Fluid Flow Amplifier High-Pressure Coanda Profile
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fluid flow amplifiers are unable to operate effectively at high inlet pressures above 8.5 atm (125 psig) due to issues with flow reversal and turbulence, limiting their ability to drive turbomachinery to high tip speeds and achieving maximum air entrainment efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a secondary L-shaped nozzle that creates a vacuum to assist the primary airflow, preventing flow reversal and turbulence by ensuring the airflow follows a consistent path to the outlet, and allows for adjustable gap settings to optimize performance at high pressures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stress or pressure
If existing fluid flow amplifiers operate at high inlet pressures above 8.5 atm (125 psig), then pressure velocity transduction capability is improved, but flow reversal and turbulence occur reducing air entrainment efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into two separate pieces: a body and a plug. The body contains the inlet and annular chamber, while the plug contains the nozzle and Coanda profile. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each component's geometry and flow characteristics, enabling stable operation at high pressures by separately controlling pressure containment (body) and flow attachment (plug).
Solution Approach 2:
The Coanda profile acts as an intermediary element between the nozzle outlet and the ambient air inlet. It mediates the interaction between the high-velocity compressed air jet and the ambient air, creating a controlled attachment region that prevents flow reversal and turbulence even at high inlet pressures, thereby maintaining air entrainment efficiency.
2Ease of manufacture
If the plug is screwed into the body to form an annular chamber and nozzle, then device assembly is simplified, but sealing at high pressures becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The threaded connection, which creates potential leakage paths, is combined with an O-ring seal that converts the threaded interface into a positive sealing surface. The O-ring accommodates manufacturing tolerances and thread imperfections, transforming the potential harm of thread leakage into a reliable seal that maintains effectiveness at high pressures up to 1000 psig.
3Speed
If compressed air velocity is increased to drive turbomachinery to supersonic speeds, then tip speed is improved, but adiabatic cooling reduces turbine temperature differential
Solution Approach 1:
The system exploits the parameter change of adiabatic cooling that occurs when compressed air expands through the nozzle. Instead of trying to maintain high temperature, the design accepts and utilizes the temperature drop caused by rapid expansion, converting thermal energy into kinetic energy to achieve supersonic jet velocities that drive the turbomachinery to record tip speeds.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration enables the fluid flow amplifier to operate at pressures from 8.5 atm (125 psig) to 68 atm (1000 psig) with maximum air entrainment efficiency and outlet velocity, reducing energy loss and achieving supersonic tip speeds in turbomachinery.
Implementation Method 1
The high velocity air 'adheres' to a profile, e.g., a Coanda profile of the plug, and entrains ambient air from an inlet formed by the body thus forming an air flow of high volume and speed
Implementation Method 2
entrains ambient air from an inlet formed by the body thus forming an air flow of high volume and speed
Implementation Method 3
an air-amplifier-powered turbocharger gets colder the faster it spins due to adiabatic cooling of compressed air
Implementation Method 4
The design incorporates a secondary L-shaped nozzle that creates a vacuum to assist the primary airflow, preventing flow reversal and turbulence by ensuring the airflow follows a consistent path to the outlet
Data Source
AI summary
A by-pass fluid flow amplifier which contains a primary nozzle and a primary profile for discharging compressed air into a conduit of the air amplifier and entraining ambient air in the process. A secondary nozzle and a secondary profile for discharging compressed air into the conduit of the air amplifier towards the rear that assists the primary nozzle such as to allow consistent fluid wall attachment of the compressed air and the entrained air caused by the primary nozzle and the primary profile. The secondary nozzle increases the total flow of the amplifier and prohibits the total flow from traveling towards the center of the conduit where flow reversal and turbulence are likely to occur.