Abstract
In this paper, we present a new model design and parametric studies of a miniature Stirling cooler machine for on-site refrigeration. The MEMS (Microelectromechanical systems) technology is investigated to design this machine. The concept could be used to provide cooling at chip scale and mitigate hot spots in electronic devices. Whereas numerous works deal with Stirling engines at a macroscopic scale, only a few works concern miniaturized Stirling engines. Therefore, a model analysis giving insights of the impact of the technological choices and downsizing of the machine is needed. A base design model is presented. The model results lead to a cooling power of 10 mW and a Coefficient Of Performance of 1.45. A parametric study is conducted for operational and design parameters. Compared to macro-scale design, the same trend is observed for the influence of the thermal performance regenerator. Different trends from macroscopic engines were observed for hysteresis losses importance, and the choice of the working gas. The raise in power due to the raise in frequency expected for micro-scale devices is counterbalanced by the degradation of the COP due to the increase in thermofluidic losses. Squeeze film damping and finite speed losses can be neglected at this scale.
Highlights
The development of electronic appliances and their miniaturization raise the concern of cooling methods and technologies for increased high flux devices and non-uniform power dissipation
The aimed application is to provide cooling at chip scale and mitigate hot spots in electronic
Whereas numerous works deal with Stirling engines or coolers at a macroscopic scale [2,3], only a few works concern miniaturized Stirling machines
Summary
The development of electronic appliances and their miniaturization raise the concern of cooling methods and technologies for increased high flux devices and non-uniform power dissipation. The first prototype on a centimetre scale of a Stirling engine was developed by Nakajima et al in 1989 [4] It included a 0.05 cm swept volume and delivered a power of 10 mW at 10 Hz operating between temperatures of 273 K and 373 K. In 2015, Formosa et al proposed and modelled a multiphase membrane machine for thermal energy harvesting [89] It consisted of three coupled elementary phases, each composed of a 5 mm-diameter membrane which acted as a piston and transducer integrating a piezoelectric planar spiral, an expansion chamber, and a compression chamber linked by a regenerator. It seems appropriate to investigate Stirling coolers at micro-scale by developing and adapting a complete thermodynamic model to the specificity of micro-scale design This is the main topic of the paper. Some design guidelines for miniature engines are provided
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