RT Conference Proceedings T1 Rheological study of the aggregation state of alumina nanofluids A1 Arjona-Escudero, José Luis A1 Santos-Ráez, Isidro María A1 Gómez-Merino, Ana Isabel A1 Rubio-Hernández, Francisco José K1 Fluidos no newtonianos AB The presence of alumina solid particles in aqueous phase induces a change in the viscosity of the suspension from Newtonian to non- Newtonian flow. Besides, the presence of solid particles is adequate for the use as a heat exchanger fluid. The effect of nanoparticle size on thermal properties of nanofluids is still today a question, which is far from being answered. In this respect, the results reported in the literature are contradictory [1], probably due to the formation of aggregates when particles are dispersed in the liquid phase. Regarding to the nanoparticle shape influence in thermal conductivity, cylinders and spheres have been considered as the more effective in heat transfer.Spherical nanoparticles of alumina, which is one of the most investigated nanofluid, dispersed in water were used in this study. TEM images showed a mean average diameter of 50 nm. However, DLS measurements showed monodispersed particles of 260 nm. Very recently [2], the relationship between shear rheology and aggregation state of suspensions has been reviewed. Mechanical and physical properties of the resultant materials depend on shape, size and size distribution, which are considered determining parameters in the formation of particle aggregates. The steady shear flow (figure 1) has shown that these clusters, when they are at rest, are formed by highly branched aggregates that erode when shear rate increases, until a suspension of individual particles is achieved. These results are in good agreement with the intrinsic viscosity obtained by Money and Krieger-Dougherty models. In both cases, these values are far from the 2.5 corresponding to spherical particles. The temperature effects were also taken into account. PB Hernández, M.J., Sanz, T, Salvador, A., Rubio-Hernández, F.J. YR 2017 FD 2017 LK http://hdl.handle.net/10630/14740 UL http://hdl.handle.net/10630/14740 LA eng NO Se adjunta una comunicación, aunque se han publicado tres comunicaciones más. NO Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. DS RIUMA. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Málaga RD 22 ene 2026