The effect of electrode orientation in an electrohydrodynamic (EHD) gas pump inside a square channel is experimentally examined for its effective use in thermal management. The two-stage gas pump with electrodes flush mounted on two parallel walls in each stage is powered by DC voltages ranging from 24 to 28 kV. In addition to the volume flow rate produced, the performance of the pump is evaluated using an energy efficiency factor, which is defined as the volume flow rate delivered by a unit power input. It is found that this parameter has a larger value for the EHD pump with aligned electrodes. However, the EHD pump with offset electrodes can produce more mixing of flow inside the channel, which may be more favorable for the application in thermal management. Most importantly, EHD gas pumps with either electrode configuration have a greater energy efficiency than conventional fans, and thus have a greater advantage for applications in the thermal management. This advantage is even more prominent when pumps are operated with uneven applied voltages.

实验检查了方形通道内电流体动力 (EHD) 气泵中电极取向的影响，以确认其在热管理中的有效用途。两级气泵的电极齐平安装在每级的两个平行壁上，由 24 到 28 kV 的直流电压供电。除了产生的体积流量外，泵的性能还使用能效因子进行评估，该因子定义为单位功率输入提供的体积流量。发现该参数对于具有对齐电极的 EHD 泵具有更大的值。然而，带有偏置电极的 EHD 泵可以在通道内产生更多的流动混合，这可能更有利于热管理中的应用。最重要的是，具有任一电极配置的 EHD 气泵比传统风扇具有更高的能效，因此在热管理应用中具有更大的优势。当泵以不均匀的外加电压运行时，这一优势更加突出。