Flow control and heat transfer enhancement of modular electrohydrodynamic pump

Flow control and heat transfer enhancement represent critical research in the aerospace field, facing challenges such as complex environments, long-term thermal management requirements, low energy consumption, and high integration. As an emerging fluid-driven and thermal management technology, the electrohydrodynamic (EHD) pump is independent of gravity, and it demonstrates significant application potential. This study presents a modular EHD pump and systematically tests its flow control, heat transfer enhancement, and dynamic response characteristics. Experimental results indicate that as the applied voltage increases, the flow rate of the EHD pump increases significantly. At a heat flux of 10 000 W/m², the enhancement efficiency of the pump reaches 107.59%. By constructing an energy consumption characteristic curve, the energy consumption of the EHD pump is evaluated, showing a maximum of 0.046 W at 10 kV. Dynamic response tests reveal that the startup and shutdown processes of the pump can be divided into four stages: initiation, progression, stabilization, and decay. Owing to its compact, gravity-independent, and modular design, the pump shows potential for use in spacecraft thermal management and compact electronic cooling systems.