Sanitary application

TurboFlush: a recently developed technology based on an asymmetrical internal toilet bowl geometry developed and patented by Geberit. It would have been unthinkable without CFD software. TurboFlush ensures totally efficient and silent flushing of the toilet bowl. This reduces water consumption, as everything is usually cleaned in one go. The aim was to develop a toilet geometry capable of using tank filling water as efficiently as possible when flushing. To achieve this, the water must first enter the bowl without loss of flow so that it can develop its full flushing power, using an obstacle-free path for the water, which means, as far as possible, no collisions at the entrance to the ceramic bowl and during its path, and of course no collision of the water with itself to avoid turbulence.

Using a variety of CFD tools, Geberit’s developers were able to virtually test over a hundred variants of their designs before deciding to build prototypes to validate the state of each version. Simulation and prototype testing gave preference to the asymmetrical design with a lateral water inlet. The result is a unique flushing performance while using less water for flushing with a nominal value of up to 3.0 liters compared to 12.0 liters used for flushing in the past. Everyone knows that after the first flush, there are still particles or paper in the trap. Or that the toilet brush has to be used to remove all traces. TurboFlush makes such flushing unnecessary or reduces it to a minimum.

With TurboFlush, the new rimless bowl geometry – as dirt and limescale can adhere under the rim – guarantees a flow of around 2.0 liters per second, ideally guided over surfaces. This significantly reduces residual traces in the bowl and ensures maximum impulse in the siphon through which solids are discharged.

Thanks to simulations, Geberit engineers were able to design a flush that operates much more quietly. The noise reductions were achieved, among other things, by low-turbulence flow guidance of the flushing water, which is therefore less mixed with air than in conventional flushing concepts.

Thanks to simulation, a complete cycle of variants could be completed in just 24 hours. This includes the geometry changes discussed with the design department, as well as the necessary modifications to the virtual prototype. Recalculations are carried out overnight, so that simulation results are available for analysis in the morning.

The simulation enabled localized analysis of the flow of water along its entire path. In a real laboratory, the flushing operation is completed in around five seconds. Although the delay can be slowed down with high-speed cameras, we are still limited to a single angle of view. Simulation, on the other hand, allows the model to be viewed from any angle at any time. It also provides information on flow conditions that cannot be observed in tests with a real toilet bowl, as the bowl is not transparent.