Pressure Drop Characteristics of Tesla Valve in Fully Turbulent Flow

This study investigates the pressure drop characteristics of a Tesla valve under fully turbulent flow conditions at Reynolds numbers (Re) from 10,000 to 150,000. Unlike prior research that focused on low Re regimes and diodicity, this study explores reverse-flow behavior at high Re. A combined approach involving hydraulic resistance experiments and CFD simulations was employed, with numerical models validated against experimental data. Three geometric parameters—diverging angle (θdiv), converging angle (θconv), and relative radius (R/Dh)—were analyzed for their effects on flow loss. Velocity distributions, turbulent kinetic energy, and pressure fields were assessed near diverging and merging points. Two turbulent flow regimes were identified, with the Realizable k-ε model providing the best alignment with experimental results at high Re. A dimensionless correlation for the loss coefficient (KL) was derived using nonlinear regression across 375 CFD cases. Among the design parameters, θconv had the strongest influence on KL, while R/Dh exhibited minimal impact. The proposed model achieved a high coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.9785). These findings offer valuable insight into pressure drop prediction in Tesla valves under high-speed, high-pressure conditions and serve as design guidelines for future applications.