Why Piezoelectric Micropumps Are the Ideal Choice for Electronic Liquid Cooling

1.Introduction
2.Working Principle
3.Core Advantage
4.Conclusion

Introduction
Modern processors have a difficult thermal task. CPUs, GPU and AI chips continue to get faster and faster. Heat generation has hit levels which traditional cooling methods struggle to handle. Conventional solutions have obvious limitations. Fans generate noise and take up a lot of space. Traditional mechanical pumps come with bulky motors and have complicated rotating parts. These systems are not capable of keeping up with the needs of next-generation compact devices.
Piezoelectric micropumps are an attractive alternative. Because of their solid state design, they eliminate moving parts. They provide unparalleled power to volume ratios. This type of technology is the Future of Thermal Management Technology.

Working Principle
Piezoelectric micropumps are based on the simple but beautiful principle. The inverse piezoelectric effect is the process of converting electrical energy to high precision mechanical change (displacement). When voltage is applied to piezoelectric material, the material deforms with three complement microscopic precision.
The working of pumping cycle is done through the controlled vibration. A thin piezoelectric membrane is oscillated at a high speed. This vibration works with the coordination of one way valves. Flexural movement of the membrane draws the fluid into the chamber. It then flexes outwards in order to expel fluid through the outlet. This cycle repeats itself hundreds or thousands of times per second. The architecture is extremely simple. There are no motors, no rotating shafts, no gears and no bearings. The pump only contains a piezoelectric element, a chamber and passive valves. With this minimalist design, the complicated nature of traditional pumps is eliminated.

Core Advantage
1.High Integrability and Extreme Compactness
Piezoelectric micropumps can be very thin (a few millimeters in thickness). This enables integration in to ultra-thin devices where space is at an absolute premium. Laptops, tablets and high-performance smartphones can now have liquid cooling.
The loss in weight is equally impressive. The whole assembly of pumps weighs only a fraction of conventional mechanical pumps. This is important for mobile applications and aerospace applications.
It is integration capabilities which set these pumps apart. They can be directly embedded into microchannel cold plate. The pump is located in the exact spot where there is the most need for cooling. This eliminates the lines of fluid that are long and reduces the thermal resistance. With a minimal delay heat enters into the coolant from the chip.
2.Energy Efficiency and Low Self Heating
The power consumption is negligible. Piezoelectric actuation only requires much less current than electromagnetic motors. The pump requires only a few watts. In battery-powered devices this efficiency increases run time to a huge extent.
The only heat almost never produced by the pump during operation is waste heat. Traditional pumps will commonly add heat to the loop, which adds further protection to avoid overheating the liquid. This is a counter-productive situation where the cooling system is the need of cooling. Piezoelectric pumps do not have this problem at all.
The energy comes right into the movement of the fluid. Very little is lost to friction or electrical-resistance. This great rate of conversion translates to better cooling for each watt consumed.
3.Silent Operation and Mechanical Reliability
Piezoelectric pumps are directional pumps that can be tuned for setting frequencies. The engineers can set the frequency outside the range of human hearing. There are no sounds of mechanical friction. There is no motor whine. The pump operates totally silent.
Reliability is based on the basic design. There are no bearings to wear. There are no shafts to go off alignment. There are no brushes to degenerate. The piezoelectric element itself is capable of billion cycles without failure. The passive valves do not contain any active components to break.
The electromagnetic interference is not a concern. Unlike motor-generated pumps, there are no significant electromagnetic fields generated by piezoelectric pumps. They function stably even in an environment that has sensitive electronics. This makes them ideal for medical devices and precision instruments and computing systems.

Conclusion
Piezoelectric micropumps are a paradigm change in the thermal management. The switch from mechanical or valve pumping to solid state pumping resolves the basic conflict between space limitations and performance needs.
This technology frees us from the trade-off that by now for decades which has limited electronic cooling. Devices can be useful in a small size and energy. They have the benefit of being able to run cool without running loud. They are able to work efficiently without adding weight.
The future of high performance electronics requires improved thermal solutions. Piezoelectric micropumps are not an increment of improvement. They are the needed evolution and move towards efficient, silent and reliable cooling. 
If you want to know how to choose a right piezoelectric micropump, you can turn to this blog《Choosing the Right Piezoelectric Micropump for Efficient Liquid Cooling》
Bestar has a flexible ability to custom design to meet specific designs. We work closely with customer engineering groups obtaining an understanding of the system space, thermal loads and system architecture. Depending on such inputs, we tailor pump parameters as well as flow rates and pressure characteristics and mounting interfaces. We also have ability to facilitate coolant selection and optimization of fluid circuits.