Jet impingement quenching of a hot steel plate using a surfactant added CuO nanofluid

•CuO-NPs created through a structured method, enabling particle formation control.•The created CuO-NPs showed good crystallization with a particle size of 72.87 nm.•The created CuO-NPs exhibited good stability with a zeta potential of –32.51 mV.•The surfactant-added CuO nanofluid enhances the cooling rate by 32.09%.•The methanol-added CuO nanofluid enhances the cooling rate by 38.66%. The mechanical properties of the steel are significantly impacted by the cooling rate. In the steel industry, cooling rates on the run-out table customizes the microstructure of the steel plate, which enhances plate strength. In this research, the AISI 304 steel plate underwent cooling from a starting surface temperature of 900 °C. The effect on the jet cooling of a steel plate has been investigated using surfactant-added CuO nanofluid and methanol-added CuO nanofluid. It was found that using surfactant-added CuO nanofluid and methanol-added CuO nanofluid as a coolant, the cooling rate increased by 32.09 % and 38.66 %, respectively, in contrast to pure water.