Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) micropumps have been developed and used in many diverse applications such as in microscale liquid cooling and various microfluidic systems. The objective of this research is to investigate different methods of enhancing the performance of ion drag EHD micropumps. In particular, the effect of electrode surface topology, applied electric field and doping agent in the dielectric liquid were investigated. The effect of 3D sharp features on the electrodes on charge injection in HFE 7100 as dielectric fluid was studied under an applied DC electric field. Micro and nano-scale features with high aspect ratio were developed on smooth copper electrodes by chemical etching or through electrophoretic deposition of single walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT). The spacing between the electrodes was kept at 250 µm. A reduction factor of 5 was achieved for SWCNT electrodes compared to the smooth case for the onset of charge injection. This study was then extended to determine its effects on the performance of ion drag EHD micropumps with 100 pairs of interdigitated electrodes. The emitter electrodes (20 µm) were half the width of the collector electrodes (40 µm), with one pump having an inter-electrode spacing of 120 µm and the other with 40 µm. Each micropump had a width of 5 mm and a height of 100 µm. SWCNT was deposited on the emitter electrodes of the micropump to generate a maximum static pressure of 4.7 kPa at 900 V, which is a 5 fold increase compared to the pump with smooth electrodes. Flow rate at no back pressure condition was improved by a factor of 3. The effect of Ferrocene as a doping agent in the working fluid HFE 7100 was studied under DC voltages. A maximum static pressure of 6.7 kPa was achieved at 700 V with 0.2% weight based doping agent, 11 times higher than when there was no doping agent at the same applied voltage. When there was no back pressure the pump generated a maximum flow rate of 0.47 mL/min at 700 V with 0.05% doping agent which is 9 times greater than with no doping agent. The effect of pulsed voltage on the performance of ion drag EHD micropump has been studied to exploit the displacement current at the sudden change of applied voltage magnitude. A range of pulse repetition rate and duty cycle were found to significantly enhance the pump performance. Static pressure generation was up to 75% and 88% greater at an optimal pulse repetition rate and duty cycle, respectively, compared to the average of the two DC levels. The effect of external flow on the discharge characteristics of an injection micropump was studied with DC volts. Higher discharge current and lower threshold voltage for the onset of charge injection in case of co-flow compared to the static case was observed. There was an optimum flow rate to generate maximum current for both co and counter-flow cases. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Liquid cooled small channel heat sinks have become a promising heat dissipation method for future high power electrical devices. Traditional mini and microchannel heat sinks consist of a single layer of low-aspect ratio rectangular channels. The alternative new heat sinks are fabricated by stacking many channels together to create multiple layer channels. These multilayer heat sinks can achieve high heat flux due to high heat transfer coefficients from small channels and large surface area from multilayer structure. In this research, multilayer copper and silicon carbide (SIC) minichannel heat sinks were tested in single-phase flow. It was shown that multilayer heat sinks have significant advantages over single-layer equivalents with reductions both in thermal resistance and pressure drop. A 3-D resistance network model for single and multilayered heat sinks was developed and validated. Parametric study and optimization on copper and SiC heat sinks with respect to channel geometries, number of layers, and heat sink conductivity were conducted by using the model.Both copper and SiC heat sinks were also tested in two-phase flow. In experiments, the multilayer copper heat sinks achieved smaller average surface temperature than their single-layer counterpart at low heat flux. However the multilayer copper heat sinks gradually lost stability at high heat flux, which lead to increased surface temperature. The redistribution of flow in different layers caused by pressure discrepancy in different layers was believed to be the cause. A three-zone model, which dividing the flow in small channels into three distinguishing parts: single-phase flow, subcooled boiling flow, and saturated boiling flow, was proposed to describe the different two-phase flow regimes. In each zone, the local heat transfer coefficient was computed by corresponding correlation. Several boiling correlations combined with the resistance network model were used to compute the heat sink surface temperature distributions, which were compared with experimental results. It was found the classical boiling correlations for macro channels are not suitable for the minichannels, frequently overestimating the boiling heat transfer coefficient. Boiling correlations for small channels are more consistent with experimental data and the predictions of Yu's correlation match the experimental results best.

<p>Due to increasing regulation on emissions and shifting consumer preferences, the wide adoption of battery electric vehicles (BEV) hinges on research and development of technologies that can extend system range. This can be accomplished either by increasing the battery size or via more efficient operation of the electrical and thermal systems. This thesis endeavours to accomplish the latter through comparative investigation of BEV integrated thermal management system (ITMS) performance across a range of ambient conditions (-20 °C to 40 °C), cabin setpoints (18 °C to 24 °C), and six different ITMS architectures. A dynamic ITMS modelling framework for a long-range electric vehicle is established with comprehensive sub models for the operation of the drive train, power electronics, battery, vapor compression cycle components, and cabin conditioning. This modelling framework is used to construct a baseline thermal management system, as well as for adaptation to four common systems. Additionally, a novel low-temperature waste heat recovery (LT WHR) system is proposed and shown to have potential benefits at low ambient temperatures through the reduction of the necessary cabin ventilation loading. While this system shows performance improvements, the regular WHR system offers the greatest benefit for long-range BEV drive cycles in terms of system range and transient response. With an optimal thermal management system found for long range BEV’s this system is then used as a boundary condition for a study on cooling of the battery. Battery conditioning, health, and as a result their along cell and system lifetime remains an additional concern of consumers as well as thermal systems engineers seeking to ensure safety and ensure longevity of EV battery cells. Three typical coolant flow orientations are studied to compare them under different flow conditions and thermal interface material performance. The battery cooling model is then coupled to the previously established dynamic modelling environment to demonstrate the added modelling capability (and necessity) for incorporating module-level cooling performance in both battery cooling studies and transient ITMS environments. </p>

AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) have been widely used for high power and high frequency RF communications due to their fast switching and large current handling capabilities. The reliability of such devices is strongly affected by the junction temperature where the highest magnitude occurs in a local region on the drain side edge of the gate called the hotspot. Thus, thermal management of these devices remains a major concern in the design and reliability of systems employing AlGaN/GaN HEMTs. Due to the large power densities induced in these devices locally near the drain side edge of the gate, it is clear that moving thermal management solutions closer to the heat generation region is critical in order to reduce the overall junction temperature of the device. In this work, we explore the use of embedded microchannel cooling in the substrate of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs made on Si and SiC substrates and compare them to passive cooling techniques using Si, SiC, and diamond substrates. In addition, the impact of cooling fluids and harsh environmental conditions were considered. The study was performed using a combination of CFD and finite volume analysis on packaged AlGaN/GaN HEMTs. Active cooling using embedded microchannels were shown to have a significant impact on the heat dissipation over the passive cooling methods, approaching or exceeding that of diamond cooled devices. For vertical power devices (IGBT), embedded microchannels in the power electronics substrates were explored. In both the power devices and lateral AlGaN/GaN HEMTs, the use of embedded microchannels with nonlinear channel geometries was shown to be the most effective in terms of reducing the device junction temperature while minimizing the pumping power required.

Les data centers sont des infrastructures qui hébergent un grand nombre d’équipements informatiques. Plus de 99% de la puissance électrique consommée par les composants électroniques est transformée en chaleur. Pour assurer leur bon fonctionnement il est donc nécessaire de les refroidir. Cette opération est majoritairement réalisée par l’emploi de systèmes de climatisation à air très énergivores. De plus, la densité de puissance dissipée au sein des baies informatiques est en augmentation permanente. Nous arrivons alors aux limites de l’utilisation de l’air comme fluide caloporteur pour le refroidissement. Les études réalisées durant cette thèse concernent l’amélioration de l’efficacité énergétique des systèmes de refroidissement des baies électroniques par l’exploitation de liquides comme fluides caloporteurs. Cette approche permet de bénéficier de coefficients d’échanges thermiques et de capacités de refroidissement plus importants, avec des perspectives plus viables pour la revalorisation de la chaleur issue des data centers.Durant la thèse, quatre solutions de refroidissement ont été évaluées. Des expérimentations ont été menées à l’échelle de serveurs et d’une baie informatique. Une instrumentation conséquente permet de mettre en évidence le bon refroidissement des composants et de déterminer des indicateurs d’efficacité énergétique des systèmes étudiés. A partir des résultats expérimentaux, deux modèles numériques sont développés par une approche nodale et une identification des paramètres par méthode inverse. Ces modèles pourront être dupliqués à l’échelle d’une salle informatique afin de quantifier les gains potentiels de deux solutions de refroidissement liquide. / Data centers are facilities that house a large numbers of computer equipment. More than 99% of the electrical power consumed by the electronic components is converted into heat. To ensure their good working, it is necessary to keep them under their recommended temperatures. This is mainly achieved by the use of air conditioning systems which consume a lot of electrical power. In addition, the power density of computer racks is constantly increasing. So the limits of air as a coolant for electronic equipment cooling are reached.Studies conducted during this thesis concern the improvement of energy efficiency of cooling systems for electronic rack by using liquids as heat transfer fluids. This approach gives higher heat exchange coefficients and larger cooling capacity with more viable aspects for the recovering of heat from data centers.Four cooling solutions are evaluated. Experiments are conducted on several servers and on a computer rack. A consistent instrumentation helps to highlight the efficiency of components cooling and allows us to identify energy efficiency indicators of the studied systems. From the experimental results, two numerical models are developed by a nodal approach and a parameter identification by inverse method is carried out. These models can be duplicated at the scale of a data center room in order to quantify the potential gains of two liquid cooling solutions.

abstract: Deformable heat exchangers could provide a multitude of previously untapped advantages ranging from adaptable performance via macroscale, dynamic shape change (akin to dilation/constriction seen in blood vessels) to enhanced heat transfer at thermal interfaces through microscale, surface deformations. So far, making deformable, ‘soft heat exchangers’ (SHXs) has been limited by the low thermal conductivity of materials with suitable mechanical properties. The recent introduction of liquid-metal embedded elastomers by Bartlett et al1 has addressed this need. Specifically, by remaining soft and stretchable despite the addition of filler, these thermally conductive composites provide an ideal material for the new class of “soft thermal systems”, which is introduced in this work. Understanding such thermal systems will be a key element in enabling technology that require high levels of stretchability, such as thermoregulatory garments, soft electronics, wearable electronics, and high-powered robotics. Shape change inherent to SHX operation has the potential to violate many conventional assumptions used in HX design and thus requires the development of new theoretical approaches to predict performance. To create a basis for understanding these devices, this work highlights two sequential studies. First, the effects of transitioning to a surface deformable, SHX under steady state static conditions in the setting of a liquid cooling device for thermoregulation, electronics and robotics applications was explored. In this study, a thermomechanical model was built and validated to predict the thermal performance and a system wide analysis to optimize such devices was carried out. Second, from a more fundamental perspective, the effects of SHXs undergoing transient shape deformation during operation was explored. A phase shift phenomenon in cooling performance dependent on stretch rate, stretch extent and thermal diffusivity was discovered and explained. With the use of a time scale analysis, the extent of quasi-static assumption viability in modeling such systems was quantified and multiple shape modulation regime limits were defined. Finally, nuance considerations and future work of using liquid metal-silicone composites in SHXs were discussed. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Engineering 2020

Sub-ambient direct-on-chip liquid cooling is an emerging technology in the data center industry. The risk of an electrically conductive liquid leaking out to the electrical components and damaging the servers has been the major factor in holding back the use of liquid cooling historically. This technology effectively removes that risk. A direct-on-chip liquid cooling system, where average system pressure and average CPU temperatures can be fixed for a range of server computing loads and coolant supply temperatures for data center servers has been designed and constructed. This has been used to determine what impact pressure has on a small-scale liquid cooled server system in terms of CPU power consumption and CPU temperatures. The cooling system was only able to work with one server connected. Experiments with different values for the CPU temperature setpoint, coolant supply temperature setpoint, server computational load, and server pressure were executed to verify that the system works as intended. Applying a range of CPU computing loads works well, maintaining fixed average CPU temperatures works, with differences between the CPUs at higher temperatures and failure to reach average CPU temperatures when the difference between these and the coolant supply temperature is small. Maintaining fixed average pressure before the server works well, while pressure after the server is heavily affected by coolant flow. However, this effect is not seen as important for the experimental goals of the thesis. Maintaining a fixed coolant supply temperature works well with some slow fluctuations around the setpoint. No noticeable effects from pressure on CPU power consumption and CPU temperatures were seen. However, lower flow resistance was seen by the circulating pump when negative system pressure was lower which implies that less pump energy is needed to pump at lower negative pressure. The pressure was not in the region where the coolant could phase change during the experiments.

No description available.

Exoskeletons and humanoid robots require high-power, low-weight, and back-driveable actuators. This paper describes the design and analysis of a high-force linear series elastic actuator for a lower body exoskeleton. The actuator is powered by two motors and utilize a liquid cooling system to increase its maximum continuous torque. The actuator is capable of outputting a maximum continuous force of 4800N and a maximum speed of 0.267 m/s with a maximum continuous motor current of 18A. The Titanium leaf spring was used in the actuator to provide compliance. The spring has a median stiffness of 587 N/mm with standard deviation of 38 N/mm, validated by experiments. Dynamic model was created to analyze the normal modes and can be used for developing model-based controllers. / Master of Science / Compliant Linear actuators with ball screw have become popular for humanoids robots and exoskeleton. The use of ball screw lead to high efficiency, high gear ratio and high back-drivability. The compliance or the ''softness'' of the actuator comes from Titanium leaf spring, which can storage energy during gait cycle and protect motor and the ball screw from impacts of walking. The custom liquid cooling system improves the force density for the actuator. Beam theory analysis, heat transfer analysis, and dynamics analysis were performed to provides insights for the actuator system.

Advancements in the networking and routing industry have created higher power electronic systems which dissipate large amounts of heat while cooling technology for these electronic systems has remained relatively unchanged. This report illustrates the development and testing of a hybrid liquid-air cooling system prototype implemented on Cisco’s 7609s router. Water was the working fluid through cold plates removing heat from line card components. The water was cooled by a compact liquid-air heat exchanger and circulated by two pumps. The testing results show that junction temperatures were maintained well below the 105°C limit for ambient conditions around 30°C at sea level. The estimated junction temperatures for Cisco’s standard ambient conditions of 50°C at 6,000 feet and 40°C at 10,000 feet were 104°C and 96°C respectively. Adjustments to the test data for Cisco’s two standard ambient conditions with expected device characteristics suggested the hybrid liquid-air cooling design could meet the projected heat load.