A bio-inspired shape memory alloy-based smart fin system for adaptive thermal management

Thermal management systems utilizing fixed-area extended surfaces for thermal enhancement have been extensively investigated. Unlike these systems, in nature, few creatures display the ability to control heat dissipation in adaptation to changes in environmental conditions by controlling their exposed surface area of the body. Motivated by this, the primary objective of this research is the design, development, numerical and experimental evaluation of an adaptive variable area smart fin system for intelligent thermal management using a high-strain SMA spring actuator. Unlike most thermal management devices and techniques that involve a fixed surface area, a smart fin controlled by Pennate structure-based SMA (PeSMA) actuator is proposed for large actuation and compact arrangement. The capabilities of the smart fin to adaptively enhance heat transfer are experimentally demonstrated and numerically modeled. The proposed fin design can deliver improved thermal performance in terms of reduced operating temperature and pressure drop, which is an indicator of operational cost when the application involves variable and uncertain thermal load conditions. We envisage one of the future applications of this technology in the battery thermal management of Electric Vehicles (EVs) where deployable compact heat transfer system is highly desirable.