Research on Dust Effect for MEMS Thermal Wind Sensors
Zhenxiang Yi1, Yishan Wang1, Ming Qin1
1Key Laboratory of MEMS of the Ministry of Education, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China.
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
|July 8, 2023
Summary
Dust accumulation on microelectromechanical system (MEMS) thermal wind sensors slightly reduces output voltage, impacting measurement accuracy. This study quantifies the dust effect, offering insights for sensor performance in real-world, dusty environments.
Area of Science:
- Sensor Technology
- Environmental Monitoring
Background:
- Microelectromechanical System (MEMS) thermal wind sensors are crucial for various applications.
- Dust accumulation poses a significant challenge to the performance and reliability of these sensors in practical environments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate and quantify the impact of dust on the performance of MEMS thermal wind sensors.
- To evaluate the degradation in measurement sensitivity and accuracy caused by dust accumulation.
Main Methods:
- Development of an equivalent circuit model to analyze dust-induced temperature gradients.
- Utilizing Finite Element Method (FEM) simulations for model verification.
- Experimental dust accumulation using two distinct methods on sensor surfaces.
Main Results:
- A noticeable reduction in output voltage was observed with dust on the sensor surface compared to clean sensors.
- Average voltage reduction of 1.91% and 3.75% was recorded for dust concentrations of 0.04 g/mL and 0.12 g/mL, respectively.
- Dust accumulation degrades the sensitivity and accuracy of MEMS thermal wind sensors.
Conclusions:
- Dust significantly affects the performance of MEMS thermal wind sensors, leading to reduced accuracy.
- The findings provide valuable data for understanding sensor behavior in dusty conditions.
- Results serve as a reference for deploying thermal wind sensors in harsh environments.
