VALVELESS PUMPING IN OPEN TANK SYSTEM USING ENERGY CONSERVING COMPARTMENT MODEL

Abstract

A compartment model of the flow driven by pumping without valves (valveless pumping) in an open tank system is proposed. By the open tank system, we mean that two rigid cylindrical tanks are connected with an elastic tube. An incompressible fluid fills this system up to a certain level in tanks under the gravity. The compartment model for analyzing such open system is derived from the energy principle which will be called the energy conserving compartment model or shortly the ECCM. Based on this ECCM of valveless pumping, we explore the occurrence of directional net flow or directional net power by a specific excitation at an asymmetric part of the elastic tube. The interaction between deformable elastic tube and the fluid inside is considered in the ECCM. The reliability of the ECCM is investigated through some physical examples. The ECCM shows the existence of directional net power of the valveless pump system with open tanks and confirms that the direction and magnitude of the net power depend on the pumping frequency as well. Furthermore, the phase synchronization in time between the fluid pressure difference and the external pinching force over the pumping region is highly related to the direction of energy storing or net power.