Manifolds that distribute fluid into or that collect fluid from a multiplicity of streams are ubiquitous. We introduce a new theory for manifold design to produce uniform flow among their streams. By constructing a tapered header region that feeds uniformly spaced diffuser channels (constraint A), flow uniformity can be achieved with less than a quarter of the footprint of bifurcating manifolds, provided that diffuser channels are arrayed in triangular form (constraint B) with a design-specific angle that satisfies a compatibility condition between its header and diffuser (constraint C). The associated theory harnesses creeping-flow hydraulics to induce a constant header pressure-gradient, in contrast with past theory that relied on the interplay between kinetic energy, pressure, and viscous losses to uniformize header pressure at finite Reynolds number. Experiments using dye-based flow visualization from manifolds incorporating these three design constraints are shown to produce uniform flows, while designs that violate any of the three constraints produce flow that is biased toward the manifold's ends or its center. Our experiments and three-dimensional simulations of such uniformizing manifolds show maximum deviations from uniformity of ∼10% for Reynolds number as high as ∼10. As expected from creeping-flow theory, simulations confirm that such flow uniformity is facilitated by a uniform header-pressure gradient. Finally, the associated uniformizing manifold is shown to produce lower hydraulic resistance than a rectangular manifold circumscribed around it. In addition to the theory's embodiment in the specific form tested here, it is readily applicable to a variety of header and diffuser-channel cross-sectional types.
Skip Nav Destination
A compact, low-pressure manifold with uniform flow at low Reynolds number
Article navigation
June 2024
Research Article|
June 04 2024
A compact, low-pressure manifold with uniform flow at low Reynolds number
Kyle C. Smith
;
Kyle C. Smith
a)
(Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Methodology, Supervision, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing)
1
Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
2
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
3
Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
4
Computational Science and Engineering Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: [email protected]
Search for other works by this author on:
Irwin C. Loud, IV
;
Irwin C. Loud, IV
(Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing)
1
Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
Md Habibur Rahman
;
Md Habibur Rahman
(Investigation, Methodology, Validation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing)
1
Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
Colby Warden
;
Colby Warden
(Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing)
1
Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
Vu Q. Do
Vu Q. Do
(Investigation, Methodology, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing)
1
Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: [email protected]
Physics of Fluids 36, 063605 (2024)
Article history
Received:
March 28 2024
Accepted:
May 10 2024
Citation
Kyle C. Smith, Irwin C. Loud, Md Habibur Rahman, Colby Warden, Vu Q. Do; A compact, low-pressure manifold with uniform flow at low Reynolds number. Physics of Fluids 1 June 2024; 36 (6): 063605. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0211073
Download citation file:
Pay-Per-View Access
$40.00
Sign In
You could not be signed in. Please check your credentials and make sure you have an active account and try again.
301
Views
Citing articles via
On Oreology, the fracture and flow of “milk's favorite cookie®”
Crystal E. Owens, Max R. Fan (范瑞), et al.
Chinese Academy of Science Journal Ranking System (2015–2023)
Cruz Y. Li (李雨桐), 李雨桐, et al.
Physics-informed neural networks for solving Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations
Hamidreza Eivazi, Mojtaba Tahani, et al.
Related Content
Open channel helium flow during rupture event
AIP Conference Proceedings (May 2002)
Velocity Profiles of a Non‐Newtonian Fluid in Helical Flow
Transactions of The Society of Rheology (March 1967)
Development of the calculation method and designing of a vortex jet device for gas flow regulation purposes
AIP Conf. Proc. (August 2019)
Update of a cooldown and warmup study for the large hadron collider
AIP Conference Proceedings (May 2002)