Testing Nikola Tesla’s fluidic diode

A basic component of flow control circuits is the check valve or diode, which passes current one way while impeding flow in the reverse direction. The inventor Nikola Tesla proposed an ingenious fluidic diode with no moving parts that relies only on an intricate (and static) internal geometry. We experimentally test this device for both steady (DC) and unsteady (AC) flows, and we show how it may be used in applications such as a pump or AC-to-DC converter. While these results clearly demonstrate the utility of the device, they also raise questions about Tesla’s proposed mechanism and his claims of its effectiveness.