YouTuber Robert Murray-Smith has developed a model based on a scientific paper on vortex effects for energy generation and produced it using a 3D printer. The design can be downloaded for free on Thingiverse.
Chimneys are based on the so-called chimney effect: warm air rises, creating a negative pressure that draws in cool air. Many industrial applications use this principle. In the early 2000s, researchers investigated how this effect could be optimized. They developed a design that uses special air slots to create a rotating air flow – the vortex effect.
The vortex flow amplifies the airflow and enables energy to be recovered in industrial applications such as cooling towers. Simulations have calculated that up to 20 % of the otherwise lost energy can be used in this way.
To test the concept, Murray-Smith took the design from a scientific paper and recreated it using Tinkercad. The model was produced in two parts on a 3D printer and then joined together. The aim is to find out whether a stable vortex effect can be created using this technology.
The possibility of combining the principle with solar energy is particularly interesting. If the air is heated by solar heat, the air flow could be driven without additional energy sources. Initial experiments have shown that the effect works, but further tests are still required.
Murray-Smith shows further details in the video and the model is available to download from Thingiverse.
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