Volumetric Conservation: Cosmic Expansion as Redistribution of Spatial Volume Displaced by Black Hole Formation

This document establishes priority for a cosmological framework designated volumetric conservation. The framework proposes that the total spatial volume of the universe is conserved, and that observed cosmic expansion (Lemaitre 1927, Hubble 1929) is a redistribution of existing volume rather than a creation of new space. The proposed mechanism is a two-way balance built on established processes: gravitational collapse into black holes withdraws volume from the expanding manifold, and black hole evaporation (Hawking 1974) returns mass and energy over time. Summed across the black hole population, the net change in total volume may be zero or near zero, with the universe changing in configuration rather than in size. The mechanism is claimed as a contributor to observed expansion in whole or in part. Dark energy is not required as a driver of acceleration. The framework is at conceptual stage with no formalism claimed, and is presented with a stated measurement program: a black hole census excluding gravitational influence regions from the volume over which expansion rate is computed, compared against Lambda CDM. The test returns a definite result either way.