How do fluids actually mix?

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This project has been kicking around in my head for years and I finally got around to building it! (Freshly inspired to make ordering/stochastic art after someone sent me a video of Ivan Miranda's awesome marble clock.) This machine separates ink from water with a reverse osmosis membrane, then mixes the ink and water back together again. It sounds circular and useless, and it is, but it's also really cool! in this first video, I focus mostly on the fluid dynamics and complexity that shows up even just in a tiny clear pipe!
Special thanks to my top Patreon supporters!
birdiesnbritts
John Sosa Trustham
Vladimir Shklovsky
Aloysius Sparglepartz
Jason Whatley
Lohann Paterno Coutinho Ferreira
Jeffrey Mckishen
nothings
Eugene Pakhomov
Glenn Willen
R520
Nick F
Mirko Rener
Chris Connett
Tyler Filla
Miles Freeman
Benjamin Manns
Bonus thanks to Patreon supporter Christian Wölke, who found a big error in one of my graphics!
Media Credits:
I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...) ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626
Arcadia - Wonders by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...) Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-... Artist: incompetech.com/
0:00 What does it do?
1:48 Water is clear
2:45 Turbulent flow
4:40 Laminar flow
8:28 Fluid motion tracking
9:49 Project origin
11:38 Reverse osmosis membranes
13:05 Under the hood
16:08 Trial and error
20:27 Brilliant.org/alphaphoenix

[@AlphaPhoenixChannel]

Corrections and FAQ in this comment! Official FAQ video will eventually be on the second channel youtube.com/@alphaphoenix2 1) Really cool demo of Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in a much more controlled situation: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5jEnpmlbZt5h9E

[@Splarkszter]

Thank you so much for making such amazing incredibly high-quality educational videos that are very entertaining. I always learn so much from your videos. THANK YOU!

[@ActualChrist]

I am massive

[@Beregorn88]

2 words for you: pearlescent pigments. You don't even need to refilter them, they just make flow more evident

[@kouoshi]

1 day ago?

[@dimitrigilbert]

Do you think this could be used as a random number generator ? something like Random red, green and blue value for back lighting, light intensity and slice on the whole tube, (well a picture of it) and calculate a number from pixel values ... ?

[@zaftnotameni]

legend says if you say laminar flow in front of the mirror 3 times Destin shows up

[@unvergebeneid]

Someone is probably driving to his house to wake him up as we speak! :D

[@smartereveryday]

(Explodes through door) LAMINAR FLOW. By Reynold’s beard! Who summoned me!? Oh… Hi Brian.

[@unvergebeneid]

@@smartereveryday 😂😂😂

[@paulkepshire5056]

​@@smartereveryday If you build it, Destin will come...and explain it in a thoroughly charming manner. Usually with highspeed cameras. Side note: Dude... Why are you up so freaking early?! 😵

[@kyaintit]

hahahaha he actually replied

[@iteerrex8166]

“It’s not hoarding, it’s planning ahead.” 😁👍 To a scientist/engineer all recourse are “Precious”.

[@ChrispyNut]

No, no. It's hoarding, because it hurts less when you need the thing a few weeks after you finally threw it away after storing for years. That way it's unfortunate timing, rather than a failure of foresight and planning.

[@danpatterson8009]

At some point in your life, you may find that "stuff I might need someday" has morphed into "stuff I haven't gotten around to throwing out yet".

[@KarldorisLambley]

too right. one day i may need the adaptor to plug a phone i stopped owning 20 years ago into a device i have never owned, so i keep the thing. my wife keeps asking why i have the spare room full of old VCRs and CRT tvs. i say "they may be useful one day"

[@KarldorisLambley]

​@@ChrispyNut hoarding isn't just keeping stuff. it implies being a sufferer of diogenes syndrome. techinically banks just 'hoard' stuff.

[@ChrispyNut]

@@KarldorisLambley For self-diagnosis purposes .....

[@dwang085]

Different types of flow?! Countdown til Destin shows up! 🎉🎉🎉

[@lebenitza5778]

I was just thinking that him and Derek should show up :))

[@gmgunner]

DESTIN!!!! You are being summoned!

[@qwfp]

He does show up at 8:46 lol

[@KarldorisLambley]

@@lebenitza5778 me too. btw im with derek, turbulent wins.

[@dwang085]

@@qwfp lol nice catch!!

[@Patchnote2.0]

I love how Destin's on a monitor in the background when you're talking about just how laminar it is. 8:45

[@lessefrost]

Destin heard him 😂

[@unvergebeneid]

Pro tip: set your quality to 4K for this video, even if you don't have a 4K screen. Even on 1440p, the KZbin compression algorithm does a real number on these swirls.

[@heckell4181]

I just set up with 40" 4k monitor and new rig. I concur. EDIT: Even 2K looks brilliant on this new set up. I told my son it was cheep. He looked at the specs and said "Probably because it's only 60 HZ." Doh! I've been using 1080i Samsung TV as a monitor for 20 years. I just couldn't do it any more. So, I'm good. My brain hurt for two weeks after I set this up. I like a little game for relaxing. WOW! OOOO! AH! YES. OMW.

[@FabiVoltair]

@@heckell4181 oookay 😂😅 nice!

[@BNETT21]

youtube premium provides a high bitrate option as well.

[@heckell4181]

Nice@@FabiVoltair

[@retematic2351]

@@BNETT21 i'd sooner cease consumption.

[@dustinmorrison6315]

19:11 I love the reference to This Old Tony.

[@BloodyMobile]

I knew that scene setup felt familiar but off (for this channel). Now I know why 🌟

[@bobbytables1976]

I chuckled unnaturally long at that lol.

[@bl2575]

Have you tried running the water backward in the reverse osmosis tube? In water treatment plants, they do that to prevent clogging and preserve the throughput. They call this 'backwashing' or 'backflushing', but the don't deal with ink.

[@BNETT21]

With RO you just remove the waste water restrictor and let it flush the surface of the membrane. There is a kit for that pump that would do it automatically for him but i don't thing it would work here because its a closed system.

[@SunG34r]

came to second the back washing. RO shouldn't* need it but it would still totally work....do check the datasheet though. I havent worked in water filtration in years

[@justincoombs9048]

A pressure triggered automatic backwash would be perfect. Adding a higher pressure shut off in case it eventually doesn't clear it might also be a good idea for the pumps health.

[@gabrielapetrie]

I think the solution is a different type of filter.

[@YodaWhat]

@@gabrielapetrie - A different type of ink/pigment would also work. There is no need for really tiny particles.

[@DracoGalboy]

The obligatory ToT reference now that you have a welder was perfect

[@vlachen]

There are two important phrases that will cover most of your metal working projects: 1) Beat to fit, paint to match. 2) Grinder and paint make me the welder I ain't.

[@alext6933]

We should all be so lucky as to have some mildly diluted ink sitting around. You never know.

[@WrylyRiley]

There are microfluidic devices called spiral separators. These are usually use separate different cells based on density. Probably not useful for sorting ink, but might be worth a try for fluorescent polystyrene particles?

[@Genubath1]

17:55 The problem you had with the endcaps leaking might not actually be solved. Waterproofing 3d prints is notoriously hard because of the pores they have between the layers. This can be helped by extra perimeters and higher temperatures like you did, or smoothing the part by dissolving the surface with isopropyl alcohol vapors. However, most 3D printable plastics (like PLA and PETG which you used) are hydroscopic, which means that the plastic itself will absorb water. At very high pressure differences, like your 100 psi chamber, the water will still be forced through the plastic. A lot of submersibles with 3d printed parts have the same problem. You can try high-impact polystyrene (HIPS), which is not very hydroscopic.

[@321tryagain]

I am a bad person - the word is hyGroscopic. ABS would work, and is extremely easy to vapour smooth using acetone. It is often used for pressurised water pipes.

[@benjaminangmingteck8332]

The trick to printing a water tight end cap with petg is to use concentric solid infill with chamfers on the bottom. Because of the chamfers, each successive layer of concentric infill is offset from the one below it ensuring there's no straightforward path for the water through the print. You can also separate the print into an outer shell printed in vase mode for watertightness, and an internal part with the more complex geometry. I print canister filters for aquaculture this way. You can also thin pvc glue with acetone and use it as a water proof coating in a pinch.

[@bastienx8]

There are multiple things to consider with hygroscopic materials, in particular "how much" water it can absorb, and "how hard" it absorb water. PETG for example does not absorb a lot of water (about 0.2% from what I've found) but it absorb it quickly, that's why a PETG spool is affected quicker with ambiant moisture than PLA. On the other hand PLA does not absorb water quickly but it can absorb a lot. And another thing, hygroscopic and water resistant are two different properties. Hygroscopic is about water absorption and water resistant is about degradation in water. PETG is water resistant (PET, PETE and PETG are used in plastic bottles) while PLA is not water resistant.

[@olejrgenbrnner4708]

I don't think the chamber itself is pressurized, just the filtration stage.

[@matejlieskovsky9625]

​@@olejrgenbrnner4708Exactly! The high pressure is between the pump and the filter, not in the tube itself.

[@DerSolinski]

What you want is ultrasonic separation. This is used in grand scale industrial applications. Basically using standing waves to "catch" particles. But be warned, that's a rabbit hole on it's own.

[@Axodus]

Ultrasonic separation causes vibrations, vibrations are sound, lots of vibration = lots of sound = loud = not calming. Am I right?

[@DerSolinski]

@@Axodus nope you're not. Controlled sound waves are far from uncontrolled vibrations. Also it's meant as a separation method below the tube. Unfortunately I was unable to find a public video on how it works and I'm not allowed to share the footage I have since it's under NDA and I really don't want to sour the relations with them since they are a valuable supplier.

[@Axodus]

@@DerSolinski so it's quiet?

[@DerSolinski]

@@Axodus it's ultrasound nothing a average human should perceive. There are of course individuals able to notice it. And kids / young adults of course.

[@ThomasHaberkorn]

babe drop everything AlphaPhoenix percolates

[@asj3419]

It seems like he's precipitating a video as well!

[@Blu3B33r]

One of the most valuable channels on KZbin

[@Sem2942UwU]

The only thing more hypnotic than that tube structure is your lovely explanation

[@kaibroeking9968]

Cool project! I also liked the "supposedly working" quip: that's the hallmark of fascinating physics: you may end up in a phase when you do nothing other than sit mesmerized and stare at whatever you have built. The story here in Göttingen goes that Max von Laue sat for half an hour just staring right at an x-ray tube with a screen in front of it when first being shown his crystallographic patterns.

[@gljames24]

That thing looks insane. This and Steve Mold's mica setup are showing really cool fluid dynamics.

[@Sonnell]

You having this many subscribers kinda give me hope regarding humanity. Because your content is pure science, wonder, understanding...

[@Luke-mr4ew]

Get ready for 100 Chinese knockoffs to flood amazon with this

[@unvergebeneid]

"flood"? I see what you did there.

[@iamsick5204]

I sure hope so

[@Cr125stin]

I’ll take ten

[@crackedemerald4930]

i doubt. you can't make these cheaply and reliably apparently. unless they use something that's less hard than india ink

[@timschulz9563]

​@@crackedemerald4930They'll skip the reliability part.

[@TheIvalen]

6:46 thats why fire departments moved to 4” hydrant hookups instead of 2 2.5” hoses on the same hydrant

[@isaaclove1144]

He says lava lamp, but the music tells me I'm in orbit...

[@ActualChrist]

Crazy how mesmerizing it actually is though

[@kingcosworth2643]

That's the male 'watching fire' gene kicking in

[@leomullett3618]

Reversing water flow through filters is used to clean massive aquarium filters. Also have you considered using nasty chemicals like a lava lamp? And nice work!

[@TheAechBomb]

fun fact: lava lamps are generally just a dyed water and a dyed wax

[@paulb9769]

What nasty chems are in them?

[@sshh7510]

​@@TheAechBomb Is it? I was under the impression from technology connections that it was wax and brake cleaner.

[@TheAechBomb]

@@sshh7510 I'm pretty sure he just used water and parrafin wax, plus a little salt to get the right effect

[@myrealusername2193]

@@sshh7510I believe he said they don’t use this anymore due to health concerns, but that is what was used at one point

[@evanlacagnina3963]

0:21 Wow I was way caught off guard by the KSP OST

[@TestarossaF110]

oh yeaaaa that's what it was

[@timseguine2]

It's from Kevin Macleod, so it's used in a lot of things because it is public domain.

[@mastershooter64]

KSP!!! I was just playing it, I rescued a kerbal from orbit and then I designed a moon lander. I never really finished the stock career mode so I'm gonna finish that first before fully jumping into career mods like interstellar extended

[@sushantmanandhar1387]

I know everything in this video from fluid mechanics class but getting to watch it explicitly in a video is why I love this channel so much

[@patrick247two]

Jupiter and Saturn in a pipe.

[@meirbookatz8304]

Wow this is really amazing, I think the fascination of the patterns it makes is the same fascination we have with fire, the patterns resemble fire. Awesome stuff bro!!

[@buryitdeep]

This makes me think of the big bang. Water at the far end is the stars speeding up.

[@kaltkalt2083]

Except water at the far end slows down lol

[@2001Pieps]

Maybe try removing the flow restriction after the ink at regular intervals to wash away the ink fouling from your filter. Backflowing some water through the filter may also help clear the fouling, though I'm not sure if your filter can handle that.

[@miinyoo]

Your way of mixing science and engineering is infectious. Wacky ideas and none of them boring. Many of them people can do at home if they really wanted to.

[@Schlups]

The introduction of the welder has such a This Old Tony vibe

[@LawrenceKincheloe]

The whole thought process and discovery journey is awesome! Cool project and very impressive!

[@whitehorsept]

This has the same mesmerizing details as sometimes looking at the sky and the cloud details. Love it.

[@diecastjunkie]

We absolutely need a This Old Tony response video talking about physics.

[@geckoman1011]

Thank you for uploading. Last night I was craving this kind of tinkering engineering video. Thanks for coming through!

[@covodex516]

whenever you upload, not only is it incredibly interesting and educating, but the experiments, demonstrations and contraptions you come up with are so unique. you have a special mind, thanks for sharing that with us.

[@AdvancedTinkering]

Such a beautiful device! Combining art and science is just the best.

[@AmaroqStarwind]

If you coated the inside of the pipe wifh a superhydrophobic substance, you would get different flow characteristics. Might be worth a try!

[@danielemur]

Really cool project! This video deserves way more views!

[@bystandard239]

My favorite!!! when thermodynamics meet fluid dynamics! So exciting!

[@markwebcraft]

I'm so glad to see this channel starting to grow exponentially. Your content is pure gold, and just seems to keep getting better.

[@octoplasma2]

Loved this project! ❤

[@berendvandenakker5796]

What a beautiful build, I missed the upload, but look forward to your next part!

[@pizzacrusher4632]

Awesome video. thank you for making it!

[@XIIchiron78]

You have an uncanny knack for answering questions I didn't know how to ask

[@chem7553]

Love the craftsmanship and science. Beautiful video :)

[@residual-entropy]

This is amazing, especially how you can see the transition from turbulent to laminar. Loved the “Now I’m getting graphs like *that*” too lol :)

[@jessymarin1932]

As always an amazing show mate

[@Jochen666]

Lovely video, congrats!

[@Dziaji]

knocked it out of the park, as usual

[@pykapuka]

I really enjoyed this video, thank you Brian!!!

[@IlusysSystems]

Pretty cool. BTW, gear pumps are quite quiet. Especially if driven by servo and magnetically coupled (bit overkill, but that was setup we used for pumping printer ink)

[@ChaseNoStraighter]

Great job! This is personally interesting as my 3 year old grandson ask his parents what turbulence is which they passed on to me. So I made a little movie for him using a coffee carafe and food coloring. I spun up the water and let it settle and become laminar, then added a couple of drops of food coloring. Due to some remaining shear it formed cylinders that were remarkably stable. Introducing a small diameter cylinder provided great turbulence on the backside. My grandson got through at least half of it before he got bored.

[@IIronyy]

your videos are so soothing

[@Norman_Fleming]

Another excellent video. Thank you.

[@wertacus]

I am so ready for the reverse osmosis video. I fell down the rabbit hole when I put one in for my ice maker, but I'm sure you'll go much deeper with your video.

[@KevinDC5]

I had a very similar idea a couple weeks ago but using mica in solution instead! Great work as always! Cheers from Texas!

[@bokchoiman]

I can see that watching this after a stressful day can have soothing effects.

[@JosephMcFadden-nq4bd]

Very nice I am currently working on simulating bleeder mixing in saline Irrigation.. I appreciate your passion for such things

[@RC-1290]

At first I was wondering why you didn't go for the classic mica in water approach, but by the end I understood it wasn't about the turbulent and laminar flow as much as it was about mixing and diffusion in total.

[@kunst_p]

Once again a very cool video (and idea in general)! Beautiful visuals, clever mechanics and interesting physics - what more could you want?

[@carlsoll]

Holy *smokes* Homie O.O You-pick-the-hardest-stuff too tackle!

[@ehhhhhhhhhh]

I absolutely love "mad science" channels like this one. Maybe one of my favorite things about the modern internet. Thanks!

[@EveryLastdrop-tw6rg]

you are literally my favorite youtuber

[@M0nu5]

So looking forward to the next video

[@jessicatymczak5852]

Here is an idea. Use a higher viscosity fluid. Second, use a magnetic ink and use a magnet to re-separate them, no filter. PS brilliant and beautiful work 🥰

[@EfficientEnergyTransformations]

A fluid will always have laminar flow when is being sucked. Versa, it will always exhibit turbulent flow when is being pushed ( under pressure ). These 2 behaviors are governed by the local dynamic impedance. When a fluid is sucked, the suction effect creates zones of under-pressure which allow the fluid to start organizing (moving) itself through the path of least resistance/impedance and such, given enough time creates laminar though the engine fluid can have a curl gradient.

[@kyokoyumi]

You had me at "better than a lava lamp" I love lava lamps. Edit: Even better idea: Use smoke and a laser array instead of water. Still fluid but you're using one fluid instead of two so you don't have to filter anything.

[@Ravedave5]

This is awesome! I hope you get a cool collab from this!

[@navibongo9354]

Cant wait for the next video!

[@Saka1E]

Forget laminar flow and turbulent flow, this is a perfect representation of entropy!

[@AlphaPhoenixChannel]

Next video 😁

[@eviltown103]

i always watch and love your videos. today i was pretty tired. i fell asleep during this one and woke up at the end.

[@Nbec95]

The patterns at the end of the pipe really remind me of surfaces of gas planets. I would be really cool to have the same thing as two spheres where the liquid moves between a inner spinning and an outer static sphere

[@archivethearchives]

Back with another banger.

[@davebullard]

Makes me think of the overall flow of a human life. Thank you.

[@DanielDelRey.]

This would be the sickest desk lamp. Take my money.

[@oneilmw]

My left ear really likes that bell sound!

[@lasagnahog7695]

The part I find most interesting about this is the choice of what to mix with the water. I'm curious as to where the sweet spot for particle size is. That filter is wild.

[@francistheodorecatte]

reverse osmosis filters need regular flushing through the 'brine' or 'waste' outlet to keep the membrane from clogging, and extend its lifetime by at least double.

[@NothingLikeaLadyWithaBuzzsaw]

Enjoyed learning about this project! In my automotive electrical class, my instructor compared voltage to pressure in a water hose. Lots of similarities between hydraulic and electronic circuits as well. Understanding one helps understand the other- you're not weird for thinking that way!

[@lexinexi-hj7zo]

To make the filters last longer instead of ink use a long polymer of plastic with dark colour. Think tiny micro plastic beads that will be as fine as ink but easily stopped through a filter/

[@benmcreynolds8581]

I'm pretty sure fluid dynamics and turbulent flow is one of my utmost favorite things in nature.

[@lagerhausjonny]

Amazing video and looking forward to the entropy episode next! I always got E's and F's in math at school but now, many years later, I think that might have been down to how it was taught to me and it just wasn't a good fit. Thanks!

[@Nardi11011]

I work with heating networks (which is mostly just a bunch of water flowing through pipes) and there we also think of it as analogous to electrical circuits a lot! Basically the water flow throughout the network follows Kirchhoffs laws, and the "resistance" of a pipe is modeled as being dependent on the flow speed (because fast moving water will become more turbulent and so encounter more friction). It's a pretty effective analogy!

[@jtcustomknives]

RO systems are really sweet. I tame a boiler that used a monster RO system to supply water. What kills the membrane is not have a high enough reject water. You have to waste water that flushes the filtered particles off the filter or it will plug up.

[@niklas6576]

Damn that's so cool!

[@MikkoRantalainen]

I'm already looking forward for the osmosis video! That's something I would love to understand better (I can currently understand what happens but not why it happens).

[@Nikya2t]

Love love love this video! Would love to get more science and inventors in my algorithm ♥️

[@shambleslongplay3566]

I love how much static there is when you are running that contraption on the video.

[@velcurry]

just like the Falling/Flowing Sand toys, very fun to watch.

[@gmangmn5945]

I feel like in another universe this is the love child between veratasium and smarter every day

[@codacoder]

Please DO make a building sized one of these :D

[@Leadvest]

This is like the fractionated elutriation filtered, color coded particle size, patterned laminar flow layer disruption display, from my impossible to implement ideas notebook. I'd love to see this with rheoscopic fluid, maybe laser planes, and remote control disruptions for things like vortex shedding analysis, to visualize even more more complex currents.

[@ferchrissakes]

Forget the filter! Set up a complex centrifuge cascade to separate the ink and water by their mass difference alone. As a bonus you can enrich uranium too

[@dhodg777]

In automotive, they use a degas bottle plumbed to the high point in the system to get rid of trapped gasses. Bypasses a tiny volume of the full system back to the inlet

[@lynnwilliam]

Can't wait to buy this Amazon

[@ragingwillie483]

this is very cool to see

[@CarletonTorpin]

The tube allegories our universe; left side: Big Bang, right side: Heat Death.