Heat Transfer Research 50(17):1675–1684 (2019)

EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY

OF BORIC ACID–WATER SOLUTIONS

Nese Keklikcioglu Cakmak

Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Sivas Cumhuriyet University, Sivas
58140, Turkey, E-mail: nkeklikcioglu@cumhuriyet.edu.tr
Original Manuscript Submitted: 11/9/2018; Final Draft Received: 2/22/2019

In this study, it was primarily aimed to prepare and examine the impacts of temperature and weight concentration on
the thermophysical characteristics of boric acid–water solutions. Estimation of the boric acid structure was performed by
SEM, FT-IR, XRD, and UV-Vis spectrophotometer. Then, homogeneous and stable aqueous boric acid was prepared with
a probe sonicator at different weight concentrations. The impacts of boric acid concentration and temperature on thermal
conductivity were examined. Thermal conductivity measurements show that boric acid–water solutions have higher thermal
conductivity compared to water. There is a strong association between the improvement in thermal conductivity and the
concentration of boric acid, and it increases along with the increase in loading. In case the loading of boric acid is 3.0 wt.%,
the enhancement ratio is found as 3.95% at a temperature of 25oC, and in case of the increase in temperature to 50oC, the
enhancement reaches 5.39%. Thus, the temperature in the temperature range measured determines the enhancement level.

KEY WORDS: thermal conductivity, thermophysical characteristics, boric acid–water solutions, heat transfer

1. INTRODUCTION
Recently, studies on the impacts of chemical additives on the thermal behavior of water have increased. Conven-
tional heat transfer fluids including oil and water are commonly utilized for the purpose of preventing overheating
or improving the rate of heat transfer of various systems employed in industry (Tezel and Uludag, 2019a,b), mi-
croelectronics, electronic sector (Jafari and Wits, 2018), transportation (Dagdevir et al., 2019), nuclear engineering
(Carey, 2018), etc. Thus, a lot of researchers (Keklikcioglu and Ozceyhan, 2018; Rashidi et al., 2018; Han et al.,
2018) have recently concentrated their studies on the enhancement of high-performance heat transfer fluids. In
nuclear technology, when nuclear power equipment is operating, it is required to perform maintenance on a regular
basis for the purpose of providing the stability and safety of the equipment. As indicated by Wang et al. (2013),
the inspection and maintenance of the equipment in nuclear power plants on a regular basis is crucial. Generally,
water is always utilized as a coolant and moderator in nuclear power plants. Boric acid (BA) is utilized in light
water nuclear reactors for the purpose of decreasing dependence on control rods to ensure the control of reactivity,
enhancing fuel utilization, and distributing the power in the core during the normal operation (Chen et al., 2007;
Tuunanen et al., 1994). When a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) occurs, injection of additional borated water into
the coolant pipeline takes place for the purpose of stopping the reaction and controlling rods. The concentration of
boric acid in the core can increase as a result of the continuous vaporization of the water from the core and reach
the solubility limit and precipitate under particular conditions. The above-mentioned situation covers scenarios, in
which the supply of liquid water to the core is influenced by potential blockages as a result of debris accumula-
tion. Consequently, the elements of the core cooling and containment spray systems are subjected to borated water
(Pietrangelo, 2004). Therefore, the dissolution of boric acid in water occurs in the nuclear power plant reactor for
the purpose of controlling the reaction rate and making the nuclear reactor operate stably and safely. Besides the
injection of borated water into the coolant pipeline to stop the reaction, studies on the use of new fluids, created

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1676 Keklikcioglu Cakmak

with addition of chemical additives into the fluid conventionally used in reactors, as a coolant have gained speed.
A study that constitutes a primary research subject in the cooling system at the present time is the utilization of
nanoparticles mixed with a fluid for the purpose of enhancing the performance of decision-calorific. Buongiorno
and Hu (2009) have conducted studies on the heat transfer properties of nanofluids for a long time to assess their
advantages for, and the possibility of application to, nuclear power systems. The researchers found that nanoparti-
cles are capable of improving the critical heat flux limit and accelerating the quenching heat transfer. It is possible
to take advantage of the above-mentioned results in water-cooled nuclear reactors for the realization of consid-
erable power uprates in the core, therefore obtaining substantial gains from economic aspect or enhanced safety
margins. In addition to the advantages of the use of new generation nanofluids as a cooling fluid, the biggest known
disadvantage is stability and channel blocking. Furthermore, much more research in this area is clearly needed, in-
cluding the investigation of radiation effects on nanofluid stability, as well as the impact of nanoparticle deposition
on corrosion of the fuel cladding (Buongiorno et al., 2008). Since the number of scientific studies in the literature
is limited, it is critically required to understand the impact of particle additives on the behavior of a coolant, de-
spite the fact that there is a number of studies on the solubility of boric acid in water (Crapse and Kyser, 2011).
Attention is drawn to the fact that there are no studies in terms of experimental data on the thermal conductivity of
the aqueous solution of boric acid in a range of concentrations and temperatures. Thus, in the present study, the
thermal conductivity of the boric acid aqueous solution in a range of concentrations and temperatures was exam-
ined experimentally.

2. MATERIALS AND METHODS

2.1 Materials
Boric acid (BA) was obtained commercially from Sigma Aldrich and was used as purchased. No dispersant/surfac-
tant was used in a boric acid–water suspension.

2.2 Dispersion of Boric Acid

In the current study, the mass fractions designed for the predetermined fluids were 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, and 3.0%.
After 3% by mass fraction, the aqueous suspension was saturated. Ultrasonication is a significant aspect while
preparing a solution, which is applied for the purpose of prolonging colloidal stability. The sonication of a fluid
has been confirmed to provide the breakdown of large particle clusters to near aggregate-free suspension (Zhang
et al., 2016). Azari et al. (2013) employed the sonication method for the purpose of acquiring well-dispersed
SiO2/water nanofluids for a number of days without sedimentation. Jamshidi and Sedighi (2012) stated that one-
hour ultrasonic treatment was enough for deagglomeration of particles and obtaining stable nanofluids. For this
reason, the solution was sonicated for 60 min with the help of a probe sonicator. The boric acid–water fluid re-
mained stable over a long period of time.

2.3 Characterization Techniques

The morphology of boric acid was measured by a scanning electron microscope (TESCAN MIRA3 XMU). The
FT-IR spectra of samples were characterized by an FT-IR spectrophotometer (Bruker: Tensor II) in the range of
400–4000 cm–1. X-ray diffraction (XRD) data were obtained by a diffractometer (Rigaku DMAX IIIC). A UV-Vis
spectrophotometer (UV-1280, Shimadzu, Japan) was utilized to record the spectra of prepared samples in the range
from 200 to 800 nm. In order to homogeneously disperse boric acid in water, a probe sonicator (Sonics & Materi-

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als, Inc., Newtown, CT, USA) at 750 W power was used. A portable thermal analyzer probe (KD2 Pro, Decagon
Inc., USA) was utilized for measuring the thermal conductivity of solutions. Operation of the device is ensured on
the basis of the transient hot-wire method.

2.4 Thermal Conductivity Measurement

A KD2 Pro Thermal Properties Analyzer (Decagon Inc., USA) was used to measure the thermal conductivity of
water and boric acid–water solutions. The handled device ensures the measurement of the thermal conductivity
values varying from 0.02 to 2 W/m·K in the temperature range from 0οC to 50oC with an accuracy of 5% (KD2,
2011). It operates on the basis of the transient hot-wire source method. A few researchers utilized the KD2 Pro in
succession (Salman et al., 2013). The KD2 Pro thermal analyzer complies with ASTM D5334 standard and IEEE
442-1981 regulations. Approximately 50 mL of every specimen was utilized in the experiment. A vial containing
the specimen was put in a bath with constant temperature and clamped. The sensor needle was positioned in the
center of the vial and kept for a period of 15 min to acquire a temperature equilibration (Fig. 1).
A series of calibrations was made with water to ensure the validation of the sensors reading accuracy. As is
seen from Table 1, the highest deviation of the calibration tests and of the reference values (Lide, 2012) was below
± 2.0%, which is satisfactory according to the manufacturer's recommendations. The measurements are performed
after 5 min following the immersion in a water bath to provide stability of temperature. Each reading is performed
at 15-min intervals until 20 readings for the purpose of avoiding experimental errors. The collection of the average
value is carried out following the completion of one set of data.

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

3.1 Characterization of Boric Acid and Aqueous Boric Acid

According to the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) data (Fig. 2), boric acid powder is a polydisperse system.
As can be observed from the above-mentioned micrograph, the particles are spherical and have quasi-agglomerated
structures.
Boric acid, which represents compounds with completely trigonal planar boron centers [BO3], exhibited typical
vibration bands in the wavenumber range from 4000 cm–1 to 400 cm–1. It is possible to assign the bands in ques-
tion to the known vibrations of boric acid.
The assignment of these modes (Table 2 and Fig. 3) was performed on the basis of the literature data (Parsons
and Milberg, 1960; Bethell and Sheppard, 1955; Jun et al., 1995; Lixia et al., 2007). Furthermore, in the literature,
the supposed pulse vibrations are defined as being typical of various polyborate structures (Lide, 2012; Schott
at al., 2014). The most possible interpretations are presented in Table 2. Infrared bands in the 2362 cm–1 region
can originate from the stretching mode of O–H of the strong hydrogen bond.
XRD analyses were performed at 35 kV and 20 mA by using CuKα radiation. In Fig. 4, the maximum intensity
percentages (I%) of boric acid are observed at the 2θ values of 27.68o, 14.28o, and 14.82o. In accordance with
the XRD pattern of boric acid, boric acid mineral is determined as Sassolite with the powder diffraction file of
01-073-2158 and the XRD score of 62.
Different mass fractions of the aqueous boric acid solution were prepared which were subjected to the UV-Vis
analysis. It was observed that the aqueous boric acid solution gave negative absorbance in its UV-Vis spectrum
even in the case where the mass fraction of the aqueous boric acid solution was below 0.1% (Fig. 5). This is most
likely due to the formation of polyborates at higher concentrations in water, and thus a negative absorbance was
obtained at higher concentrations. Consequently, BA was not sensitive to UV or visible light (Gujral, 2015).

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(a)

(b) (c)

FIG. 1: Photographic image of different mass fractions of the aqueous boric acid solution (a) and experimental setup (b, c)

TABLE 1: Thermal conductivity calibration results for water

Measured Value of k Reference Value of k (water)
Temperature, oC Deviation, %
(water), k(W/m·K) (Lide, 2012), k(W/m·K)
25 0.608 0.607 0.165
30 0.610 0.615 –0.813
40 0.626 0.631 –0.792
50 0.649 0.643 0.933

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FIG. 2: SEM micrograph of boric acid

TABLE 2: Determined frequencies of the FT-IR spectra of H3BO3

Assignment Boric Acid, Solid
υ(O–H) 3200 (s,b)
υ(O–H) 2517 (m)
υ(O–H) 2362 (m)
υ(O–H) 2262 (s)
υas(B–O) 1423 (bs)
υas([BO3]–O) δ(O–H), in-plane B–O–H angle deformation mode 1193 (vs)
υs(B–O) 883 (m)
γ(B–O), out-of-plane BO3 angle deformation mode γ(O–H), twisting 703 (s)
γ([BO3]–O)γ(O–H), out-of-plane OH deformation mode δ(B–O) 640 (s)
δ([BO3]–O) δ(B–O), in-plane O–B–O angle deformation mode 543 (vs)

b, broad; m, middle; s, strong; v, very; w, weak; as, asymmetric; s, symmetric; [BO3], trigonal planar boron center; υ, stretching
vibration; δ, in-plane bending; γ, out-of-plane bending.

3.2 Thermal Conductivity of Boric Acid–Water Solutions

The thermal conductivity of aqueous boric acid is experimentally measured by the transient hot-wire method.
The improvement in the thermal conductivity of the specimens with various concentrations and temperatures was
examined. Figure 6 demonstrates the effective thermal conductivity of boric acid–water solution at different con-
centrations as a function of temperature. Experimental findings demonstrate that the thermal conductivity of boric
acid–water solution increases with the particle mass fraction. As is seen from Fig. 6, an approximate linear associ-

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FIG. 3: The FT-IR spectrum of boric acid

FIG. 4: XRD pattern of boric acid

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FIG. 5: UV-Vis spectra of the aqueous boric acid solution

FIG. 6: Thermal conductivity vs. temperature for boric acid–water solution at different concentrations

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ation is present between the improvement ratios and weight fractions. For instance, the thermal conductivity of
the solutions with 0.1 wt.% of boric acid exhibited an increase of 1.39% with regard to water, and with increase
in the boric acid concentration up to 3 wt.%, an increase up to 5.39% occurs in thermal conductivity at 50oC. This
increase in thermal conductivity is quite low compared to the increase in nanofluids prepared with nanoparticles,
but boric acid–water solution does not have the biggest disadvantage of nanofluids, the stability problem. Even if
days or even months pass, since boric acid–water solution will maintain its stability, it will also maintain the
heat transfer enhancement performance and no decrease will be observed. The increase in the heat transfer coef-
ficient as the concentration of boric acid in the solution increases may be due to the change of surface tension of
the solution. Surface tensions, the cohesive energy of an interface dominating the transportation behavior of the
liquids take a significant part in the heat transfer performance. Nevertheless, quite limited studies on the impact of
particles on the surface tension of liquids also revealed disputable findings. The studies conducted by Nakath et al.
(2013) indicate that boric acid is a superior surfactant. Nevertheless, it should be mentioned that boric acid is not
a conventional surfactant. The researchers stated that boric acid particularly does not affect the viscosity, thermal
conductivity, heat capacity, and density of water at ambient pressure. Unlike the results available in the literature
(Arias, 2009), Nakath et al. (2013) suggest that boric acid also does not affect the surface tension (Arias, 2009).
It is thought that the reason for this disagreement in the literature originates from the fact that a very low boric
acid concentration was used in the study of Nakath et al. (2013). Therefore, it was revealed that adding surfactants
enhances the stability of solutions and also can affect the thermophysical characteristics of fluids.
In Fig. 7, the results of thermal conductivity are presented with regard to alteration in temperature. The findings
prominently demonstrate that the thermal conductivity of the aqueous boric acid increases linearly with increase
in temperature. With increase in temperature, an increase in kinetic energy is observed, which causes the rapid

FIG. 7: Thermal conductivity distribution of boric acid–water solution

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acceleration of the molecules of the solutions. Among the possible parameters that stimulate the improvement in
the thermal conductivity of boric acid–water solutions, there is stochastic and Brownian motion of particles in the
fluid (Chon and Kihm, 2005). Solution temperature causes an increase in the particle random movements. Thermal
conductivity represents a surface phenomenon, and the increased surface area of the ultrafine boric acid particles is
also responsible for the improved thermal conductivity of aqueous boric acid.

4. CONCLUSIONS
In the present research, the characterization and thermophysical characteristics of boric acid–water solution were
experimentally investigated. Considerable improvements in thermal conductivity were determined at all concentra-
tions of boric acid/water solutions. An increase in the thermal conductivity of boric acid–water solution is observed
with particle mass fraction and temperature. In addition, boric acid–water solution stability is excellent at high
concentrations, and it has not lost its stability even at ambient temperature for months. Dissolution of boric acid
in water occurs in the nuclear power plant reactor for the purpose of controlling the reaction rate and making the
nuclear reactor operate in a stable and safe manner. In general, the concentration of boric acid remains constant
under the running status conditions of nuclear plant reactors. However, in case of the malfunction of nuclear plant
reactors, an increase in the concentration of boric acid will occur for the purpose of absorbing more neutron and
decreasing radiation quantity. Therefore, the boric acid concentration varies under the maintaining status conditions
of nuclear plant reactors. Thus, the issue should be investigated in a more detailed manner, including an exam-
ination of the chemical characteristics of aqueous solutions at high temperatures, particularly viscosity, surface
tension, relative pH-value and its impact on polyborate formation in aqueous boric acid solutions.

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