Regulation of Heat Transfer Using Liquid Crystals in the Presence of Electric Fields

Abstract

The heat transfer through a fluid depends both on the thermal conductivity and the motion of the fluid. When the fluid is a certain type of liquid crystal, the motion of the fluid can be controlled by an electric field. Results presented here show that the rate of heat transfer increased by at least a factor of ten when a high field was applied. Results are reported showing how a model proposed earlier can be used to explain the fluid's motion which started at the instant the field was applied.