Research on double-outlet valveless piezoelectric pump with fluid guiding body

Abstract

In order to address the performance limitations of valveless piezoelectric pumps caused by backflow, a double-outlet valveless piezoelectric pump with a fluid guiding body to weaken liquid backflow energy has been designed. The pump chamber introduces a streamlined fluid guiding body incorporated with a double-outlet structure. When the piezoelectric pump absorbs water, the liquid from the outlet violently collides at the tail end of the fluid guiding body. The liquid then flows through the two ports and collides at the chamber, thereby attenuating the backflow liquid energy. The mechanism alleviates the problem of backflow in valveless piezoelectric pumps. This work examines the relationship between the main structural parameters of double-outlet valveless piezoelectric pumps with a fluid guiding body and the resulting energy loss of the backflow liquid. The effectiveness of the dual-outlet structure to suppress backflow of valveless piezoelectric pumps is analyzed using a finite element method, and the optimal pipe distance and tail distance parameters of the piezoelectric pump are predicted through multiple sets of simulations. Finally, a series of prototypes within the parameters of this study were produced, and experiments were performed. The test results show that the energy loss of the backflow liquid affects the output performance of the piezoelectric pump. In the parameter range investigated here, increasing the energy loss of the backflow liquid improves the performance of the valveless piezoelectric pump. The piezoelectric pump was designed to have a flow rate of 167.8 mL/min with a Piezoelectric actuator diameter of 35 mm at an applied voltage of 210 V at a frequency of 49 Hz.