3D-FEM Simulation of a MEMS-Based Electrocaloric Ba(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O-3 Thin-Film Microfluidic Refrigeration Device

摘要

A microelectromechanical system (MEMS)-based (4x4x2.5mm(3)) active electrocaloric (EC) regenerator (AER) microfluidic system is modeled by a 3D transient thermal and fluid-dynamic finite-element (FE) simulation. Special attention is given to the possibility of connecting individual devices to adapt the cooling performance to particular needs. Three different working fluids and three different fluid velocities are considered. A device using silicone oil as the working fluid at a flow rate of 0.1ms(-1) is proven to be the most promising design candidate. The refrigeration capacity for a single EC cell is 0.223Wcm(-2) and the coefficient of performance (COP) is 0.52.