Narrow-Flow-Channel-Driven EHD Gas Pump for an Advanced Thermal Management of Microelectronics

In order to study the feasibility of applying electrohydrodynamic (EHD) gas pumps for advanced thermal management of microelectronics, an experimental investigation was conducted to drive gas flow through a narrow flow channel by an EHD gas pump. The net gas flow induced by corona discharge was generated by a push-fan (PF)-type EHD gas pump with and without a partially covered corona wire and nonparallel ground plate electrodes to transfer gas through millimeter-order circular channels. Therefore, it is important to know the effect of a narrow channel on the characteristics of the EHD gas pump with the corona wire electrode covered. The results show that the effects of narrow circular flow channels significantly influence the flow characteristics of the PF-type EHD gas pump and that the use of an insulator on the corona wire electrode can significantly enhance the current flux density and the pump performance under dc positive applied voltage.