Synchronization on Van der Pol Oscillators and Application in Micro-Thermal-Fluid Cooling Systems

Abstract

In this work, a closed-loop control for stabilizing a set of identical oscillatory systems, interconnected in parallel and with only one common input for all, is discussed. Our focus is primarily on oscillators resembling the Van der Pol type. To achieve this goal, a control strategy for synchronizing the oscillators is evaluated, using their phase response curve (PRC), thereby aligning them under identical conditions. This control law is applied to a flow micro-thermal-fluid cooling system, which has similarities to Van der Pol oscillators. In this application, the idea is control the flow rate of the refrigerant fluid circulating in the microchannels and, consequently, the temperature at the walls of these channels, achieving better performance in heat transfer. Simulation results are presented to validate the applied control.