IIT Guwahati Researchers Develop Heat Transfer Liquid To Address Global Water Scarcity; Check Details Here

New Delhi: The research team from IIT Guwahati, led by Prof. Tamal Banerjee of the Department of Chemical Engineering, have developed a novel heat transfer fluid based on nanofluids that is capable of efficiently transferring heat generated by solar power to desalination systems.

According to an IIT Guwahati press release, this innovation promises a realistic method for creating drinkable water from seawater, solving the serious issue of worldwide water scarcity. 

With the world experiencing severe water scarcity that outpaces population expansion, the demand for desalination, a technique that recovers freshwater from seawater, has become vital. However, traditional desalination systems rely on heat generated by the combustion of fossil fuels, posing economic and environmental issues. A viable answer to this problem is concentrated solar power (CSP), which uses sunlight to generate heat.

The difficulty in employing CSP for desalination is in transporting heat generated by CSP systems to desalination facilities. The disadvantages of common heat transfer fluids, such as molten salts and synthetic oils, include high melting points and low heat transmission efficiency. 

To solve these challenges, IIT Guwahati researchers investigated the use of nanofluids, which are nanoparticle suspensions in Deep Eutectic Solvent (DES), as an efficient alternative. The researchers made use of graphene oxide's high thermal conductivity and stability when dispersed in a DES, a safe and ecologically friendly solvent. 

They improved dispersion stability by altering graphene oxide with amine functionality, overcoming the tendency of nanoparticles to clump together.

The research has shown that nanofluids have improved thermal characteristics in heat transfer applications. They have also devised a novel desalination device that makes use of nanofluids and a heat exchanger. This system seeks to reach a Gain Output Ratio (GOR) of roughly 10, suggesting the possibility of producing more freshwater.

According to IIT Guwahati, the research findings were published in the journal Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering by the American Chemical Society and were financed by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.

Popular Courses in IIT Guwahati

Read More: 

• IIT Guwahati and AlmaBetter Offer Certificate Courses in Data Science, AI and Web Stack Development; Check Details Here

• IIT Guwahati GATE Cut off 2024

Subscribe to Collegedunia to get the latest educational news and updates –