B2.4 - Numerical simulation of a MEMS Pirani vacuum sensor

Event
AMA Conferences 2013
2013-05-14 - 2013-05-16
Nürnberg
Band
Proceedings SENSOR 2013
Chapter
B2 - Modeling & Simulation II
Author(s)
S. Quednau, H. Schlaak - Technische Universität Darmstadt (Germany), F. Völklein - RheinMain University of Applied Sciences (Germany)
Pages
222 - 228
DOI
10.5162/sensor2013/B2.4
ISBN
978-3-9813484-3-9
Price
free

Abstract

This work presents a method to simulate the heat exchange characteristics of a MEMS Pirani vacuum
sensor. The simulation couples the electro-thermal sensor system with the surrounding rarefied gas
atmosphere. The heat exchange between the sensor and the surrounding gas is modelled by the exchange
of boundary conditions between the solid and the gas (fluid) region. The dilution effects which
occur under rarefied gas atmosphere are taken into account by an adapted slip boundary condition.
The simulation has been carried out using a specially adapted solver which is implemented in Open-
FOAM. The simulated results are in excellent agreement with the measured data of a MEMS Pirani
vacuum sensor.

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