Research On The Flow Rate Amplified Flotation Element Based On Vortex Flow

In this paper,we proposed a new type of air flotation element with flow amplification ability:The flow rate amplified flotation element based on vortex flow.This innovative flotation element sucks in additional air using the negative pressure developed by the high-speed vortex flow,which results in a significant reduction in air consumption and a considerable energy saving in the non-contact transmission of glass substrates.At present,the research of vortex flow flotation element is still in its early stage.Therefore,it is very important to understand the flow field structure and flow amplification characteristics,and to clarify the inherent mechanism of flow amplification for future optimization design and application development.Firstly,the pressure distribution at the exhaust gap of the vortex flow flotation element is analyzed in detail through experiments.The relationship between the pressure distribution curve and the flow field and the influence of the suction hole on the flow field of the flotation element are analyzed.Next,we studied the effects of gap height and supply flow rate on flow field,pressure field and suction flow of the flotation element.In addition,the numerical simulation(CFD)was used to discuss the flow line,velocity field and pressure distribution in the cylinder chamber and the gap.The basic principle of the flow amplification and the influences of the suction hole are also clarified.Based on the experimental data and numerical simulations,we simplified the Navier-Stokes equations,and combined the conservation of angular momentum and the near-wall empirical model to propose a mathematical model of the flow field of the vortex flow flotation element.Compared with the experimental results,we can see that the mathematical model can well reproduce the velocity distribution,the pressure distribution shape and the suction flow curve of the gap.Because of ignoring the vertical flow and the resistance of the upper and lower walls,there is a deviation between the pressure and suction flow rate obtained from the mathematical integration and the experimental values.Finally,based on the theoretical analysis,a vortex flow flotation element that can reconfigure the structure was designed and fabricated to investigate the effect of design parameters such as cylinder chamber height and suction hole diameter on flow amplification ability.Experimental study found that when the cylinder chamber is too high,the flotation element is hard to suck in air from the outside air;the diameter of the suction hole directly determines the resistance of the air into the cylinder chamber,therefore,increasing the diameter of the suction hole can effectively improve the flow amplification ability.