Publications [#231223] of Steven Vogel
search PubMed.Papers Published
- S Vogel, Pressure versus flow in biological pumps.,
Symp Soc Exp Biol, vol. 49
(1995),
pp. 297-304 [8571231] .
(last updated on 2016/01/14)Abstract:
The pumps with which organisms move fluids span nearly a ten-million-fold pressure range. As in human technology, positive displacement pumps (osmotic, valve-and-chamber, peristaltic, etc.) are used for high-pressure applications and fluid dynamic pumps (using hydrofoils, cilia, aspirators, etc.) for low pressures. But while pressure capability or system resistance dichotomizes pumps by operative mechanism, the values of a dimensionless pressure-flow index prove more relevant to their biological roles; this index is a ratio of overall pressure drop in the system to pressure drop due to viscous resistance to flow.