“Principle of Tesla Valve in Infrastructure Designs”

I. INTRODUCTION

Tsunamis are destructive surges of water that caused by underwater earthquakes, the series of ocean
waves that sends surge of water that sometimes can reach over 30.5 meters height will surely bring a great
calamity when it hits the land, the force of the waves damage the properties and can cause loss of lives.

This natural disaster can’t be avoid and hard to predict when and where it will strike, but because of
studies and research conducted about tsunami, researchers discovered the natural signs of an impending
tsunami, ground shaking due to earthquake, receding water because of approaching tsunami and the loud
ocean roar that indicates the waves are building in size. Philippine 1976 Moro Gulf Tsunami (5,000–8,000
killed, 10,000 injured, 90,000 homeless) and Japan 2011 Tōhoku tsunami (18,000 death and More than
120,000 buildings were destroyed) are some of the most deadly tsunamis ever recorded in history.

To avoid large casualties caused by tsunami and to ensure the safety of the people. Countries are
practicing Tsunami Early Warning System (TEWS), researchers develop instruments that will monitor the
ocean if there is a tsunami approaching the land, the data gathered by the instrument are transmitted to the
tsunami warning centers in real-time so that if they received an information about an approaching tsunami
they can immediately give warning signal to the residents in coastal areas, we may be able to prepare
when a tsunami might approach but we can’t still avoid having casualties from it because we can’t still
predict when and where an earthquake will strike.

If we can’t prevent the effect of tsunami then we must mitigate it, as we all know the tsunami are big
waves with great force that hit the land and caused many casualties, so if we lessen the force of the wave it
can result to less casualties, the purpose of this research was to apply the principle of tesla valve which is
the convergence and divergence of flow of water in infrastructure design near the coast of tsunami prone
areas to lessen the casualties when a tsunami occur.

II. CURRENT SITUATIONS

Japan is a country that frequently experiences earthquakes and tsunamis, they continue to build sea
defence structures to protect Japan’s coast to devastating tsunamis, they create various infrastructure
designs like high tsunami walls, curved sea walls and tetrapod (structure), when a tsunami approaches, it
rapidly move towards the land with great force that will damage anything on its way, many infrastructures
will collapse and the debris that been washed away by tsunami will also bring hazard to the people,
immediately following a tsunami disaster, many businesses will be unable to trade because of destruction
to premises, stock, machinery, facilities, transport networks, supplies and loss of staff. All sectors of the
business community are likely to be affected, tsunamis not only destroy human life, but have a devastating
effect on insects, animals, plants, and natural resources. A tsunami changes the landscape. It uproots trees
and plants and destroys animal habitats such as nesting sites for birds. Land animals are killed by
drowning and sea animals are killed by pollution if dangerous chemicals are washed away into the sea,
thus poisoning the marine life, the disaster risk management budget in Japan amounted to approximately
1.5 trillion Japanese yen in 2021, while PHP 20 billion national disaster risk reduction and management
fund in Philippine 2022 budget.
III. BEST PRACTICES

In Japan, they developed a mixed strategy that primarily relies on evacuation rather than defence. As
seismic detection and pre-emptive warnings improve, death tolls can and likely will be reduced over time, in
2011 when japan suffers a great loss when a 9.1 magnitude earthquake strike in the northeast coast of
Honshu on the Japan Trench, that also trigger a massive tsunami. In July 2011, the Japanese government
set a 10-year timeline for recovery with specific targets for clearing debris, restoring infrastructure, and
housing. So far, nearly all of the debris from the earthquake and tsunami has been recycled or incinerated.
Improving the instruments use in detecting approaching disaster is a big help to avoid large casualties
including loss of lives.
 In Philippines, DOST-PHIVOLCS create a Tsunami Prone Map that shows coastal areas in the
Philippines that can be affected by tsunamis generated by under-the-sea earthquakes or submarine
landslide. Tsunami waves generated by earthquakes from other countries may affect the country as well,
Usec. Solidum advocates the conduct of community-level awareness about earthquakes and tsunamis
focused on natural signs of an approaching local tsunami, warning, and evacuation procedure. Many
schools located in tsunami-prone areas are conducting tsunami drills in Eastern Vizayas.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) conducted a two-day seminar to help
residents understand the idea of tsunami-preparedness and response, Angelito Lanuza, Phivolcs trainer
and facilitator, said the seminar will educate communities, especially those situated in coastal areas, on
basic tsunami information, he added it will develop the sense of awareness among communities to enable
residents for disaster preparedness and tsunami risk mitigation.

IV. PROPOSED INNOVATIONS

Even now, no man in this world can predict when and where an earthquake will happen, thus when a
tsunami might occur, so people are inventing and creating devices that will help in detecting earthquakes
and possible tsunamis, the device help in sending warning signals for the people near coastal area to
evacuate, there is also some countries that building various infrastructures design that the purpose is to
prevent the tsunami from reaching the land. Some structures keep the waves at bay, but some of it got
destroyed and become debris washed away by the tsunami resulting more hazard to the people and
properties.

As a STEM student, I came up with the idea that instead of preventing the tsunami from reaching the land
by building structures that may bring more hazard to the people when it’s destroyed, why not just build a
structure on land that will lessen the force of the wave when it pass through it for less casualties, a tesla
valve is invented by Nikola Tesla its A one-way water valve with no moving parts, the principle of this valve
is the converging and the diverging flow of water that affects its velocity and slow down the waves, if we
apply the principle of tesla valve in infrastructure design near the tsunami-prone coastal areas, when
tsunami occur and it reach the land when the tsunami pass through it, it’s expected to lessen its velocity,
and because of less resistance of the infrastructure design, it has low possibility of it being washed away by
tsunami and becoming a hazard to the people.

V. REFERENCE

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/tsunamis
https://rctwg.humboldt.edu/about-tsunamis/warnings
https://www.nationalmuseum.gov.ph/2021/11/05/tsunami-in-the-philippines-world-tsunami-awareness-day/
https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2011/04/tsunami-defences-can-you-keep-the-waves-at-bay/
https://www.worlddata.info/asia/japan/tsunamis.php
https://www.nerc-bas.ac.uk/tsunami/secure/tsunami/Economic_Social_Impacts.htm
https://www.worlddata.info/asia/japan/tsunamis.php
https://www.sms-tsunami-warning.com/pages/tsunami-effects#.YoLi79pBzIW-for-tsunami-
urges-usec-solidum
https://reliefweb.int/report/philippines/residents-trained-respond-tsunami
https://medium.com/undp-in-asia-and-the-pacific/how-we-conducted-tsunami-drills-in-all-tsunami-prone
schools-in-the-eastern-visayas-95e5ca38644e
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2277794-century-old-water-valve-invented-by-nikola-tesla-could-have
modern-use/
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1189900/japan-total-disaster-risk-management-budget/
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1164224