Desk Vortex Fountain
You can admire marvelous vortex fountains in several locations worldwide. Some are architectural masterpieces, like the ones by the water sculptor William Pye.
But this picture shows how even a small "desk" vortex fountain like this one is magnetically beautiful.
Let's see how these harmless tornadoes are made.
P.S. The "big sis" of this desk vortex fountain is here.
The set-up is simple: a closed hydraulic circuit made of two coaxial acrylic cylinders, the top one has a small hole in the bottom and a circular weir on the top.
The slow motion filling seen from above. A small pump injects the flow tangentially to force the helicoidal trajectories. You can see the air core vortex formation.
Filling in slow motion
Slow motion of Vortex fountain at work!
Just fun! The air core is suppressed and then forms again.
Beautiful spiral vortex