Trial manufacture of normal pressure compressor driven by the thermal edge flow

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24560195
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Fluid engineering
• Research Institution: Kobe University
• Principal Investigator: KATAOKA Takeshi 神戸大学, 工学(系)研究科(研究院), 准教授 (20273758)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 希薄気体 / 熱尖端流 / 圧縮機

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We investigated application ofKnudsen compressor, which is a kind of air compressor operated by the thermal edge flow in a rarefired gas, to operation in normal pressure. This is the first trial in the world. Theoretically it can be achieved from similarity of flow conditions between the system in a rarefied gas and that in a normal pressure. According to our experiments, however, such a thermal edge flow was induced only when the pressure is smaller than 100Pa and realization of normal pressure Knudsen compressor seems to be difficult.
Specifically, we investigated in the first year the basic property of thermal edge flow using a simple slender tube. As the radius of tube becomes smaller, the flow was induced in the larger pressure environment. In the second year, we devised a kind of simple compressor using many tubes. However, the thermal edge flow was induced in this system only when the pressure is smaller than 100Pa. In the last year we tried to modify the system as a whole.

Free Research Field

流体工学