Flow and heat transfer characteristics of impinging circular synthetic jets

Since the introduction of integrated circuits forty years ago, the cooling of electronic components has become increasingly critical as the result of the exponential growth in transistors density on the integrated circuits. It becomes apparent that a more compact yet more efficient cooling method must be developed in order to satisfy the pressing need of future electronics. Synthetic jets offer an attractive cooling method due to their massless nature and relative ease in being integrated in MEMS through micro-fabrication. Although the research on synthetic jets cooling has shown a promising prospect in the applications of cooling electronic components, our current knowledge of the behaviour of impinging synthetic jets is still insufficient for designing such devices which can deliver the required performance. In this research project, a series of experimental studies were undertaken so as to achieve a better understanding of the fluid mechanics and heat transfer characteristics of impinging synthetic jets issued from a circular and twin circular orifices. The finding from this study is expected to provide useful information to the design of effective synthetic jet cooling devices.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo