Active Thermal Control of an Ion-Drag Pump Assisted Micro Heat Pipe

Abstract

An ion-drag pump is utilized to enhance the heat transport capacity of micro heat pipes. An analytical model is developed to estimate the maximum heat transport capacity as a function of the applied electric field. The model predicts that the application of an electric field causes a four fold increase in heat transport capacity. A transient analytical model was developed to permit variation of the electric field with applied thermal load. A proportional-integral-derivative controller was used to simulate active temperature control. The feasibility of achieving active temperature control was demonstrated experimentally.