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.

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.

Blade Surface Pressure Measurements on a Low Pressure Rise Axial Flow Fan

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes Rohwer ◽  
Sybrand J. van der Spuy ◽  
Theodor W. von Backström ◽  
Francois G. Louw
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Surface Pressure ◽  
Static Pressure ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Pressure Rise ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Pressure Measurements ◽  
Blade Surface ◽  
Axial Flow Fan

Abstract Fan performance characteristic tests of axial flow fans provide information on the global flow field, based on stable inlet flow field distribution. More information is often required on the local flow distribution existing in the vicinity of the fan blades under installed conditions. A 1.542 m diameter scale model of an axial flow fan, termed the M-Fan is tested in an ISO 5801, type A, test facility. The M-fan was specifically designed for low-pressure, high flow rate application in air-cooled or hybrid condensers. The scaled version of the M-fan was designed to have a fan static pressure rise of 116.7 Pa at a flow rate of 14.2 m3/s. Two specially constructed M-Fan blades are manufactured to conduct blade surface pressure measurements on the blades. The fan blades are equipped with 2 mm diameter tubes that run down the length of the fan blades in order to convey the measured pressure. Piezo-resistive pressure transducers, located on the hub of the fan, measure the static pressure distribution on the blades and the data is transferred to a stationary computer using a wireless telemetry setup. The blade pressure measurement setup is re-commissioned from a previous research project and its performance is qualified by testing and comparing to experimental results obtained on the B2a-fan. Excellent correlation to previous results is obtained. The experimental M-fan results are compared against results from a periodic numerical CFD model of a fan blade modelled in an ISO 5801, Type A test facility configuration. The experimental tests and numerical model correlate well with each other. The experimental blade surface pressure measurements have a minimum Pearson correlation to the numerically determined values of 0.932 (maximum 0.971).

The Design of a Large Diameter Axial Flow Fan for Air-Cooled Heat Exchanger Applications

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael B. Wilkinson ◽  
Johan van der Spuy ◽  
Theodor W. von Backström
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Large Diameter ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Pressure Rise ◽  
Design Procedure ◽  
Axial Flow Fan ◽  
Disk Model ◽  
Actuator Disk ◽  
Static Efficiency ◽  
Air Cooled Heat Exchanger

An axial flow fan design methodology is developed to design large diameter, low pressure rise, rotor-only fans for large air-cooled heat exchangers. The procedure aims to design highly efficient axial flow fans that perform well when subjected to off design conditions commonly encountered in air-cooled heat exchangers. The procedure makes use of several optimisation steps in order to achieve this. These steps include optimising the hub-tip ratio, vortex distribution, blading and aerofoil camber distributions in order to attain maximum total-to-static efficiency at the design point. In order to validate the design procedure a 24 ft, 8 bladed axial flow fan is designed to the specifications required for an air-cooled heat exchanger for a concentrated solar power (CSP) plant. The designed fan is numerically evaluated using both a modified version of the actuator disk model and a three dimensional periodic fan blade model. The results of these CFD simulations are used to evaluate the design procedure by comparing the fan performance characteristic data to the design specification and values calculated by the design code. The flow field directly down stream of the fan is also analysed in order to evaluate how closely the numerically predicted flow field matches the designed flow field, as well as determine whether the assumptions made in the design procedure are reasonable. The fan is found to meet the required pressure rise, however the fan total-to-static efficiency is found to be lower than estimated during the design process. The actuator disk model is found to under estimate the power consumption of the fan, however the actuator disk model does provide a reasonable estimate of the exit flow conditions as well as the total-to-static pressure characteristic of the fan.

The Effect of Hub Configuration on the Performance of an Air-Cooled Steam Condenser Fan

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. Meiring ◽  
S. J. van der Spuy ◽  
C. J. Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Flow Rate ◽  
Static Pressure ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Pressure Rise ◽  
Volumetric Flow Rate ◽  
Superior Performance ◽  
Design Point ◽  
Static Efficiency ◽  
Air Cooled Condensers ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Axial flow fans used in air-cooled condensers are typically analysed with smooth rounded hubs as they offer superior performance when compared to other hub configurations. However, such a hub configuration is impractical and may increase the manufacturing and installation costs of air-cooled condensers. As such, it is desirable to use a simpler, yet effective, hub configuration in order to reduce the installation cost. This paper assesses the impact that a simpler hub configuration may have on the performance of an axial flow fan. This is done through a comparison of three hub configurations: a cylindrical hub with a flat nose, a cylindrical hub with a hemispherical nose, and a disk hub, installed on the B2a-fan. Computational fluid dynamics modelling, utilising OpenFOAM, is used to simulate each hub configuration. It is found that the impact on performance due to hub configuration is dependent on the volumetric flow rate through the fan. A thin disk hub exhibits superior performance at low flow rates, resulting in a 8.4% improvement in total-to-static pressure rise and a 5.7% point improvement in total-to-static efficiency. As volumetric flow rate increases, the effectiveness of the disk hub configuration reduces while the hemispherical and flat nosed cylindrical hub configurations result in similar performance metrics at the design point flow rate. At above design point flow rate, the flat nosed cylindrical hub configuration shows an improvement in performance over the hemispherical nose cylindrical hub configuration, with a 9.5% increase in total-to-static pressure rise and a 5.1% point improvement in total-to-static efficiency.

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.

Study of an axial-type fan design technique using an optimization method

2009 ◽  
Vol 223 (3) ◽  
pp. 101-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
C-H Cho ◽  
S-Y Cho ◽  
K-Y Ahn ◽  
Y-C Kim
Keyword(s):  
Total Pressure ◽  
Static Pressure ◽  
Pressure Rise ◽  
Optimization Method ◽  
Operating Pressure ◽  
Design Technique ◽  
Fan Performance ◽  
Target Value ◽  
Design Variables ◽  
Fan Blade

A robust axial-type fan design technique is developed by using an optimization method based on the gradient method. A three-dimensional fan blade was initially designed by stacking several two-dimensional (2D) blade profiles along the spanwise direction. These 2D blade profiles were designed using the free-vortex method and profile parameters such as the incidence, deviation, camber, and so on. The initial fan blade adopts 13 design variables to improve the target value of the fan efficiency or the total pressure. These design variables are used to control the rotor and stator profile for obtaining a better target value. In this study, fan efficiency is chosen as a target objective variable to be maximized, and the total and static pressure on the design point are applied as constraints. These procedures are applied to the design of an axial-type fan that must operate at a mass flowrate of 8.37 kg/s with a minimum total pressure rise of 670 Pa. The optimized fan not only increases the efficiency by 2.9 per cent but also satisfies the required total and static pressure conditions compared with the initially designed fan performance. The optimized fan performance agrees with the experimental results; therefore, this fan design technique can be applied to improve the efficiency and the operating pressure of axial-type fans.

Performance, aeroacoustics and feature extraction of an axial flow fan with abnormal blade angle

Energy ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 103 ◽  
pp. 322-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunxi Li ◽  
Qing Lin ◽  
Xueliang Ding ◽  
Xuemin Ye
Keyword(s):  
Feature Extraction ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Blade Angle ◽  
Axial Flow Fan

scholarly journals Design Optimization of Internal Axial Flow Ventricle Assist Device (VAD) using CFD Model

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 2775-2777
Keyword(s):  
Heart Transplantation ◽  
Circulatory System ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Pressure Rise ◽  
Blood Pump ◽  
Cfd Model ◽  
Assist Device ◽  
Ventricular Assist ◽  
The World ◽  
Ventricle Assist Device

Every year everywhere throughout the world, Millions of patients from new-born children to grown-ups are determined to have heart disappointment. Aless number of contributor hearts accessible for the patients brings about a gigantic interest of mechanical type circulatory system, as a ventricular assist device (VAD). As of now mechanical help is generally encouraging option in contrast to heart transplantation. Ventricle Assist Device (VAD) were initially used to give mechanical help in patients anticipating arranged heart transplantation. VAD is a mechanical circulatory device that is used to partially replace function of heart failure i.e., to direct blood away from failing ventricle and guide flow to the circulation. VAD is analogous to pump (Blood Pump), so the performance characteristics of the pump is very important like pump curves (H-Q curves). The H-Q curve shows the head the pump pump can perform at a given stream. Plan strategy adopted for this object is computational fluiddynamics (CFD). CFD based structure to decide the response of the pressure rise, flow rate for optimization purpose.

scholarly journals The Model V84.3 Shot Tests: Compressor Flow Field Measurements and Evaluation

1994 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Janssen ◽  
R. Mönig ◽  
J. Seume ◽  
H. Hönen ◽  
R. Lösch-Schloms ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Total Pressure ◽  
Static Pressure ◽  
Pressure Rise ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Design Calculation ◽  
Flow Measurements ◽  
Flow Angle ◽  
Probe Measurements

Detailed experimental investigations were carried out at the Siemens test-facility in Berlin to validate and develop further the compressor design of the Model V84.3 gas turbine and to generate a comprehensive data base for the verification of the flow calculation programs. The test facility enables Siemens to confirm the design with regard to performance and reliability in the full scale machine under full load and off-design condition. Various measuring techniques well established in the laboratory were applied to the full scale compressor to examine the flow field. Along with rather conventional 5-hole probes for measuring the flow field in the core region, miniaturized 3-hole probes were developed at the Turbomachinery Laboratory of the Technical University of Aachen, tested and finally used for the measurements of endwall boundary layer profiles and their development throughout the compressor. In addition to the probe measurements, wall static-pressure measurements, as well as probed vane measurements, were carried out. The paper briefly describes the test facility, the compressor under investigation, and the instrumentation for the flow measurements. A comparison of the 3-hole and 5-hole probe measurements is presented. The experimental results are compared with calculated results taken from a two-dimensional off-design calculation program with standard loss models. By means of the measured static-pressure rise at the casing wall and the total pressure distributions downstream of the rotor rows, a modification of the loss modeling was performed. The calculated flow field is compared to the results of the 3-hole and 5-hole probe measurements in terms of radial distributions for flow angle. Mach number and total pressure.

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