Experimental study of the flow distribution uniformity in flow distributors having novel flow channel bifurcation structures

Symmetric flow channel bifurcations were proposed in this article for the purpose of creating better flow uniformity in flow distribution. Two categories of flow channel bifurcation structures were considered. Characteristic parameters that can identify and standardize the structural design of the flow channel bifurcations were designated. Six flow distributors, divided into two groups, were fabricated for experimental testing. Each group of distributors is distinguished by one basic channel bifurcation structure category, but distributors within a group differ in the characteristic parameters exhibited in their designs. The axial velocities of the airflow at the exit of the distributor flow channels were measured experimentally, and the uniformity of the flow distribution was investigated for each distributor. Comparison and evaluation of the figure-of-merit of flow distribution uniformity is made for the six studied flow distributors. The novel concept of symmetrically bifurcated flow distributor designs and the experimental results and conclusions obtained in this study are of great significance to the development of high performance industrial devices, such as heat exchangers, reactors, fuel cells, heat sinks, and fluid product packaging machines.