Experimental Characterization of an Electrohydrodynamic Micropump for Cryogenic Spot Cooling Applications

摘要

This article presents a study on the characterization of a planar, multistage, electrohydrodynamic (EHD) ion-drag micropump for pumping of liquid nitrogen. Two designs of the pump, consisting of different emitter configurations (flat and saw-tooth), similar emitter-collector spacing (50 microns), and similar gaps between successive electrode pairs (100 microns), were tested at DC voltages ranging from 0 to 2.5 kV. The electric currents they generated and the corresponding static pressure heads were measured to characterize the pumping performance. Pressure and current onset voltages as well as pressure-voltage (P-V) and pressure-current (P-I) relationships were investigated. The highest pressure head (30 Pa at 1700 V) was generated with the saw-tooth design. After collecting and processing the data for various prototypes, it was evident that incorporating saw-tooth electrodes can significantly improve the performance of the micropump.