Ion Wind Generator Utilizing Bipolar Discharge in Parallel Pin Geometry

Abstract

We present a simple and efficient airflow generator utilizing the effect of ion wind by generating simultaneously both the positive and negative ions from two sharp electrodes mounted parallel to each other. The unique bipolar geometrical setup eliminates the effect of space charge by the high recombination rate of oppositely charged ions. The two-electrode arrangement is symmetrical, where the electrode creating charged ions of one polarity also serves as the reference electrode to establish the electric field required for ion creation by the opposite electrode, and vice versa. Unlike the conventional setup, with a single electrode generating ion wind with movement toward the reference electrode, in this configuration the air movement is parallel to the electrodes, and is directed away from the device. The airflow behavior is studied by both experiments and numerical simulation. The ion wind speed has a linear relationship with the square root of the discharge current, U ∝ √ I, and its measured values agree well with simulation. The characterization of the discharge current-voltage relationship was derived from mathematical processing in the general formThe ion wind speed and the current-voltage characteristics depend on the interspace between the electrodes and the electrode geometry. An ion wind speed on the order of ms −1 is created with a microampere discharge current, resulting in a total net charge of only several femtoampere. The proposed configuration is beneficial in minimizing the power consumption of the system, and in enabling air recirculation for airflow control applications, cooling applications, propulsion technology, and micropump design, especially for the applications where neutralized ion wind flow is required.Index Terms-Bipolar corona discharge, electrohydrodynamics, ion wind, parallel pin.0093-3813 of Engineering and Technology, VNUH. He has authored or co-authored more than 60 scientific articles and seven inventions. His current research interests include 3-D system integration technology and MEMS-based sensors, actuators, and applications.

Dual-pin electrohydrodynamic generator driven by alternating current

“…In this paper, we present a hybrid configuration of ion wind corona discharge where a pair of electrodes arranged in parallel connects to an AC power as described in Figure 2. The presented configuration is a further development expanding on our recent work [51][52][53][54][55][56][57] and possesses several configurational characteristics of DCD and DBD approaches. This configuration allows both negative and positive charges to simultaneously move away from the device in the same direction in parallel with the electrodes, and generate ion wind for both constant and transient applied voltages.…”

Estimating the effect of asymmetric electrodes in bipolar discharge ion wind generator

“…The resulting ion winds will impinge on each other within the interelectrode space to generate a steady flow moving away from the device. The ions of opposite charges quickly recombine with each other, hence, the majority of ions generated at both electrodes will not reach the counter electrode [24]. The configuration of SR15(+)/SR400(-) of this research with I-V characteristic given in Fig 2a operates by the bipolar regime.…”

“…The convection term � �⃗ ± in Equation (2) was neglected and an additional solver was developed to solve Equations (2) and (3) separately from Equations (4) and (5). The solution by Equations (2) and (3) was used as the initial electric field condition for solving the coupled Equations(1)-(4) in the main solver [24]. The simulation setup with the meshing and boundary conditions of the ion wind motion by the configuration SR400/SR15 is described in Figure 6.…”

“…For certain applications, it is necessary to install an additional neutralizing component or to introduce a device cover grounded in order to protect the system from charges, but that leads to more complicated design. Such problems have been solved using a symmetrical configuration [22][23][24][25][26][27][28] where two electrodes with identical tips are placed in parallel and both generate charged particles. In this configuration, the generated ion wind movement is in parallel with the pins.…”

Piezo-resistive and thermo-resistance effects of highly-aligned CNT based macrostructures

“…Thus, thanks to the high conductivity and porosity and the strong corrosive resistance, these CNT based structures can be useful in several specic applications. Some applications can be cited as follows: the electro-hydrodynamics where CNT threads act as a positive spraying electrode to overcome the corrosion induced by the electrochemical process, 44,45 the corona electrode for ion wind generator, [46][47][48][49][50][51] the thermal sensing element in multiphase uidic device 52 and the large deformation sensor and actuator. 22,53…”