃料的依赖的新的和改进的燃料。将参与研究的本科生和少数民族本科生将获得优秀的纳米科学与工程介绍和实验室实践。

National Science Foundation - Active Nanostructure and Nanosystems (ANN) (NSF 05-610)Nanoscale Exploratory Research (NER)ABSTRACTProposal Number: CTS-0608850 Principal Investigator: Phelan, PatrickAffiliation: Arizona State University Proposal Title: NER:Nanoparticle Filled Liquid Fuels for Efficient Energy Conversion This proposal was received in response to Nanoscale Science and Engineering initiative, NSF 05-610, category NER. Nanofuels are liquid fuels that contain a small amount of combustible nanoparticles. The presence of the nanoparticles likely enables the fuel to burn more efficiently, and increases the volumetric heat content of the fuel. Previous work has already shown that adding nanoparticles to other liquids, such as water, improves the heat and mass transfer inside the liquid, in part because of the "stirring" caused by the nanoparticles' Brownian motion. The purpose of this project is to explore whether such enhanced heat and mass transfer can lead to improved liquid fuels. Any improvement in the combustion efficiency of liquid fuels, such as diesel or gasoline, would have a tremendous impact on fuel consumption and, possibly, on emissions as well. The Broader Impacts of the work are substantial. The fundamental laboratory measurements that we conduct, coupled with theoretical models of how liquid droplets containing nanoparticles burn, will enable us to quantify the beneficial impacts of nanofuels, and lead to new and improved fuels that may lessen our dependence on fossil fuels. The undergraduate and minority undergraduate students that will be involved in the research will receive outstanding introduction to nano science and engineering, and laboratory practice.