Ion wind generation and the application to cooling

Ion Wind Generation (IWG) based cooling systems portend a new type of cooling for mobile electronics. However, the actual application of IWG cooling is still limited because a few important parameters are still unclear: maximum wind velocity, minimum operational voltage, degradation of corona-discharging electrodes, and optimum electrode geometries. We report on experimental investigation on these parameters based on a prototype IWG system consisting of wire electrodes and semi-cylindrical contour-shaped electrodes. We tested various IWG system designs with different electrode diameters, electric configurations, and operational conditions. The experimental studies could provide better understanding of IWG cooling systems and accelerate its application.

► We carry out experimental parametric study on Ion Wind Generation with a prototype.
► Smaller wire gives smaller operation voltage with almost the same power efficiency.
► DC negative produces higher wind velocity than DC positive with the same voltage.
► AC produces frequency-dependent velocity and has the lowest operation voltage.
► Degradation of wire increases operation voltage and decreases power efficiency.