Active cooling device: A flexible, lab-scale experimental unit to develop spatio-temporal temperature control...

Area of Science:

• Engineering
• Thermal Management
• Fluid Dynamics

Background:

• Precise temperature control is crucial for various applications, including electronics cooling and process engineering.
• Existing thermal management systems often lack the flexibility for dynamic spatiotemporal temperature control.
• Manifold-based impinging jet systems offer potential for targeted heat removal and precise thermal distribution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and validate an experimental unit for multi-input, multi-output manifold thermal management.
• To enable precise control over spatiotemporal temperature distribution using impinging coolant jets.
• To provide a flexible and cost-effective platform for assessing custom temperature control strategies.

Main Methods:

• Development of a multi-channel manifold for directing coolant fluid jets.
• Implementation of a control system utilizing channel switching for input/output configuration.
• Characterization of system dynamics through validation experiments, including flow rate step changes and PI control.
• Utilizing Computer-Aided Design (CAD) files, custom PCB Gerber files, and a Python-based Graphical User Interface (GUI).

Main Results:

• Demonstrated a temperature reduction of 6°C with a 54 L/min flow rate step change and a 400s settling time.
• Achieved high reproducibility in setpoint tracking experiments using proportional-integral (PI) control.
• Successfully maintained a 100°C setpoint under spatially varying heat loads, showcasing disturbance rejection capabilities.
• The system offers a flexible design for lab-scale assessment of custom temperature control strategies.

Conclusions:

• The proposed experimental unit effectively achieves precise spatiotemporal temperature control via manifold impinging jets.
• The system's design facilitates flexible configuration and real-time performance tracking through an integrated GUI.
• This cost-effective ($14,000 USD) active cooling device is suitable for research and development of advanced thermal management solutions.