Title :
Design and optimization of electrostatic fluid accelerators
Author :
Jewell-Larsen, N.E. ; Tran, E. ; Krichtafovitch, I.A. ; Mamishev, A.V.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. Eng., Washington Univ., Seattle, WA, USA
Abstract :
Electrostatic air propulsion is a promising technology with such potential applications as energy-efficient ventilation, air sterilization, cooling of electronics, and dehumidification. The challenges of existing designs include the need to increase air speed, backpressure, energy efficiency, and heat exchange capability. The ultimate goal of this direction of research is to create multi-channel energy efficient ionic pumps. In the described project, a single cell analysis is conducted in this study as a building block of future designs. This paper presents the numerical simulation and experimental results of electrostatic fluid accelerators. This study was conducted for the purpose of optimizing device characteristics through the control of the electric field distribution. Simulations were performed for multiple collector electrode voltage distributions. A method to quantify the change in pump performance between different voltage distributions is presented. The influence of space charge on pump performance is also discussed. A significant improvement of air velocity generated by optimized electrostatic fluid accelerators has been achieved using the proposed approach.
Keywords :
corona; electric fields; electrodes; electrohydrodynamics; electrostatic accelerators; heat transfer; pumps; space charge; voltage distribution; air sterilization; corona wind; dehumidification; device characteristic; electric field distribution control; electrohydrodynamic; electronics cooling; electrostatic air propulsion; electrostatic fluid accelerator; energy efficiency; energy-efficient ventilation; heat exchange; multichannel ionic wind pump; multiple collector electrode; numerical simulation; space charge; thermal management; voltage distribution; Acceleration; Design optimization; Electronics cooling; Electrostatics; Energy efficiency; Numerical simulation; Propulsion; Pumps; Ventilation; Voltage;
Journal_Title :
Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation, IEEE Transactions on
DOI :
10.1109/TDEI.2006.1593417