Abstract
A three-dimensional numerical model that couples the electric field, velocity field, and temperature field is developed based on the commercial code COMSOL Multiphysics. The influences of several factors on convective heat transfer on a heated plate in the electric field generated by a needle electrode are observed. The factors are the applied voltage, the distance between the two electrodes, and the size of the ground plate. The results show that applied voltage is one of the most important factors for the convection heat transfer. The convection heat transfer efficiency significantly increases with the improvement of the applied voltage. From the perspective of the model size, the decrease of the distance between two electrodes and the size of the plate could improve the average convection heat transfer coefficient. Smaller ionic wind device needs lower applied voltage and less electric energy to obtain the same average convection heat transfer coefficient as the bigger one, which provides the theoretical basis for the potential of miniaturizing the ionic wind cooling device.
Highlights
Air is widely applied as heat transfer medium due to its abundant amount and safety, but at the same time it is a medium with poor heat transfer performance
By applying high-voltage electric field between a sharp electrode and a grounded surface in the air, molecules in the air are ionized and the positive ionized air molecules are accelerated by the electrostatic force
Kasayapanand [2,3,4,5] conducted a series of numerical simulations of electric field effect on natural convection of air, and the results showed that the natural convection heat transfer of air could be greatly enhanced
Summary
Air is widely applied as heat transfer medium due to its abundant amount and safety, but at the same time it is a medium with poor heat transfer performance. Great efforts have been made for the enhancement of heat transfer for air. A method called ionic wind cooling which introduces the electric field to the enhancement of air convection heat transfer attracts many researchers’ interests recently. By applying high-voltage electric field between a sharp electrode and a grounded surface in the air, molecules in the air are ionized and the positive ionized air molecules are accelerated by the electrostatic force. They transfer their kinetic energy to the neutral air molecules by collisions, leading to a movement of airflow. The advantages of ionic wind cooling include convenient control, low energy consumption, no moving parts, long lifespan, high potential of integration, and miniaturization
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