NER: Nanoparticle-Filled Liquid Fuels for Efficient Energy Conversion

美国国家科学基金会-主动纳米结构和纳米系统（ANN）（NSF 05-610）纳米尺度探索性研究（NER）摘要提案编号：CTS-0608850主要研究者：Patrican，Patrick所属机构： 亚利桑那州立大学提案标题：NER：用于有效能量转换的纳米颗粒填充液体燃料该提案是响应纳米科学与工程倡议，NSF 05-610，类别NER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能够更有效地燃烧，并增加燃料的体积热含量。 先前的研究已经表明，将纳米粒子添加到其他液体（如水）中，可以改善液体内部的传热和传质，部分原因是纳米粒子的布朗运动引起的“搅拌”。 该项目的目的是探索这种增强的传热和传质是否可以导致改进的液体燃料。 液体燃料（例如柴油或汽油）的燃烧效率的任何改进将对燃料消耗以及可能对排放产生巨大影响。 这项工作的广泛影响是巨大的。 我们进行的基本实验室测量，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，并导致新的和改进的燃料，可能会减少我们对化石燃料的依赖。将参与研究的本科生和少数民族本科生将获得纳米科学和工程的优秀介绍以及实验室实践。

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.