Two Kuwaiti Researchers Obtain US Registered Patent
Kuwait University, through the Office of Patents and Intellectual Property at the Office of Vice President for Research, and with the efforts of Dr. Ammar Bahman from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering and Petroleum and Dr. Nasser Al-Sayegh from Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR), obtained a patent from the American Patent Office of US Department of Commerce.
This patent comes at a time when Kuwait University has made significant progress according to the indicators of QS Classification of International Universities for the academic year 2020/2021. The university has made progress in:
The Global Search Network indicator, Academic Faculty Members indicator, Academic Reputation indicator, Employers Reputation indicator, Faculty Members Rate in Relation to Students indicator, and Employment Outcomes indicator. Kuwait University dedicates great attention to the quality of scientific research outcomes and the merit of publishing in the best international journals. It also seeks to enhance the culture of quality and to apply its standards in all academic, research and administrative practices to ensure excellence in education and scientific research outcomes.
The invention concept is to create a device capable of characterizing the physical state of the nano-suspensions dispersed in nanofluids during the dynamic flow process. The importance of this invention lies in its direct contribution to the development of thermal systems currently used in the State of Kuwait such as power generation and water desalination systems, by testing these advanced thermal fluids before offering them as an alternative to the usual fluids currently used, as the current thermal systems have many challenges in terms of operational efficiency and high fuel consumption.
Dr. Ammar Bahman, the Principal Investigator of the patent, stated that nanofluids are one of the latest technologies of modern science resulting from nearly a century of scientific efforts and theoretical and laboratory research dedicated to the improvement of the thermal properties of commonly known liquids used in applications that depend on heat transfer. This is due to the fact that conventional liquids have limited thermal conductivity, as their ability to transfer heat is not commensurate with the recent and successive developments in the structure of engineering equipment. Therefore, scientists added nanometer-sized metal particles with these fluids in order to increase their thermal properties, relying on the greater ability of solid bodies in general and metals in particular to transfer heat more efficiently than liquids. For instance, if we heat a pot containing water, the pot itself will heat up faster than water which may take a few minutes to reach a boil.
Dr. Nasser Al-Sayegh, the Co-Investigator of the patent, added that the results of research which spanned more than 15 years proved the capabilities of these nanofluids to provide intriguing thermo-physical properties and great potential for various heat transfer applications, which in turn inspired many scientists around the world today to take up challenges in terms of exploring the potential of such fluids applications in various fields such as medicine, aerospace and industry.