Experimental study on radial suction flow and its effect in water vortex unit

Abstract

A water vortex unit is a non-contact adsorption unit that utilizes water as a flowing medium. Negative pressure is generated on the adsorbed surface through the high-velocity rotation of the fluid, resulting in suction force. In comparison to the air vortex unit, the water vortex unit exhibits a substantial increase in suction force and has the capability to deliver greater power. However, the presence of the central bubble in the water vortex unit weakens the suction force. To address the impact of the central bubble, a suction hole was introduced on the vortex unit to remove them. Experimental results indicate that solely removing the central bubble has almost no effect on the radial pressure gradients in the gap flow path and chamber center of the water vortex unit. However, in the cylindrical neighborhood, the radial pressure gradient increases, leading to a certain degree of improvement in suction force. Further increasing the suction flow rate induces inward radial flow within the vortex chamber. This flow field further enhances the suction force. To analyze the reasons for this pressure distribution, we indirectly obtained the radial velocity distribution by examining the relationship between the pressure gradient and tangential velocity. The results of the tangential velocity distribution indicate that the radially inward suction flow significantly increases the rotational velocity of the fluid in the chamber center, enhancing the centrifugal inertial effect. This further reduces the negative pressure, resulting in a significant improvement in the suction of the vortex unit.