Effect of fullerene С60 additives on the effective heat capacity along the boiling line of Dowtherm RP heat transfer fluid
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Published:
May 4, 2026
Keywords:
renewable energy, solar collectors, heat-transfer fluid, Dowtherm RP, nanofluid, fullerene C60, heat capacity, effective heat capacity, thermophysical properties, low-boiling impurities
Main Article Content
Abstract
The paper presents an experimental study of the effects of fullerene C60 and low-boiling technological additives on the effective specific heat capacity of the organic heat-transfer fluid Dowtherm RP in the temperature range of 20-120 °C. The study is motivated by the need to improve the efficiency of flat-plate solar collectors through targeted modification of the thermophysical properties of heat-transfer fluids. Specific heat capacity measurements were carried out by the monotonic heating method employing a variable-temperature adiabatic calorimeter. A peak in the effective specific heat capacity accompanied by a reduction in the heating rate was observed in the range of 95-110 °C. This effect is attributed to the latent heat of evaporation of low-boiling impurities present in the fluid. Quantitative assessment demonstrates that the presence of 0,2-0,4 % impurities with a latent heat of vaporization of 300-400 kJ/kg can cause an increase in effective heat capacity of up to 0,08-0,12 J/(g·K). Comparative analysis showed that the introduction of fullerene leads to a slight decrease in heat capacity (by 2-4%) at 20-40 °C, no significant differences in the range of 60-90 °C, and a possible increase in heat capacity by 15-20% in the temperature range of 100-115 °C. The obtained data are interpreted in terms of the formation of an interfacial structured layer and aggregate formations in the nanofluid. The results obtained can be used in the development of a new generation of nano-heat transfer fluids for solar energy systems with improved thermophysical characteristics.
Article Details
How to Cite
Shumskyi, O., & Kvasnytskyi, B. (2026). Effect of fullerene С60 additives on the effective heat capacity along the boiling line of Dowtherm RP heat transfer fluid. Herald of the Odesa National Maritime University, (79), 159-171. https://doi.org/10.47049/2226-1893-2026-1-159-171
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Problems of operation of shipboard power equipment
References
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19. Zhelezny, V., Kvasnytskyi, B., Ivchenko, D., Hlek, Y., Khalak, V., Dauvergne, J. L., & Grosu, Y. (2026). An evaluation of influence of the fullerene C60 additives on the caloric and optical properties of n-eicosane in a wide range of parameters of the phase transition. Thermochimica Acta, 180242. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tca.2026.180242.
20. The Dow Chemical Company. (2001, November). DOWTHERM RP: Synthetic organic heat transfer fluid (Product technical data; Form No. 176- 01473-1101 AMS). Dow.
21. Lee, Jaekeun, et al. «Enhancement of lubrication properties of nano-oil by controlling the amount of fullerene nanoparticle additives». Tribology Letters 28.2 (2007): 203-208. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-007-9265-2.
22. Xing, Meibo, Ruixiang Wang, and Jianlin Yu. «Application of fullerene C60 nano-oil for performance enhancement of domestic refrigerator compres- sors». International journal of refrigeration 40 (2014): 398-403. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2013.12.004.
23. Moroz S., Lukianov, М., & Zhelezny, V. (2017). Density and viscosity of solutions refrigerant R600a / mineral oil / fullerene C60. Refrigeration Engineering and Technology, 53(1). https://doi.org/10.15673/ret.v53i1.544.
2. Kumar, P.G., Yuvaraj, N., Kumaresan, V., & Velraj, R. (2020). Selection of heat transfer fluids for solar thermal applications using multi-criteria deci- sion-making tools. Journal of Testing and Evaluation, 48(1), Р. 595-612. https://doi.org/10.1520/JTE20180539.
3. García-Rincón, M.A., & Flores-Prieto, J.J. (2024). Nanofluids stability in flat-plate solar collectors: A review. Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 271, 112832. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2024.112832.
4. Cruz, J.M., Crepaldi, S. A., Gutiérrez-Urueta, G. L., Rubio, J. D. J., Zacarías, A., Jiménez, C., ... & Balcazar, R. (2024). Performance Assessment of Flat Plate Solar Collector Using Simple and Hybrid Carbon Nanofluids at Low Thermal Capacity. Applied Sciences, 14(19), 8732. https://doi.org/10.3390/app14198732
5. Lamosa, R. A., Motovoy, I., Khliiev, N., Nikulin, A., Khliyeva, O., Moita, A. S. & del Barrio Elena, P. (2021). Tetralin+ fullerene C60 solutions for thermal management of flat-plate photovoltaic/thermal collector. Energy Conversion and Management, 248, 114799. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2021.114799
6. Nikulin, A., Moita, A.S., Moreira, A.L.N., Murshed, S.M.S., Huminic, A., Grosu, Y. & Khliyeva, O. (2019). Effect of Al2O3 nanoparticles on laminar, transient and turbulent flow of isopropyl alcohol. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 130, 1032-1044. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheat-masstransfer.2018.10.114.
7. Goel, N., Taylor, R.A., & Otanicar, T. (2020). A review of nanofluid-based direct absorption solar collectors: Design considerations and experiments with hybrid PV/Thermal and direct steam generation collectors. Renewable Energy, 145, 903-913. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2019.06.097.
8. Motovoy, I.V., Zhelezny, V.P., Khliyeva, O.Y., Melnik, Y.Y., Diachenko, I.A., & Dmitriev, Y. D. (2020, December). Density, specific heat capacity and viscosity of fullerene C60 solutions in tetralin. In Journal of Physics: Conference Series (Vol. 1683, No. 3, p. 032027). IOP Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1683/3/032027
9. Zhelezny, V.P., Khanchych, K.Y., Motovoy, I.V., & Nikulina, A.S. (2021). Viscous behaviour of o-xylene/fullerene C60 solutions. Journal of Molecular Liquids, 328, 115416. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molliq.2021.115416.
10. Zhelezny, V.P., Khanchych, K.Y., Motovoy, I.V., & Nikulina, A.S. (2021). On the nonmonotonous behavior of the thermal properties of fullerene C60/o- xylene solutions. Journal of Molecular Liquids, 338, 116629. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molliq.2021.116629.
11. Mchedlov-Petrossyan, N.O. (2011). Fullerenes in molecular liquids. Solutions in «good» solvents: Another view. Journal of Molecular Liquids, 161(1), 1-12. 1-12. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.molliq.2011.04.001.
12. Makhmanov, U., Ismailova, O., Kokhkharov, A., Zakhidov, E., & Bakhramov, S. (2016). Features of self-aggregation of C60 molecules in toluene prepared by different methods. Physics Letters A, 380(24), 2081- 2084. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physleta.2016.04.030.
13. Ginzburg, B.M., Tuichiev, S., & Tabarov, S.H. (2013). Formation of zero density regions during the dissolving of C60 and C70. Journal of Macromole- cular Science, Part B, 52(6), 773-787. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222348.2012.721654
14. Mchedlov-Petrossyan, N.O. (2013). Fullerenes in liquid media: an unsettling intrusion into the solution chemistry. Chemical reviews, 113(7), 5149-5193. https://doi.org/10.1021/cr3005026.
15. Shumskyi, О., & Borysov, V. (2025). Absorption coefficient, density, and viscosity of Dowtherm RP/fullerene C60 nanofluid solutions. Refrigeration Engineering and Technology, 61(4), 415-426. https://doi.org/10.15673/ret.v61i4.3354.
16. Mirahmad, A., Shankar Kumar, R., Pato Doldán, B., Prieto Rios, C., & Díez- Sierra, J. (2025). Beyond thermal conductivity: a review of nanofluids for enhanced energy storage and heat transfer. Nanomaterials, 15(4), 302. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano15040302.
17. Adeola Borode, A.O., Tshephe, T.T., & Olubambi, P.O. (2025). A critical review of the thermophysical properties and applications of carbon-based hybrid nanofluids in solar thermal systems. Frontiers in Energy Research, 12, 1509437. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenrg.2024.1509437.
18. Moulefera, I., Delgado Marín, J.J., Cascales, A., Montalbán, M.G., Alarcón, M., & Víllora, G. (2025). Innovative application of graphene nanoplatelet- based ionanofluids as heat transfer fluid in hybrid photovoltaic-thermal solar collectors. Scientific Reports, 15, 6489. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-91040-w.
19. Zhelezny, V., Kvasnytskyi, B., Ivchenko, D., Hlek, Y., Khalak, V., Dauvergne, J. L., & Grosu, Y. (2026). An evaluation of influence of the fullerene C60 additives on the caloric and optical properties of n-eicosane in a wide range of parameters of the phase transition. Thermochimica Acta, 180242. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tca.2026.180242.
20. The Dow Chemical Company. (2001, November). DOWTHERM RP: Synthetic organic heat transfer fluid (Product technical data; Form No. 176- 01473-1101 AMS). Dow.
21. Lee, Jaekeun, et al. «Enhancement of lubrication properties of nano-oil by controlling the amount of fullerene nanoparticle additives». Tribology Letters 28.2 (2007): 203-208. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-007-9265-2.
22. Xing, Meibo, Ruixiang Wang, and Jianlin Yu. «Application of fullerene C60 nano-oil for performance enhancement of domestic refrigerator compres- sors». International journal of refrigeration 40 (2014): 398-403. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2013.12.004.
23. Moroz S., Lukianov, М., & Zhelezny, V. (2017). Density and viscosity of solutions refrigerant R600a / mineral oil / fullerene C60. Refrigeration Engineering and Technology, 53(1). https://doi.org/10.15673/ret.v53i1.544.