creator Pearson, Matthew advisor Yagoobi, Jamal Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) pumping methods rely on the interaction between electric fields and the flow fields of a dielectric fluid. Conduction pumping is one EHD pumping mechanism, which offers many advantages over other EHD pumping methods (for example, a simple design, no degradation of the working fluid, and no need for a temperature gradient). Conduction pumping can be used in an adiabatic context to pump a working fluid or it can be applied to deliver substantial enhancement to single- and two-phase heat transfer processes. Experimental studies of conduction pumping to date have focused on macro-scale devices with applied voltages on the order of 10 kV. However, like many other EHD concepts, conduction pumping depends primarily on the intensity of the imposed electric field. Therefore, at the micro-scale, the reduced physical size can be accompanied by a reduction in the magnitude of the applied voltage to levels that are significantly more manageable. Furthermore, the simplicity of EHD conduction pumps, such as the lack of moving parts, high reliability, and physical compactness, make them an attractive method for pressure generation in micro-scale fluid and heat transfer devices. This experimental study examines the fundamental behavior and performance of EHD conduction pumping at the micro-scale. The pump is embedded in a rectangular, adiabatic micro-channel, and the single-phase flow and pressure generation of the pump are characterized. The EHD pumping of single- and two-phase flows in micro-channels in the presence of heat transfer is also studied and the corresponding enhancement to single- and two-phase heat transfer is quantified. In an additional study, micro-scale electrodes are embedded within a flat, heated surface to examine the ability of the conduction pump to provide electrically-enhanced wetting of the heated surface during pool boiling. A model based on hydrodynamic instability theory is generated to quantify the influence of the EHD conduction pumping on the pool boiling critical heat flux. Finally, this technology is incorporated into two unique, novel, heat transport devices akin to a heat pipe but in which the primary driving force for the liquid is conduction pumping, not capillarity. Submitted by Dana Lamparello (dlampare@iit.edu) on 2011-12-01T18:49:15Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertation.pdf: 3962980 bytes, checksum: a76352983696d131c77992248dcf552e (MD5) Cover Page.pdf: 11520 bytes, checksum: 7b677ef3b883b9424015b5285f8281df (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2011-12-01T18:49:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertation.pdf: 3962980 bytes, checksum: a76352983696d131c77992248dcf552e (MD5) Cover Page.pdf: 11520 bytes, checksum: 7b677ef3b883b9424015b5285f8281df (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-05 Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, May 2011 2011-04-19 2011-05 http://hdl.handle.net/10560/2360 en Dissertation born digital application/pdf In Copyright http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/ Restricted Access MMAE / Mechanical, Materials, and Aerospace Engineering Illinois Institute of Technology Affiliated department