Development of systematic solution methodologies for the fluid-flow manifold problem

A comprehensive study of fluid-flow manifolds has been performed encompassing both numerical simulation and laboratory experiments. The study includes four parts whose common theme is that manifolds constitute the central issue in each part. The first three parts deal with specific real-world fluid-flow systems, while the fourth part is a generic study of manifolds with the goal of developing a method to achieve outflow uniformity.; The first part of the thesis is focused on the fluid flow through and about a ureteral stent. Such stents are a common therapy to maintain urine flow through an otherwise blocked ureter. Although not strictly a conventional manifold, a ureteral stent includes manifold-like functions in that fluid from a single inlet is able to choose among various exit pathways. The second part is concerned with a device designated as a coldplate. Such devices are commonly encountered in the thermal management of electronic equipment. Typically, a coldplate includes a distribution manifold, a collection manifold, and interconnecting tubes which link the two manifolds. In the third part, attention is directed to an even more complex manifold system in that an array of coldplates is coupled to a collection manifold.; The central problem of manifold design is to obtain identical outflows at all the exits of a distribution manifold. Up to now, there has been no systematic general method for the achievement of this goal. The fourth part of the thesis has been successful in developing a generic, systematic method for achieving the uniform outflow goal.; Although numerical simulation was the main tool in obtaining the solutions cited in the foregoing, a simplified analytical model was formulated and applied as an alternative. That model was employed in tandem with the numerical simulation of the third part of the thesis that is described in the penultimate paragraph. It is found that results from the analytical model were in excellent agreement with those provided by the numerical simulation.