Total Unsteadiness Downstream of an Axial Flow Fan With Variable Pitch Blades

2001 ◽  
Vol 124 (1) ◽  
pp. 280-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Velarde-Sua´rez ◽  
Rafael Ballesteros-Tajadura ◽  
Carlos Santolaria-Morros ◽  
Eduardo Blanco-Marigorta
Keyword(s):  
Axial Flow ◽  
Industrial Applications ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Major Influence ◽  
Axial Flow Fan ◽  
Variable Pitch ◽  
Fan Performance ◽  
Performance Curves ◽  
Unsteady Operation ◽  
Variable Operating Conditions

Variable pitch axial flow fans are widely used in industrial applications to satisfy variable operating conditions. The change of the blade pitch leads to a different rotor geometry and has a major influence on the unsteady operation of the machine. In this work, an experimental research on an axial flow fan with variable pitch blades has been carried out. First of all, the fan performance curves has been obtained. Then the flow field has been measured at ten radial locations both at the inlet and exit rotor plane using hot wire anemometry. Velocity components and total unsteadiness were determined and analyzed in order to characterize the influence of pitch blade and operating conditions on the flow structure.

Blade Pitch Influence at the Exit Flow Field of an Axial Flow Fan

1995 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Ballesteros ◽  
Eduardo Blanco ◽  
Carlos Santolaria
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Industrial Applications ◽  
Main Flow ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Hot Wire ◽  
Flow Core ◽  
Wire Probe ◽  
Performance Curves ◽  
Variable Operating Conditions

Variable pitch axial flow fans are widely used in industrial applications to satisfy variable operating conditions. In this work, an experimental research on a fan of this kind has been carried out. The performance curves of the fan have been obtained and the flow field has been measured at the best efficiency point of each blade pitch tested and for a lower and higher flow rate, in a fixed plane downstream the rotor with a triple hot-wire probe. The radial and circumferential distributions have been obtained, and maps of the velocity components over a blade channel are shown for each operating condition. The flow structure, including the tip and hub blockage, the blade wakes and the main flow core, is characterized.

An integrated performance analysis for a small axial-flow fan

2010 ◽  
Vol 224 (9) ◽  
pp. 1981-1994 ◽  
Author(s):  
S-C Lin ◽  
M-L Tsai
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Noise Analysis ◽  
Technical Information ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Numerical Control ◽  
Field Analysis ◽  
Axial Flow Fan ◽  
Fan Performance ◽  
Efficiency Estimation

Owing to the high system resistance and space limitations on computer devices, many researchers have begun to pay more attention to developing high-performance axial-flow fans. Evidently, evaluating the fan performance under different operating conditions is essential for both designer and practical engineering applications. However, previous studies do not provide a detailed flow-field analysis, torque prediction, efficiency estimation at various operating points, and qualitative numerical prediction of sound generation. Thus, this comprehensive study was performed with the aim to offer the aforementioned technical information and completely evaluate the fan performance. In this study, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations and experimental measurements are utilized to perform flow visualization, torque calculation, efficiency estimation, and noise analysis. For demonstration purposes, a 120 mm-diameter axial-flow fan is designed and fabricated via computer numerical control (CNC) to serve as the research subject. The result indicates that the P— Q curve and the sound pressure level (SPL) spectrum of the experiment are in agreement with those of numerical simulations. The numerical deviations in maximum volumetric flowrate and static pressure are approximately 7 per cent and 13 per cent, respectively. Regarding the acoustic characteristics, the overall SPLs for measured spectra and large eddy simulation (LES) calculation are 51.3 dB and 48.1 dB, respectively. Consequently, this study establishes an integrated aerodynamic, acoustic, and electro-mechanical evaluation approach that can be used as an important tool for fan designers.

Influence of an Upstream Obstacle on the Flow Characteristics of Axial-Flow Fans

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shinsaku Nakamura ◽  
Masayuki Takahashi ◽  
Kotaro Sato ◽  
Kazuhiko Yokota
Keyword(s):  
Reverse Flow ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Generation Mechanism ◽  
Flow Instabilities ◽  
Positive Slope ◽  
Axial Flow Fan ◽  
Cell Structures ◽  
Performance Curves

System environments vary for axial-flow fans, which are often used under unsuitable operating conditions. In the recent high density design of such equipment, obstacles are being more frequently distributed upstream of the fan to determine a smaller fan size. In this study, an attempt is made to clarify the influence of an obstacle on the flow characteristics of axial-flow fans. In our experiment, blockage disks with various diameters were placed upstream of a typical cooling axial-flow fan. The performance curves of the axial-flow fan with the blockage disks were measured. In addition, the flow instabilities and their cell structures were investigated under typical conditions. The main objectives of the present study are as follows: (1) to evaluate the performance degradation when obstacles are placed upstream of the test fan, (2) to elucidate the causes of a positive slope and reverse flow, and (3) to clarify the generation mechanism of flow instabilities when the blockage disks, which have a larger diameter than the test fan, are used.

scholarly journals Effects of Operating Conditions on the Flow in the Moving Blade Passage of a Single Stage Axial-Flow Fan

1997 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 269-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tsutomu Adachi ◽  
Yutaka Yamashita ◽  
Kennichiro Yasuhara ◽  
Tatsuo Kawai
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Hot Wire ◽  
Axial Flow Fan ◽  
Blade Passage ◽  
Operational Conditions ◽  
Flow Phenomena ◽  
Steady Velocity

Three dimensional steady and unsteady velocity distributions in the axial flow fan were measured using a hot wire probe for various operational conditions, various rotational speeds and various measuring positions. For measuring the velocity distributions in the blade passage, a specially designed and manufactured hot wire traversing apparatus was used. Steady velocity distributions, turning angles, effects of incident to the cascade, flow leakage through the tip clearance and effects of the flow separation show the flow phenomena through the blade passages. Unsteady velocity distributions show time dependent procedures of the wake flowing through the moving blade passage. Considering these results of measurements, the effects of the upstream stationary blade and the effects of Reynolds number on the flow were considered.

scholarly journals Investigation of the Flow Field in the Vicinity of an Axial Flow Fan During Low Flow Rates

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francois G. Louw ◽  
Theodor W. von Backström ◽  
Sybrand J. van der Spuy
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Numerical Simulations ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Design Flow ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Axial Flow Fan ◽  
Free Vortex ◽  
Flow Rates

Large axial flow fans are used in forced draft air cooled heat exchangers (ACHEs). Previous studies have shown that adverse operating conditions cause certain sectors of the fan, or the fan as a whole to operate at very low flow rates, thereby reducing the cooling effectiveness of the ACHE. The present study is directed towards the experimental and numerical analyses of the flow in the vicinity of an axial flow fan during low flow rates. This is done to obtain the global flow structure up and downstream of the fan. A near-free-vortex fan, designed for specific application in ACHEs, is used for the investigation. Experimental fan testing was conducted in a British Standard 848, type A fan test facility, to obtain the fan characteristic. Both steady-state and time-dependent numerical simulations were performed, depending on the operating condition of the fan, using the Realizable k-ε turbulence model. Good agreement is found between the numerically and experimentally obtained fan characteristic data. Using data from the numerical simulations, the time and circumferentially averaged flow field is presented. At the design flow rate the downstream fan jet mainly moves in the axial and tangential direction, as expected for a free-vortex design criteria, with a small amount of radial flow that can be observed. As the flow rate through the fan is decreased, it is evident that the down-stream fan jet gradually shifts more diagonally outwards, and the region where reverse flow occur between the fan jet and the fan rotational axis increases. At very low flow rates the flow close to the tip reverses through the fan, producing a small recirculation zone as well as swirl at certain locations upstream of the fan.

Improving Stall Margin by Using an Air-Separator for a Variable-Pitch Axial-Flow Fan

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takahiro Nishioka ◽  
Shuuji Kuroda ◽  
Tadashi Kozu
Keyword(s):  
Axial Flow ◽  
Pressure Rise ◽  
Rotating Stall ◽  
Axial Flow Fan ◽  
Clearance Ratio ◽  
Variable Pitch ◽  
Stall Margin ◽  
Operating Range ◽  
Exposure Ratio ◽  
Air Separator

An air-separator for extending the operating range of a variable-pitch axial-flow fan has been developed. It has a circular-are outer casing, a part of which forms the guide vane at the inlet of the air-separator. To obtain a wide operating range and to minimize penalties in terms of efficiency and noise, the influence of exposure and clearance ratios at various stagger-angle settings for rotor blades in low-speed and high-speed axial flow fans was experimentally investigated. Flow distributions and pressure fluctuations downstream of the rotor were also measured in order to investigate the influence of the air-separator on rotating stall. The distributions and fluctuations suggested that the air-separator decreased the blockage effect near the rotor tip and suppressed the rotating stall. Moreover, stall-margin and pressure-rise improvements were independent of the clearance ratio. These improvements depended on the exposure ratio and stagger-angle settings for the rotor blades. The fan efficiency for the air-separator also depended on the exposure ratio. In addition, the efficiency had the opposite tendency to the stall-margin and pressure-rise improvements. In contrast, the noise for the air-separator was independent of the exposure ratio and decreased as the clearance ratio increased. For the optimum combination of the exposure and clearance ratios, the stall-margin and pressure-rise were improved by over 20% with minimized penalties in terms of efficiency and noise. It is concluded from these results that the developed air-separator can provide a wide operating range for a variable-pitch axial-flow fan.

OVERVIEW OF THE BEST 2020 AXIAL-FLOW FAN DATA AND INCLUSION IN SIMILARITY CHARTS FOR THE SEARCH OF THE BEST DESIGN

2022 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Massimo Masi ◽  
Piero Danieli ◽  
Andrea Lazzaretto
Keyword(s):  
Axial Flow ◽  
Aerodynamic Performance ◽  
Design Parameters ◽  
Axial Fan ◽  
Axial Flow Fan ◽  
General Picture ◽  
Fan Performance ◽  
Global Performance ◽  
Present Design ◽  
Statistical Survey

Abstract The paper deals with the aerodynamic performance of ducted axial-flow fans available in the 2020 market and aims to create a general picture of the best designs and design trends, as a tool for fan designers. To this end, the paper first presents the general formulation of the similarity approach to the fan performance analysis, including the effects of rotational speed (which affects the validity of the Reynolds similarity) and turbomachine size (which can hinder the perfect geometrical similarity of some shape details). The second part reports a statistical survey of the axial-flow fan performance based on data from catalogues of major manufacturers, and compares the resulting Cordier-lines with optimum fan designs from empirical or CFD-based models available in the literature. In addition to the global performance at maximum aeraulic and total-to-static efficiencies, this survey uses the form of dimensionless Balje-Cordier charts to identify the trends and values of other design parameters, such as hub-to-tip ratio, blade count, and blade positioning angle. As a result, a summary of the aerodynamic performance of year 2020 best designs, the improvements achieved during the last forty years, and the present design trends in contra-rotating, vane-axial, and tube-axial fan types are made available to fan designers.

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