Improve the secondary structure of the series ionic wind generator to regulate the flow distribution and its application in electronics cooling

Abstract

The substantial amount of heat released by power electronic devices as they go toward increasing frequency and higher integration offers significant challenges for electronics cooling. Dual-stage ionic wind generators with a V-shaped ‘needles-to-rings' design are presented. To achieve higher cooling efficiency, the ionic wind flow distribution was managed by improving the structure of the sub-unit. The calculation was performed using a two-dimensional model. By coupling an electric field, flow field, the development of ionic wind flow was simulated. Experiments were carried out in order to assess the EHD properties of the designed ionic wind generators, as well as the cooling impact on a high-power LED chip. The findings show that the convergent outlet structure has several defects, resulting in large momentum loss. The dual grounded rings in the sub-unit may spread the ionic wind more efficiently, providing charged particles with a stronger forward driving force and more possibilities to produce ionic wind. The ionic wind has a wide distribution range, a maximum wind velocity of 2.46 m/s, and provides improved cooling for the LED chip.