Characterization and optimization of the thermal performance of miniature piezoelectric fans

Abstract

Piezoelectric fans have emerged as a viable cooling technology for the thermal management of electronic devices, owing to their low power consumption, minimal noise emission, and small and configurable dimensions.Piezoelectric fans are investigated for application in the cooling of low-power electronics. Different experimental configurations are considered, and the effect of varying the fan amplitude, the distance between the fan and the heat source, the fan length, its frequency offset from resonance, and the fan offset from the center of the heat source are studied to assess the cooling potential of the fans. A Design-Of-Experiments (DOE) analysis revealed the fan frequency offset from resonance and the fan amplitude as the critical parameters. Transfer functions are obtained from the DOE analysis for the implementation of these fans in electronics cooling. For the best case, an enhancement in convective heat transfer coefficient exceeding 375% relative to natural convection was observed, resulting in a temperature drop at the heat source of more than 36.4°C. A computational model for the flow field and heat transfer induced by the piezoelectric fan is also developed. Effects of the flow on convection heat transfer for different fan-to-heat source distances and boundary conditions are analyzed. Transition between distinct convection patterns is observed with changes in the parameters. The computational results are validated against experimental measurements, with good agreement.

The Influence of Surface Roughness on the Flow Fields Generated by an Oscillating Cantilever

“…This is in contrast to much of the literature on oscillating piezoelectric fans where airflow emanates in a forward direction from the fan tip. The cooling capabilities of these airflows as they impinge on a heated surface have been studied extensively ( [5], [11], [12], [13]). The lateral wake regions in the current work Fig.…”

Measurement and prediction of the cooling characteristics of a generalized vibrating piezoelectric fan

“…In a commercial laptop, a temperature drop of 6°C was obtained with the piezofans over the cooling obtained with the rotary fan alone. Açıkalın et al [15] also performed a rigorous parametric study of a fan vibrating near a small discrete heat source in order to document the influence of governing parameters such as distance to target, vibration amplitude, and whether or not the fan was operating at resonance.…”

Analysis and Prediction of the Thermal Performance of Piezoelectrically Actuated Fans

“…Temperature drops ranging from 6ºC to 8ºC were observed on the electronic components targeted within the laptop. In a more recent study, Açıkalın et al [13] considered a piezoelectric fan vibrating near a heat source to determine the effects of the fan amplitude, the distance between the fan and heat source, the fan length, its frequency offset from resonance, and the fan offset from the center of the heat source.…”