Integration of a multiple piezoelectric fans system with a vapor chamber

Abstract

In this study, a multiple fans system with a piezoelectric actuator (MFPA) was integrated with a vapor chamber. The integrated system was embedded in a micro-computer for its thermal management. The MFPA utilized magnetic repulsive force to transfer power from the piezoelectric actuator to the adjacent passive fans. Models with different fan length, fan pitch and the number of the fans were developed. The thermal performance, vibrational amplitude, and power consumption of different models were investigated. The experiment results showed that the thermal resistance of all the models decreased when the input power increased. Besides, the model with shorter carbon fiber plate length, larger fan pitch and larger fan number had the lower thermal resistance. The model with five fans, 11 mm fan pitch, 40 mm carbon fiber plate and 10 mm Mylar plate had the lowest thermal resistance at 3.14 °C/W under the 12 W input power, while the thermal resistance of natural convection was 4.88 °C/W. The power consumption of the model was merely 0.05 W.