CFD-Based Study of Ionic Wind for Efficient Thermal Management of High-Power Electronics

Efficient thermal management of high-power electronic components has become a critical engineering challenge as power densities grow and device geometries shrink. Conventional solutions based on passive heatsinks and mechanical fans are increasingly inadequate in applications where noise, reliability, and compactness are paramount. This paper presents a comprehensive Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) investigation of ionic wind—an Electro Hydro Dynamic (EHD) phenomenon in which a corona discharge between asymmetric electrodes generates a directed airflow without any moving part—as an energy-efficient alternative for cooling high-power electronics. A fully coupled 2D Multiphysics model is developed in COMSOL Multiphysics, integrating electrostatics, ion transport (Nernst–Planck), Navier–Stokes fluid dynamics, and convective heat transfer. The 2D formulation, while computationally efficient and consistent with prior EHD modeling studies, neglects lateral jet spreading inherent to a real three-dimensional needle configuration and is therefore expected to overestimate peak impingement velocities; quantitative comparisons with experimental temperatures are interpreted with this limitation in mind. The study focuses on a needle–collector configuration applied to a heated aluminum plate representative of a high-power electronic component such as a Light Emitting Diode (LED), a power transistor, or a microprocessor die. Simulation results are indirectly validated against experimental data obtained by Schlieren optics on a high-power (Chip-On-Board) COB LED system. The ionic wind reduces the maximum surface temperature by 8.1 K and substantially attenuates the central hotspot, redistributing heat laterally. A systematic parametric study reveals that applied voltage and needle height above the heat source are the dominant design parameters, while an energy balance shows that the EHD jet directly evacuates approximately 1.8% of the generated heat—acting primarily as a surface convection enhancer rather than a bulk heat extractor. These findings provide quantitative design guidelines applicable to any power electronic component cooled by an EHD system.