A Numerical Study on the Influence of Geometric Parameters on Tesla Valve Performance within an Automatic Recirculation Control Valve System

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Arak University, Arak, Iran

2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Arak University of Technology, Arak, Iran

Abstract

In this study, the performance of a Tesla valve, integrated into Automatic Recirculation Control valves used in industrial applications, is investigated through numerical simulation. The primary objective was to analyze the influence of key geometric parameters of the valve on flow characteristics, including flow rate, pressure drop, and cavitation phenomena. The governing equations were solved using the finite volume method in ANSYS CFX, and the numerical results were validated through comparison with experimental data. The parametric study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, under a constant pressure drop, the effects of body diameter, stage diameter, stage angle, and the number of stages on flow rate were examined. The results indicated that increasing the diameter and reducing the stage angle can enhance the flow rate by up to 45%, whereas variations in the number of stages had minimal impact on flow rate. In the second phase, the effects of the aforementioned parameters were assessed under varying pressure drops. These results also revealed a direct correlation between pressure drop and flow rate, with trends consistent with the first stage. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for the optimal and customized design of Tesla valves in Automatic Recirculation Control systems, contributing to enhanced efficiency and reduced energy losses in industrial pumping applications. 

Keywords

Main Subjects


[1] M. Thompson, Pump Minimum Flow Protection Using Automatic Recirculation Valves, in:  Pumps and Compressors Conference, Perth, 2013.
[2] J. Cone, Pump energy conservation techniques, in: 9th turbomachinery symposium, Texas A & M University, 1980, pp. 83-101.
[3] A. Purwidyantri, B.A. Prabowo, Tesla valve microfluidics: the rise of forgotten technology, Chemosensors, 11(4) (2023) 256.
[4] Z.-j. Jin, Z.-x. Gao, M.-r. Chen, J.-y. Qian, Parametric study on Tesla valve with reverse flow for hydrogen decompression, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 43(18) (2018) 8888-8896.
[5] J. Qian, M. Chen, X. Liu, Z. Jin, A numerical investigation of the flow of nanofluids through a micro Tesla valve, J. Zhejiang Univ. Sci. A, 20(1) (2019) 50-60.
[6] P. Hu, P. Wang, L. Liu, X. Ruan, L. Zhang, Z. Xu, Numerical investigation of Tesla valves with a variable angle, Physics of Fluids, 34(3) (2022).
[7] Y. Bao, H. Wang, Numerical study on flow and heat transfer characteristics of a novel Tesla valve with improved evaluation method, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 187 (2022) 122540.
[8] B. Yang, N. Yang, D. Zhao, F. Chen, X. Yuan, B. Kou, Y. Hou, G. Xie, Numerical Simulation of Graphene Growth by Chemical Vapor Deposition Based on Tesla Valve Structure, Coatings, 13(3) (2023) 564.
[9] X. Zhang, Z. Cao, K. Fang, X. Yang, Study on the influence of different structural parameters on the performance of Tesla valve, in:  Journal of Physics: Conference Series, IOP Publishing, 2024, pp. 012092.
[10] A. CFX-Solver, Theory guide, Release ll, 11 (2006) 298.
[11] J.-y. Qian, Z.-x. Gao, C.-w. Hou, Z.-j. Jin, A comprehensive review of cavitation in valves: mechanical heart valves and control valves, Bio-Design and Manufacturing, 2 (2019) 119-136.
[12] A. Rajaei, Numerical investigation of the effect of geometrical parameters on the performance of a multi-stage Tesla valve, Arak University, 2025. (in Persian).