LAUSR

Hybrid nanofluid is a new revolutionized cooling liquid with improved thermo-physical properties as compared to conventional coolant. This paper presents the feasibility of hybrid Al 2 O 3 –SiO 2 nanofluids as an advanced coolant for PEM fuel cell application in terms of thermal–electrical–hydraulic thermo-physical properties. Nine mixture ratios of Al 2 O 3 –SiO 2 were used in this experiment, ranging from 10:90 to 90:10 mixture ratios. The result demonstrated that both thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity decreased as the percentage of Al 2 O 3 was increased in the mixture. In contrast, the dynamic viscosity property increased as the Al 2 O 3 percentage ratio was increased. In summary, property enhancement ratio (PER) of thermo-hydraulic (PER t/v ) and thermo-electrical (PER t/e ) was established. Both PER t/v and PER t/e analyses favor 10:90 ratio of Al 2 O 3 –SiO 2 hybrid as the most feasible ratio for the implementation in PEMFC. This is due to the dominant effect of thermal over viscosity and electrical conductivity.