Fluid structures generated from a low Reynolds number miniature radial fan

Abstract

Fluid structures generated by rotating blades have both fundamental and practical importance in many applications. Vortices generated through the abrupt discontinuity of a fan blade at the blade tip can inhibit fan performance characteristics [Yen and Lin 2006]. In miniature heat transfer applications, however, heat sink designs that conserve such fluid structures can be advantageous for increasing heat dissipation levels [Egan et al. 2009, Stafford et al. 2010]. Miniature radial fan designs have been shown to experience a scale effect due to viscous dominance at low Reynolds numbers [Walsh et al. 2009, Walsh et al. 2010]. As this