Experimental Investigations on the Thermal Contact Conductance Using Al2O3 Nanoparticles in the Interfacial Material

Thermal contact conductance is an important concern in the heat transfer applications such as electronic packaging, engine cooling, nuclear cooling, and thermal control. The characterization of thermal contact conductance between the two solid plates is an important parameter in the designing of heat sinks in various industrial applications, where suitably different thermally conducting interface materials are employed. In the present investigation, glycerin and a commercially available thermal paste are used with and without the nanoparticles in the different particle concentrations. The effects of heat fluxes and interface materials on thermal conductance and heat transfer are estimated, experimentally. A reduction in the resistance to heat transfer at the interface of solid surfaces subjected to constant pressure is found for the higher concentration of nanoparticles. The effects of all the materials and temperature differences are duly reported and discussed.