Low Power Consumption PZT Actuated Micro-Pump

Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC) that convert the chemical energy of the fuels directly into electrical energy are considered to be the key technology for power generation in portable electronics like cellular phones, laptop computers and wearable electronics and have received considerable research attention in recent years. This study applies the PZT actuator as the driving source of the micro-pump, which is used to circulate fuel within a DMFC power system. It conquered the usual disadvantage of high voltage needed to drive PZT actuator. It is capable of pumping both the liquid and air gas with the unique check valve design within the micro-fluidic channel and the pump material is made of EPDM to stand with the erosion of liquid methanol as fuel of DMFC device. It also consists the character of small size for the micro-pump after packaging process. Spec of the micro-pump developed by this project is 3 c.c./min of pumping flow rate or 150 mm-H2O for pumping pressure head at the condition of plusmn24 volts and 20 Hz for driving voltage and frequency, respectively, and power consumption is only about 40 mW. Since the micro-pump driven by a PZT actuator, the power consumption and heat generation by the micro-pump are negligible. Also, with the piezoelectric actuation being instantaneous, there is no delay in generating mechanical motion of the diaphragm from a given electrical input. Moreover, the pumping speed can precisely be controlled due to a very good linearity of the pump response