Quantification of Cooling Fan Airflow Installation Effects Compared to Plenum-to-Plenum Fan Performance

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Gullberg
Keyword(s):  
Test Data ◽  
Performance Test ◽  
Pressure Rise ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Performance Curve ◽  
Chassis Dynamometer ◽  
Test Rig ◽  
Fan Performance ◽  
Installation Effects ◽  
Full Vehicle

The classic approach of cooling airflow and cooling performance analysis is to measure component performance (pressure rise, pressure drop, rejected heat etc.) in a Plenum to Plenum test facility. Based on this component data a 1D system model is built and calibrated with full vehicle test data. Full vehicle data is typically acquired from a chassis dynamometer. This modeling approach assumes each component operates in a similar manner in the rig as in the vehicle. Concerning the fan, several effects are then assumed negligible such as airflow distribution into the fan and also non uniform pressure gradients in the installation aft of the fan. This paper study and quantify these assumptions and installation effects by the use of 3D CFD correlated to experimental data. The first part will be to demonstrate a correlation between performance test data in a Plenum to Plenum test facility and the corresponding simulation thereof. Based on this correlation the test rig influence can be isolated and removed from the fan performance measurement (based on detailed CFD information). The second part will be to regenerate the fan curve in a truck installation by using 3D CFD and varying the system restriction. This step will also be correlated to Vehicle testing in a chassis dynamometer. The third step will be to compare the in rig fan performance curve to the in vehicle fan performance curve. The results indicate that the plenum to plenum test rig significantly influence the performance data of the fan in a non-trivial way. Removing the rig influence on the fan performance this paper demonstrates that the fan operates similar in the rig as in the truck.

Performance Testing of an Axial Flow Fan Designed for Air-Cooled Heat Exchanger Applications

2018 ◽  
Vol 141 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael B. Wilkinson ◽  
Sybrand J. van der Spuy ◽  
Theodor W. von Backström
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Static Pressure ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Pressure Rise ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Cfd Model ◽  
Blade Angle ◽  
Axial Flow Fan ◽  
Fan Performance ◽  
Static Efficiency

An axial flow fan developed in the previous study is tested in order to characterize its performance. The M-fan, a 7.3152 m diameter rotor only axial flow fan was designed to perform well under the challenging operating conditions encountered in air-cooled heat exchangers. Preliminary computational fluid dynamics (CFD) results obtained using an actuator disk model (ADM) as well as a periodic three dimensional model indicate that the fan meets the specified performance targets, with an expected total-to-static efficiency of 59.4% and a total-to-static pressure rise of 114.7 Pa at the operating point. Experimental tests are performed on the M-fan in order to determine its performance across a full range of flow rates. A range of fan configurations are tested in order to ascertain the effect of tip clearance, blade angle, and hub configuration on fan performance. Due to the lack of a suitable facility for testing a large diameter fan, a scaled 1.542 m diameter model is tested on the ISO 5801 type A fan test facility at Stellenbosch University. A Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes CFD model representing the M-fan in the test facility is also developed in order to provide additional insight into the flow field in the vicinity of the fan blades. The results of the CFD model will be validated using the experimental data obtained. Both the CFD results and the experimental data obtained are compared to the initial CFD results for the full scale fan, as obtained in the previous study, by means of fan scaling laws. Experimental data indicate that the M-fan does not meet the pressure requirement set out in the initial study at the design blade setting angle of 34 deg. Under these conditions, the M-fan attains a total-to-static pressure rise of 102.5 Pa and a total-to-static efficiency of 56.4%, running with a tip gap of 2 mm. Increasing the blade angle is shown to be a potential remedy, improving the total-to-static pressure rise and efficiency obtained at the operating point. The M-fan is also shown to be highly sensitive to increasing tip gap, with larger tip gaps substantially reducing fan performance. The losses due to tip gap are also shown to be overestimated by the CFD simulations. Both experimental and numerically obtained results indicate lower fan total-to-static efficiencies than obtained in the initial CFD study. Results indicate that the M-fan is suited to its intended application, however, it should be operated with a smaller tip gap than initially recommended and a larger blade setting angle. Hub configuration is also shown to have an influence on fan performance, potentially improving performance at low flow rates.

scholarly journals Fully Loaded Factory Test of the CW251B12 Gas Turbine Engine

1990 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ihor S. Diakunchak
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Test Data ◽  
Performance Test ◽  
Engine Performance ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Turbine Engine ◽  
Engine Model ◽  
Factory Test ◽  
Industrial Gas Turbine

The fully loaded factory test of the CW251B12 45 MW class industrial gas turbine is described in this paper. This gas turbine is the latest uprating of the W251 series of engines. The main objectives of the factory test were the verification of the performance and the mechanical integrity of the new engine model. A brief description of the main features of the engine, the application of the first unit, the test facility, and the engine instrumentation used in the test is included. Details of the engine performance test results, telemetry test data results, and the hot end component metal temperature measurements are provided.

Performance Testing of an Axial Flow Fan Designed for Air-Cooled Heat Exchanger Applications

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael B. Wilkinson ◽  
Johan van der Spuy ◽  
Theodor W. von Backström
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Static Pressure ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Pressure Rise ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Cfd Model ◽  
Blade Angle ◽  
Axial Flow Fan ◽  
Fan Performance ◽  
Static Efficiency

An axial flow fan developed in previous study is tested in order to characterise its performance. The M-fan, a 7.3152 m diameter rotor only axial flow fan was designed to perform well under the challenging operating conditions encountered in air-cooled heat exchangers. Preliminary CFD results obtained using an actuator disk model as well as a periodic three dimensional model indicate that the fan meets the specified performance targets, with an expected total-to-static efficiency of 59.4 % and a total-to-static pressure rise of 114.7 Pa at the operating point. Experimental tests are performed on the M-fan in order to determine its performance across a full range of flow rates. A range of fan configurations are tested in order to ascertain the effect of tip clearance, blade angle and hub configuration on fan performance. Due to the lack of a suitable facility for testing a large diameter fan, a scaled 1.542 m diameter model is tested on the BS 848 (ISO 5801) type A fan test facility at Stellenbosch University. A RANS CFD model representing the M-fan in the test facility is also developed in order to provide additional insight into the flow field in the vicinity of the fan blades. The results of the CFD model will be validated using the experimental data obtained. Both the CFD results and the experimental data obtained are compared to the initial CFD results for the full scale fan, as obtained in the previous study, by means of fan scaling laws. Experimental data indicates that the M-fan does not meet the pressure requirement set out in the initial study, at the design blade setting angle of 34 degrees. Under these conditions the M-fan attains a total-to-static pressure rise of 102.5 Pa and a total-to-static efficiency of 56.4%, running with a tip gap of 2 mm. Increasing the blade angle is shown to be a potential remedy, improving the total-to-static pressure rise and efficiency obtained at the operating point. The M-fan is also shown to be highly sensitive to increasing tip gap, with larger tip gaps substantially reducing fan performance. The losses due to tip gap are also shown to be overestimated by the CFD simulations. Both experimental and numerically obtained results indicate lower fan total-to-static efficiencies than obtained in the initial CFD study. Results indicate that the M-fan is suited to its intended application, however it should be operated with a smaller tip gap than initially recommended and a larger blade setting angle. Hub configuration is also shown to have an influence on fan performance, potentially improving performance at low flow rates.

Annular Gap Windage Loss Measurements for High Speed Electrical Machinery

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik E. Swanson ◽  
P. Shawn O’Meara ◽  
Hsin-Hua Tsuei
Keyword(s):  
Test Data ◽  
Power Loss ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Reasonable Agreement ◽  
Smooth Surface ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Empirical Correlations ◽  
Test Rig ◽  
Electrical Machinery ◽  
Annular Gap

Windage loss in small, high speed electrical machinery is often predicted using fairly simple quasi-empirical correlations. Many of the correlations used are primarily based on testing performed with larger test articles, at lower speeds, and often with liquid lubricants. This paper presents a new set of air gap windage loss test data for test articles that are more nearly representative of small, high speed electrical machinery. These data were obtained using a unique new test rig. This rig was designed around test articles that are representative of 50 to 200 kW machinery operating up to 60 krpm with air as the fluid in the rotor-stator clearance. This paper describes the new test facility and presents data for a smooth surface 72.4 mm rotor with both a smooth stator and a stator with simulated winding slots, for a range of clearances. The smooth surface results are shown to be in reasonable agreement with previously published results for annular gap windage power loss.

Fully Loaded Factory Test of the CW251B12 Gas Turbine Engine

1991 ◽  
Vol 113 (4) ◽  
pp. 482-487 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. S. Diakunchak
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Test Data ◽  
Performance Test ◽  
Engine Performance ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Turbine Engine ◽  
Engine Model ◽  
Factory Test ◽  
Industrial Gas Turbine

The fully loaded factory test of the CW251B12 45 MW class industrial gas turbine is described in this paper. This gas turbine is the latest uprating of the W251 series of engines. The main objectives of the factory test were the verification of the performance and the mechanical integrity of the new engine model. A brief description of the main features of the engine, the application of the first unit, the test facility, and the engine instrumentation used in the test is included. Details of the engine performance test results, telemetry test data results, and the hot end component metal temperature measurements are provided.

scholarly journals Introduction of an Universal Scale-Up Method for the Efficiency of Axial and Centrifugal Fans

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter F. Pelz ◽  
Stefan S. Stonjek
Keyword(s):  
Test Data ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Pressure Rise ◽  
Flow Coefficient ◽  
Total Efficiency ◽  
Scaling Method ◽  
Centrifugal Fans ◽  
Axial Fans ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Acceptance Tests

Acceptance tests on large fans to prove the performance (efficiency and total pressure rise) to the customer are expensive and sometimes even impossible to perform. Hence there is a need for the manufacturer to reliably predict the performance of fans from measurements on down-scaled test fans. The commonly used scale-up formulas give satisfactorily results only near the design point, where inertia losses are small in comparison to frictional losses. At part- and overload the inertia losses are dominant and the scale-up formulas used so far fail. In 2013 Pelz and Stonjek introduced a new scaling method which fullfills the demands ( [1], [2]). This method considers the influence of surface roughness and geometric variations on the performance. It consists basically of two steps: Initially, the efficiency is scaled. Efficiency scaling is derived analytically from the definition of the total efficiency. With the total derivative it can be shown that the change of friction coefficient is inversely proportional to the change of efficiency of a fan. The second step is shifting the performance characteristic to a higher value of flow coefficient. It is the task of this work to improve the scaling method which was previously introduced by Pelz and Stonjek by treating the rotor/impeller and volute/stator separately. The validation of the improved scale-up method is performed with test data from two axial fans with a diameter of 1000 mm/250mm and three centrifugal fans with 2240mm/896mm/224mm diameter. The predicted performance characteristics show a good agreement to test data.

Preliminary Evaluation of the 24 Ft. Diameter Fan Performance In the MinWaterCSP Large Cooling Systems Test Facility

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. J. van der Spuy ◽  
D. N. J. Els ◽  
L. Tieghi ◽  
G. Delibra ◽  
A. Corsini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Scaling Laws ◽  
Static Pressure ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Pressure Rise ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Preliminary Evaluation ◽  
Cfd Analysis ◽  
Setting Angle

Abstract The MinWaterCSP project was defined with the aim of reducing the cooling system water consumption and auxiliary power consumption of concentrating solar power (CSP) plants. A full-scale, 24 ft (7.315 m) diameter model of the M-fan was subsequently installed in the Min WaterCSP cooling system test facility, located at Stellenbosch University. The test facility was equipped with an in-line torque arm and speed transducer to measure the power transferred to the fan rotor, as well as a set of rotating vane anemometers upstream of the fan rotor to measure the air volume flow rate passing through the fan. The measured results were compared to those obtained on the 1.542 m diameter ISO 5801 test facility using the fan scaling laws. The comparison showed that the fan power values correlated within +/− 7% to those of the small-scale fan, but at a 1° higher blade setting angle for the full-scale fan. To correlate the expected fan static pressure rise, a CFD analysis of the 24 ft (7.315 m) diameter fan installation was performed. The predicted fan static pressure rise values from the CFD analysis were compared to those measured on the 1.542 m ISO test facility, for the same fan. The simulation made use of an actuator disc model to represent the effect of the fan. The results showed that the predicted results for fan static pressure rise of the installed 24 ft (7.315 m) diameter fan correlated closely (smaller than 1% difference) to those of the 1.542 m diameter fan at its design flowrate but, once again, at approximately 1° higher blade setting angle.

Comparison and Synthesis of Performance and Aerodynamic Modeling of a Pass-Off Turbofan Engine Test Cell

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Marx ◽  
Michael Kotulla ◽  
André Kando ◽  
Stephan Staudacher
Keyword(s):  
Research Effort ◽  
Engine Performance ◽  
Cell System ◽  
Performance Model ◽  
Test Cell ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Engine Test ◽  
Combined System ◽  
Installation Effects ◽  
Engine Testing

To ensure the quality standards in engine testing, a growing research effort is put into the modeling of full engine test cell systems. A detailed understanding of the performance of the combined system, engine and test cell, is necessary e.g. to assess test cell modifications or to identify the influence of test cell installation effects on engine performance. This study aims to give solutions on how such a combined engine and test cell system can be effectively modeled and validated in the light of maximized test cell observability with minimum instrumentation and computational requirements. An aero-thermodynamic performance model and a CFD model are created for the Fan-Engine Pass-Off Test Facility at MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg GmbH, representing a W-shape configuration, indoor Fan-Engine test cell. Both models are adjusted and validated against each other and against test cell instrumentation. A fast-computing performance model is delivering global parameters, whereas a highly-detailed aerodynamic simulation is established for modeling component characteristics. A multi-disciplinary synthesis of both approaches can be used to optimize each of the specific models by calibration, optimized boundary conditions etc. This will result in optimized models, which, in combination, can be used to assess the respective design and operational requirements.

In-Plane Vibration Damping of a U-Tube With Wet and Dry Flat-Bar Supports

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul A. Feenstra ◽  
Victor P. Janzen ◽  
Bruce A. W. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Energy Dissipation ◽  
Plane Motion ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Vibration Energy ◽  
Test Rig ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Support Conditions ◽  
Vibration Tests ◽  
Energy Dissipated ◽  
Steam Generator Tubes

Tests are being planned which will use AECL’s MR-3 Freon test facility and a Multi-Span U-Bend (MSUB) test rig to investigate the dynamics of tube vibration in two-phase flow, in particular those mechanisms that can cause excessive damage to steam-generator tubes. In preparation for the tests, free- and forced-vibration tests were conducted to measure the vibration energy dissipation (damping) of a single U-bend tube in air, with dry and wet anti-vibration bars, under a variety of tube-support conditions. This paper presents the relevant damping mechanisms and documents methods used to conduct the tests and to analyze the energy dissipated at the supports. Results indicate that for in-plane motion without tube-to-support contact, viscous damping related to wet AV B supports is much smaller than guidelines based on other types of supports suggest. To begin to examine the effects of the tube coming into contact with its supports, such as friction-related energy dissipation, the results of tests with light tube-to-support preloads are also presented.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document