Tesla valve

Cross-section of a Tesla valve, displaying its unique cavity design

A Tesla Valve, sometimes called Tesla's Valvular Conduit,^[1] is a valve allowing for a fluid to flow very preferentially (or entirely) in one direction, but without the moving parts usually found in valves. The principle is that currents flow along different paths in different directions, and that these differences have a disproportionate effect on the resistance of the valve. Named after Nikola Tesla, it was invented by him in 1916 (U.S. patent 1,329,559; patented 1920). In practice, the idea has seen little development or use since its invention. A similar mechanism is used for mixing on a small scale through the use of a Coanda effect mixer.

Tesla valve offers resistance 10-200 times greater in one direction compared to the other, in which the flow is turbulent. This is based on Tesla's own words though. According to some new studies, Tesla's assumption can be confirmed. Based on CFD analysis,^[2] using a valve with 4 segments (original valve presented in Tesla's patent included 11 segments), resistance in the blocking direction was 15 times greater than the unimpeded direction, it seems plausible that a pressure ratio of 200 could be achieved. It is possible to observe several videos in youtube showing this valve in action.

See also

• Coanda effect

References

• "Simulation and Optimization of Tesla Valves", T-Q Truong and N-T Nguyen, Nanotech 2003 Vol. 1 Technical Proceedings of the 2003 Nanotechnology Conference and Trade Show, Volume 1 ISBN 0-9728422-0-9
• Patent #1,329,559 Nikola Tesla Original Patent