Experimental Investigation of Nanolayered Silver and MXene Coatings for Enhanced Energy Efficiency in Compact Heat Exchangers

Abstract

Energy efficiency remains a critical priority for industrial systems, striving to ensure operational sustainability and reduce environmental impacts. Because thermal management is central to industrial efficiency, optimizing compact heat exchangers through low-cost, minimal-impact surface improvements is a primary strategy for achieving substantial energy savings without altering existing manufacturing infrastructure. To address this, this study experimentally investigated nanolayered silver and MXene (V2AlC) coatings to improve the energy efficiency of compact heat exchangers. Nanomaterial coatings were applied to the aluminum surfaces of two distinct heat exchanger designs using thermionic vacuum arc technology. Experimental data revealed that depositing an initial silver layer enhanced the thermal performance by 13% for both heat exchangers. The addition of a second silver layer yielded a cumulative performance increase of 22% for HEX1 and 28% for HEX2. While the third silver layer introduced increased thermal resistance, depositing a fourth layer composed of MXene successfully induced a recovery in thermal performance, restoring high thermal conductivity, and maintaining superior system efficiency. The structural and morphological evaluations, alongside the thermal measurements, demonstrate that the strategic layer-by-layer application of these nanomaterials significantly improves the heat transfer rates. This enhancement leads to an overall reduction in energy consumption, ranging from 18% to 28%. Ultimately, these novel nanolayered architectures represent a highly effective intervention for optimizing thermal management, offering a practical, cost-effective solution for advancing green energy and low-consumption cooling devices.