Numerical simulation of a wire–plate solid-state fan for ultra-quiet museum display cases

Abstract

Conventional microenvironment control systems of a museum display case generally use mechanical fans which produce great noise and vibration for heat dissipation of semiconductor air-conditioning units. Solid-state fans (ionic wind) operate with no moving parts and can overcome noise and vibration issues of a microenvironment control system. In this study, a multi-electrode mathematical and physical model of wire–plate solid-state fans was developed, and its performance has been analysed in depth. Simulation results indicate that there is an optimal distance between discharge electrodes ( d), which corresponds to the largest average wind velocity at the exit of the simulation area ( ua). Under the same power consumption, ua and the vertical height from a discharge electrode to a collecting electrode ( H) exhibit a monotonically increasing relationship. Similarly, ua and the radius of a discharge electrode ( r) show a monotonically decreasing relationship. In addition, a manufactured solid-state fan with an average wind velocity of 1.48 m·s−1 shows a noise intensity of 4.3 dB(A), which is considerably lower than that of a mechanical fan, with the same power consumption. These positive results suggest that ultra-quiet microenvironment control technologies of a museum display case can be potentially developed in the near future.