NANO MATERIALS IN REFRIGERATION CYCLE

Nanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale.

Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures
possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometers.One nanometer (nm) is one
billionth, or 10-9, of a meter.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF NANO MATERIALS

1. Carbon Based Materials

These nanomaterials are composed mostly of carbon, most commonly taking the form of a
hollow spheres, ellipsoids, or tubes. Spherical and ellipsoidal carbon nanomaterials are referred
to as fullerenes, while cylindrical ones are called nanotubes. These particles have many
potential applications, including improved films and coatings, stronger and lighter materials,
and applications in electronics.

2. Metal Based Materials

These nanomaterials include quantum dots, nanogold, nanosilver and metal oxides, such as
titanium dioxide. A quantum dot is a closely packed semiconductor crystal comprised of
hundreds or thousands of atoms, and whose size is on the order of a few nanometers to a few
hundred nanometers. Changing the size of quantum dots changes their optical properties.

3. DENDRIMERS

These nanomaterials are Nano sized polymers built from branched units. The surface of a
dendrimers has numerous chain ends, which can be tailored to perform specific chemical
functions. This property could also be useful for catalysis. Also, because three-dimensional
dendrimers contain interior cavities into which other molecules could be placed, they may be
useful for drug delivery.
 4. COMPOSITES

Composites combine nanoparticles with other nanoparticles or with larger, bulk-type materials.
Nanoparticles, such as Nano sized clays, are already being added to products ranging from auto
parts to packaging materials, to enhance mechanical, thermal, barrier, and flame-retardant
properties.

UNIQUE PROPERTIES

The unique properties of these various types of intentionally produced nanomaterials give them
novel electrical, catalytic, magnetic, mechanical, thermal, or imaging features that are highly
desirable for applications in commercial, medical, military, and environmental sectors. These
materials may also find their way into more complex nanostructures and systems. As new uses
for materials with these special properties are identified, the number of products containing
such nanomaterial and their possible applications continues to grow.

Nano refrigerants

The Nano fluid is a new type of heat transfer fluid by suspending Nano-scale materials in a
conventional host fluid and has higher thermal conductivity than the conventional host fluid.
The Nano refrigerant is one kind of Nano fluid and its host fluid is refrigerant. A Nano
refrigerant has higher heat transfer coefficient than the host refrigerant and it can be used to
improve the performance of refrigeration systems.
The thermal conductivity of a carbon nanotube (CNT) is much higher than the thermal
conductivity of a metal nanoparticle or a metal oxide nanoparticle.

Nano lubricants

A nanolubricant containing CuO nanoparticles at 1% volume fraction with a polyolester

lubricant when mixed with R134a, the nanoparticles causes a heat transfer enhancement
relative to the heat transfer of pure R134a/poly.
NANO TECHNOLOGY IN VARC

Typically, absorption chillers are large and expensive when compared to the more common
refrigeration technology. The economic case is that they pay for themselves over time by saving
electricity. However, they have not had much of a role to play in residential ac.A typical home
does not have a ready source of waste heat - while it does have a ready source of electricity.

In absorption chillers, an evaporated refrigerant adheres to a solid surface. The refrigerant is

usually a water solution. For the system to work well, a large surface area is needed. Using
engineered nanostructures that self-assemble into 3-D shapes, a much-larger effective surface
area is created. The end result is a unit 75% smaller that costs half as much as current
technology.

In addition, the nanostructures bind more weakly to water molecules than current materials.
This means that less heat is needed to drive the refrigeration cycle. It also speeds up the
process of absorbing and releasing water molecules. The efficiency gains and lower heat
requirements mean that the most common heat source in the world - the sun - could be used
to power the air conditioner during the time of the day when it is most needed.

NANO MATERIALS FOR THERMAL INSULATIONS

Nano materials are emerging as popular insulation material since they are an improvement
over the traditional insulation materials and even cost less. A micro thickness film called Nano
skin has been developed and it offers a thermal protection layer by using small cells consisting
of vacuum. This film will be embedded in the inner wall of the fridge during the manufacturing
process for offering effective layer of insulation.It looks like this film will replace the traditional
insulating material due to the advantages it offers and the obviously the cost factor too.

OTHER USES

Aside from the interior coating in fridges it is integrated with antimicrobial properties and acts
as a deodorizer to eliminate odor transfer, there’s more to this as far as application of
nanotechnology in refrigerators is concerned. Some brands of refrigerators even have nano
particles in the seals of their freezer and refrigerator doors to ensure a tight closed shut and to
prevent the exterior air from coming inside the fridge.
A few brands of refrigerators are more sophisticated – Daewoo has Nano Silver poly technology
that contributes to both safety and efficiency in refrigeration and Sharp has Nano deodorizers
to prevent odor transfer. Others are scratch-resistant, thanks to nanotechnology

USE IN AIRCONDITIONER

The new revolutionary air treatment method uses nanotechnology to eliminate the need for
using common refrigerants like CFC/HCFC

Since Nano Air is based on harnessing energy using nanoparticles, it doesn’t need
cooling/agents like fluorocarbon, thereby cutting down on carbon footprint by more than 50%.
Moreover, toxic CO2 emissions are reduced as much as 57%. Once this technology becomes a
standard, there’ll only be a huge upside to its use. Consumers will be able to save more, get
more comfort, breathe in fresher, cleaner air inside and outside, and generally, enjoy a better
quality of life.

Nano Air’s mechanism is based on having separate controls for moisture (humidity) and
temperature. This ‘separation’ mechanism is the value proposition of the NanoAir system and
studies have determined SEER or Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratings of higher than 30, and EER
or Energy Efficiency Ratings of around 25 as a result of this method.

CONCLUSION

Nano technology is a very promising field and is creating materials with more improved
properties that are used in different fields. Nano technology in refrigeration cycles find a
number of applications and are being studied and new breakthrough are achieved at present
which in future would pave the way for revolutionary technologies in refrigeration cycle which
will be more efficient and economical.