Improved design and experimental analysis of valveless piezoelectric pump based on hemisphere-segment bluff-body

The valveless piezoelectric pumps with hemisphere-segment bluff-body (HSBB) of different splitting angles (180 degrees, 210. and 240 degrees) were designed. The theoretical vibration and flow characteristics of pumps were analyzed in detail. The flow resistance simulation for different pumps were performed by a computational fluid dynamics technique, and the flow resistance performance of positive and negative directions were discussed in terms of interior pressure and velocity distribution contours. The prototype pumps were fabricated by means of 3D printing technology. The experimental results on the flow resistance of prototype pumps suggested that the valveless piezoelectric pump with HSBB of 210 degrees splitting angle exhibited the best flow transportation performance, which is a promising candidate for various flow delivery applications.