A fluidic oscillator is a very smart device that makes a fluid, like water or air, swing back and forth without any moving parts. A Vortex-based Fluidic Oscillator CFD simulation is a key tool for engineers to study these devices. Inside the oscillator, the fluid’s own movement creates spinning circles called vortices. A Vortex-based Fluidic Oscillator Fluent analysis shows how these vortices, guided by special small tunnels called feedback channels, push the main stream of fluid from side to side. This creates a steady, repeating swing called a self-sustained oscillation. Because there are no parts to break, these devices are very reliable. This study is based on the methods in the reference paper, “Design of a novel vortex-based feedback fluidic oscillator with numerical evaluation” [1].

• Reference [1]: Nili-Ahmadabadi, Mahdi, Dae-Seung Cho, and Kyung Chun Kim. “Design of a novel vortex-based feedback fluidic oscillator with numerical evaluation.” Engineering Applications of Computational Fluid Mechanics1 (2020): 1302-1324.

Figure 1: A schematic of the conventional fluidic oscillator design used in this Fluidic Oscillator CFD study [1].

Simulation Process: Fluent Setup, Transient Modeling of the Oscillator

To perform our Fluidic Oscillator CFD analysis, we first needed a very good computer model. We used ANSYS Meshing to create a high-quality, structured grid. The final mesh had exactly 67,400 cells. A structured grid like this gives very accurate results for seeing how the fluid moves. In ANSYS Fluent, we set up the simulation to be transient. This is very important because a transient, or time-dependent, simulation lets us watch the fluid jet swing back and forth over time, which is the main goal of this study.

Figure 2: The structured grid of the device used for the Vortex-based Fluidic Oscillator Fluent simulation.

Post-processing: CFD Analysis, Visualizing the Self-Sustaining Jet Oscillation

The velocity contour and streamlines provide a professional visual of the oscillator’s amazing internal motion. The professional visual shows that the fluid speeds up as it goes through the main nozzle, shooting out as a powerful jet that reaches a peak speed of 23.5 m/s. As soon as this jet enters the main chamber, it becomes unstable. It attaches to one side wall, which causes a large, spinning vortex to form in the chamber. The flow paths, or streamlines, clearly show how this vortex grows and pushes the main jet, forcing it to detach from the wall and swing over to the other side. This starts a new vortex on the opposite side, and the process repeats.

Figure 3: Velocity and streamline visualization from the Fluidic Oscillator Fluent analysis, showing the swinging jet and vortex formation.

The turbulence contour tells the second part of the story, explaining why this swinging motion is so useful. This professional visual shows very high levels of turbulence, with the turbulence kinetic energy reaching 22.9 m²/s² in the areas where the jet is swinging. This high turbulence means the fluid is mixing extremely well. This is why these oscillators are perfect for applications that need good mixing, like adding chemicals to water, or for atomization, which is breaking a liquid into a fine spray. The most important achievement of this simulation is proving that the device’s fixed internal geometry alone is enough to create a stable, predictable, and continuous back-and-forth swinging motion, all without a single moving part, which is the core principle of this reliable technology.

Figure 4: Turbulence kinetic energy distribution from the Vortex-based Fluidic Oscillator CFD simulation, highlighting the regions of intense mixing.