An Extended Investigation of Detergent Bottle Structure Based on Fluid Mechanics
(This article belongs to the Section Fluids and Plasma Physics (FPP))
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Kwon, Y. and Jekal, E. (2026). An Extended Investigation of Detergent Bottle Structure Based on Fluid Mechanics. Journal of Engineering Research and Sciences, 5(4), 17–23. https://doi.org/10.55708/js0504002
Yeonwoo Kwon and Eunsung Jekal. "An Extended Investigation of Detergent Bottle Structure Based on Fluid Mechanics." Journal of Engineering Research and Sciences 5, no. 4 (April 2026): 17–23. https://doi.org/10.55708/js0504002
Y. Kwon and E. Jekal, "An Extended Investigation of Detergent Bottle Structure Based on Fluid Mechanics," Journal of Engineering Research and Sciences, vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 17–23, Apr. 2026, doi: 10.55708/js0504002.
This study aims to quantitatively evaluate how structural design factors of liquid detergent bottles—such as the size, position, and shape of the outlet hole, material, and the presence of an air vent—affect the discharge characteristics of viscous detergents from the perspective of fluid mechanics. Using hydrostatic pressure and Bernoulli’s principle, we theoretically derive the influence of head differences and cross‐sectional area on the outlet velocity. Python-based numerical simulations were conducted using a wide range of outlet radii (0.3–2.0 cm), outlet heights (2–18 cm), viscosity-dependent discharge coefficients (Cd = 0.45–0.92), and time‐dependent variations in fluid level h(t). Additional experiments comparing outlet shapes (circular, elliptical, slit-type) and the presence of an air vent were also performed. Results show that outlet radius is the dominant factor in discharge volume (Q ∝ r²), whereas outlet height has a moderate influence, increasing velocity proportionally to √h. Higher viscosity significantly reduced actual discharge (50–80% of the theoretical value). The existence of an air vent greatly improved discharge stability. This study demonstrates the value of applying fluid mechanics to everyday household product design and provides essential insights for developing automatic detergent dispensers and advanced viscous-fluid control systems.
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