Active Cooling Device: A Flexible, Lab-Scale Experimental Unit to Develop Spatio-Temporal Temperature Control Strategies

TL;DR

This paper introduces a versatile, lab-scale active cooling device that enables the development and testing of spatio-temporal temperature control strategies using a multi-input, multi-output manifold system with real-time monitoring.

Contribution

The work provides a novel, flexible experimental setup with detailed assembly instructions, GUI control, and example applications for advanced thermal management research.

Findings

Demonstrated effective temperature control with the setup

Achieved system characterization and disturbance rejection

Validated real-time temperature and flow monitoring

Abstract

We present an experimental unit that realizes the ``multi-input, multi-output manifold'' thermal management technology proposed by Lamarre & Raymond (2023). The proposed setup can be used for experiments aimed at controlling spatiotemporal temperature distribution. Temperature control is achieved by impinging coolant fluid jets, leveraging a manifold of channels targeted to the surface. The direction of the fluid is controlled by shifting the role of channels between inputs, outputs, or closing them. Files associated with this work include Computer-Aided Design (CAD) STEP files, Gerber files to manufacture a Printed Circuit Board (PCB), and a Graphical User Interface (GUI) written in Python. We provide a step-by-step guide to assemble the experimental setup. We also provide instructions to interact with the setup through the GUI, which allows for real-time tracking of sample temperature and flow rates per flow control device. Additionally, we provide examples of usage of the setup, including system characterization with step response, Proportional-Integral-Derivative performance tracking, and disturbance rejection in a coupled system. Extending the application is accessible through the files provided in the open repository associated with this work. The active cooling device presents a safe, flexible, and complete design, allowing for lab-scale assessment of the performance of custom temperature control strategies using enclosed impinging jets.