Abstract
The paper is a continuation of our work on the dynamic load in piezoelectric pumps. In the study, the dynamic load of liquid in the pipelines was proposed as a key factor that limits the output performance of piezoelectric pumps. To decrease the dynamic load, a piezoelectric pump with two elastic chambers was proposed in our previous published work. In this paper, the performance and key parameters of the piezoelectric pump with two elastic chambers were studied through theoretical analyses and experimental tests. After establishing the mathematical model of the piezoelectric pump with two elastic chambers, the paper theoretically analyzed the performance of the pump and the effect of different structural parameters on the performance. Then prototypes with a range of structural parameters were developed and tested. As revealed from the test results, the elastic chamber effectively decreased the dynamic load of the liquid in the pipelines and the flow rate of the prototype with two elastic chambers was higher than that of the prototype with one or no elastic chamber. However, the elastic chamber did not lead to the increase in the maximum output backpressure of the prototype. Adopting an elastic diaphragm exhibiting a smaller stiffness or a larger diameter could help decrease the dynamic load of the liquid. The elastic chamber more significantly impacted the flow rate of the piezoelectric pump with long pipelines. The pump chamber height had a significant effect on the output performance of the piezoelectric pump with two elastic chambers, which is consistent with the conventional piezoelectric pump. At the height of 0.2 mm, the flow rate of the prototype with two elastic chambers was peaked at 7.7 mL/min; at the height of 0.05 mm, the output backpressure reached the highest of 28.2 kPa. The dynamic load could decrease the amplitude of the piezoelectric vibrator, whereas the prototype with two elastic chambers could effectively reduce the impact of dynamic load on the piezoelectric vibrator. The flow rate decreased almost linearly with the backpressure. Under the same backpressure, the flow rate of the prototype with two elastic chambers was higher than that of the prototype without elastic chamber, and the flow rate difference between the two prototypes gradually decreased with the backpressure.
Highlights
Piezoelectric pumps can be used in many fields for their advantages of simple structure, high actuation strength, easy miniaturization, no magnetic influence and low noise [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]
In the present paper we focus on the effect of different structural parameters on the performance of a piezoelectric pump with two elastic chambers
A piezoelectric pump with two elastic chambers was investigated, in which the inlet and outlet elastic chambers were used to decrease the dynamic load of the liquid in the inlet and outlet pipelines
Summary
Piezoelectric pumps can be used in many fields (e.g., medicine, MEMS and fuel cells) for their advantages of simple structure, high actuation strength, easy miniaturization, no magnetic influence and low noise [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]. With the continuous expansion of the application field of piezoelectric pumps, many new application fields that require piezoelectric pumps to have higher output performance have appeared. The existing output performance of piezoelectric pumps cannot fully satisfy the application requirements in many emerging fields. The output performance of piezoelectric pumps should be urgently improved. Improving the output performance of piezoelectric pumps is a very complex and difficult challenge, especially without increasing the Sensors 2020, 20, 5867; doi:10.3390/s20205867 www.mdpi.com/journal/sensors. Sensors 2020, 20, 5867 volume and input power of the pump. It is worth noting that increasing the operating frequency is one of the most simple and convenient potential ways to improve the performance of piezoelectric pumps without increasing the volume and input power of the pumps
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