Fluidic Oscillator
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of generating pulsating fluid pressures that are applied to an environment, comprising the steps of:
- providing a fluidic oscillator, comprising a body forming an inlet passage, a jet nozzle, a chamber adjacent said jet nozzle, a splitter having an upstream edge with a lateral width, said upstream edge disposed substantially perpendicular to the direction of flow through said nozzle and defining a portion of a downstream wall of said chamber opposite said nozzle, first and second diffuser legs, said diffuser legs diverging laterally from one another, each said diffuser leg including an upper end and an outlet passage, each said upper end being disposed laterally adjacent said upstream edge of said splitter, said upper ends being disposed on opposite sides of said splitter from one another, each said diffuser leg running continuously between its respective upper end and its respective outlet passage and having no other fluid connection;
flowing fluid through said nozzel at a substantially continuous rate to generate vortices which are carried into one of said diffuser legs by a fluid stream which is attached to a lateral wall of said chamber causing the flow to be primarily through said one of said diffuser legs until friction pressure in said one of said diffuser legs caused by said vortices causes the main flow to shift until the flow is primarily through the other of said diffuser legs;
whereby said primary flow will continue to switch between said one of said diffuser legs and said other of said diffuser legs in an oscillating manner.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A fluidic oscillator is disclosed for providing oscillating flow to outlet ports (172, 173). The fluid oscillator (100) in one embodiment has no fluid communication between a pair of diverging diffuser legs (163, 164) downstream of the upstream edge (169) of a splitter (165) and no fluid communication between a chamber (162) and either of the diverging diffuser legs downstream of the splitter edge. In other embodiments, a turbulent flows generator is formed by use of bump step (202), pins (220, 230), surface discontinuities (250) or a combination thereof.
144 Citations
21 Claims
-
1. A method of generating pulsating fluid pressures that are applied to an environment, comprising the steps of:
-
providing a fluidic oscillator, comprising a body forming an inlet passage, a jet nozzle, a chamber adjacent said jet nozzle, a splitter having an upstream edge with a lateral width, said upstream edge disposed substantially perpendicular to the direction of flow through said nozzle and defining a portion of a downstream wall of said chamber opposite said nozzle, first and second diffuser legs, said diffuser legs diverging laterally from one another, each said diffuser leg including an upper end and an outlet passage, each said upper end being disposed laterally adjacent said upstream edge of said splitter, said upper ends being disposed on opposite sides of said splitter from one another, each said diffuser leg running continuously between its respective upper end and its respective outlet passage and having no other fluid connection; flowing fluid through said nozzel at a substantially continuous rate to generate vortices which are carried into one of said diffuser legs by a fluid stream which is attached to a lateral wall of said chamber causing the flow to be primarily through said one of said diffuser legs until friction pressure in said one of said diffuser legs caused by said vortices causes the main flow to shift until the flow is primarily through the other of said diffuser legs; whereby said primary flow will continue to switch between said one of said diffuser legs and said other of said diffuser legs in an oscillating manner. - View Dependent Claims (2)
-
-
3. A method of generating transient over-pressure pulses that are applied to an environment, comprising the steps of:
-
(a) providing a fluidic oscillator, comprising a body forming an inlet passage having a turbulent flow generator disposed therein, a jet nozzle, a chamber adjacent said jet nozzle, a splitter having an upstream edge with a lateral width, said upstream edge disposed substantially perpendicular to the direction of flow through said nozzle and defining a portion of a downstream wall of said chamber opposite said nozzle, first and second diffuser legs, said diffuser legs diverging laterally from one another, each said diffuser leg including an upper end and an outlet passage, each said upper end being disposed laterally adjacent said upstream edge of said splitter, said upper ends being disposed on opposite sides of said splitter from one another, each said diffuser leg running continuously between its respective upper end and its respective outlet passage and having no other fluid connection; (b) flowing a fluid through said inlet passage of said fluidic oscillator at a first flow rate for a period of time sufficient to produce a steady oscillation of the primary flow between said diffuser legs at a first frequency; (c) changing the flow rate at which said fluid flows through said fluidic oscillator until said steady oscillation at said first frequency stops, whereby a overpressure pulse is produced in said fluid; (d) defining the flow rate at which said steady oscillation at said first frequency stopped as a second flow rate; (e) flowing said fluid through said fluidic oscillator at said second flow rate for a period of time sufficient to produce a steady oscillation at a second frequency; (f) re-defining said second flow rate as a new first flow rate and re-defining said second frequency as a new first frequency; and (g) repeating steps (b)-(f) sequentially producing over-pressure pulses in the environment each time said steady oscillation at said first frequency stops. - View Dependent Claims (16, 18)
-
-
4. A fluidic oscillator, comprising:
-
a body forming a flow path having top, bottom, and lateral walls including an inlet passage, a jet nozzle, a chamber adjacent said jet nozzle, and a pair of laterally diverging diffuser legs, each said diffuser leg extending continuously between an upper end fluidly connected to said chamber and an outlet port and having no other fluid connection; a splitter being disposed between said diffuser legs and having an upstream edge with a lateral width, said upstream edge disposed substantially perpendicular to the direction of flow through said nozzle and defining a portion of a downstream wall of said chamber opposite said nozzle; and a turbulent flow generator being disposed on one of said top wall and said bottom wall of said flow path at a location up stream of said jet nozzle and extending into said flow path. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
-
-
17. A fluidic oscillator comprising a body forming fluid passages including an inlet passage having a turbulent flow generator, a jet nozzle downstream of said inlet passage, a chamber downstream of said nozzle, a flow splitter having a leading edge longitudinally aligned with said nozzle and forming the downstream wall of said chamber, a first and second diffuser passage connected to opposite downstream sides of said chamber, and a pair of outlet ports, each outlet port being in communication with one of said first and second diffuser passages, said turbulent flow generator producing vortices in a fluid passing through said inlet passage and into said nozzle, said vortices being entrained in the fluid flowing down one of said first and second diffuser passages which is not blocked by a blocking vortex and increasing the friction pressure of the fluid moving through said diffuser passage until said pressure overcomes the blocking pressure exerted by the blocking vortex, thereby causing the flow of fluid to switch into another of said first and second diffuser passages.
-
19. A fluidic oscillator, comprising:
-
a body forming an inlet passage, a jet nozzle, a chamber adjacent said jet nozzle, a splitter having an upstream edge with a lateral widthm, said upstream edge disposed substantially perpendicular to the direction of flow through said nozzle and defining a portion of a downstream wall of said chamber opposite said nozzle, first and second diffuser legs, said diffuser legs diverging laterally from one another, each said diffuser leg including an upper end and an outlet passage, each said upper end being disposed laterally adjacent said upstream edge of said splitter, said upper ends being disposed on opposite sides of said splitter from one another, each said diffuser leg running continuously between its respective upper end and its respective outlet passage and having no other fluid connection; whereby fluid flowing sequentially downstream through the inlet passage, jet nozzle and chamber flows alternately through said first diffuser leg and said second diffuser leg. - View Dependent Claims (20)
-
-
21. A fluidic oscillator comprising:
-
a body forming fluid passages including an inlet passage having a turbulent flow generator, a jet nozzle downstream of said inlet passage, a chamber downstream of said nozzle, and a pair of laterally diverging diffuser passages downstream of said chamber, each said diffuser passage extending continuously between an upstream end and an outlet port and having no other fluid connection; a flow splitter laterally disposed between said diffuser passages and having a leading edge laterally aligned with said nozzle and forming a downstream wall of said chambers; said turbulent flow generator being disposed on one of said top wall and said bottom wall of said inlet passage and extending into said inlet passage; whereby vortices are produced in a fluid passing through said inlet passage and into said nozzle, said vortices being entrained in the fluid flowing down one of said diffuser passages which is not blocked by a blocking vortex and increasing the friction pressure of the fluid moving through said diffuser passage until said pressure overcomes the blocking pressure exerted by the blocking vortex, thereby causing the flow of fluid to switch into another of said diffuser passages.
-
Specification