Flow at the Tip of a Forward Curved Centrifugal Fan

1984 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Goulas ◽  
B. Mealing
Keyword(s):  
Flow Rate ◽  
Rotational Speed ◽  
Reverse Flow ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Flow Coefficient ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Centrifugal Fan ◽  
Single Vortex ◽  
Curvature Effects ◽  
Corner Vortex

The velocity profiles, radial and circumferential components, were measured at the tip of a forward curved centrifugal fan. Three sets of measurements are presented. Two at peak efficiency for different rotational speeds and a third at the lower rotational speed and for a reduced flow rate. A reverse flow region was formed near the hub, and almost in the middle, between pressure and suction sides of the blade. Near the shroud a high velocity region was observed and a low one near the suction side, picture similar to the jet-wake structure found in the literature. At the lower rotational speed and low flow rate the flow was affected mainly by the system rotation. A “wake” was formed along the suction side of the blade. Increasing the flow rate blade curvature effects became more dominant. Increasing the rotational speed and for the same flow coefficient the system of two vortices observed in the previous case disappears and a single vortex takes its place. In this case the wake is positioned on the hub. Corner vortices also affect the main flow by changing the turbulence intensities. A corner vortex observed on the pressure side reduced the turbulence intensities in the region and a wake was formed locally. However, another corner vortex on the suction side caused an increase to the local turbulence intensities and consequently a high local velocity.

scholarly journals Laser-Doppler Velocimetry Measurements Inside a Backward Curved Centrifugal Fan

2001 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 173-181
Author(s):  
Tong-Miin Liou ◽  
Meng-Yu Chen
Keyword(s):  
Flow Rate ◽  
Turbulence Intensity ◽  
Laser Doppler Velocimetry ◽  
Reverse Flow ◽  
Flow Region ◽  
Design Flow ◽  
Laser Doppler ◽  
Centrifugal Fan ◽  
Doppler Velocimetry ◽  
Flow Rates

Laser-Doppler velocimetry (LDV) measurements are presented of relative mean velocity and turbulence intensity components inside the impeller passage of a centrifugal fan with twelve backward curved blades at design, under-design, and over-design flow rates. Additional LDV measurements were also performed at the volute outlet to examine the uniformity of the outlet flow for the three selected flow rates. Complementary flow visualization results in the tongue region are further presented. It is found that the number of characteristic flow regions and the average turbulence level increase with decreasing air flow rate. For the case of under-design flow rate, there are a through-flow region on the suction side, a reverse flow region on the pressure side, and a shear layer region in between. The corresponding average turbulence intensity is as high as 9.1% of blade tip velocity.

A Meanline Model for Impeller Flow Recirculation

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuwen Qiu ◽  
David Japikse ◽  
Mark Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Flow Rate ◽  
Recirculation Zone ◽  
Reverse Flow ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Suction Surface ◽  
Blade Loading ◽  
Flow Recirculation ◽  
Impeller Outlet ◽  
Active Flow ◽  
Low Flow Rate

Flow recirculation at the impeller inlet and outlet is an important feature that affects impeller performance, especially the power consumption at a very low flow rate. Although the mechanisms for this flow phenomenon have been studied, a practical model is needed for meanline modeling of impeller off-design performance. In this paper, a meanline recirculation model is proposed. At the inlet, the recirculation zone acts as area blockage to relieve the large incidence of the active flow at a low flow rate. The size of the blockage is estimated through a critical area ratio of an artificial “inlet diffuser” from the inlet to throat. The intensity of the reverse flow can then be calculated by assuming a linear velocity profile of meridional velocity in the recirculation zone. At the impeller outlet, a recirculation zone near the suction surface is established to balance the velocity difference on the pressure and suction sides of the blade. The size and the intensity of the outlet recirculation zone is assumed related to blade loading, which can be evaluated based on flow turning and Coriolis force. A few validation cases are presented showing a good comparison between test data and prediction by the model.

Radial Impeller Forces Using CFD: Part II — A Comparison Between Compressible and Incompressible Flows

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel O. Baun ◽  
Ronald D. Flack
Keyword(s):  
Mach Number ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Incompressible Flows ◽  
Lateral Force ◽  
Magnetic Bearing ◽  
Flow Coefficient ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Centrifugal Impeller ◽  
Cfd Model

Lateral centrifugal impeller forces are calculated using the CFD model developed in Part I of this paper. The impeller forces are evaluated by integrating the pressure and momentum profiles at both the impeller inlet and exit planes. Direct impeller lateral force measurements were made using a magnetic bearing supported pump rotor. Comparisons between the simulated and measured forces are first made for both average and transient impeller forces with water as the working fluid. Air was then substituted as the working fluid in the validated CFD model and the effect of impeller Mach number and Reynolds number on the static impeller lateral forces was investigated. The non-dimensional lateral impeller force characteristics as a function of normalized flow coefficient are similar in character between the incompressible and compressible case. At the matching point flow coefficient the non-dimensional impeller force magnitude was the same for all compressible and incompressible simulations. For any normalized flow rate other than the matching point flow rate, the magnitude of the non-dimensional impeller force increased as the Mach number increased. As the choke condition was approached the magnitude of the impeller force increased exponentially. As the Mach number increased the transition of the force orientation vector from the low flow asymptote to the high flow asymptote occurred over a progressively smaller range of flows.

A Study of Cavitation Flow in a Centrifugal Pump at Part Load Conditions Based on Numerical Analysis

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianping Yuan ◽  
Yanxia Fu ◽  
Shouqi Yuan
Keyword(s):  
Centrifugal Pump ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
Cavitation Number ◽  
Flow Coefficient ◽  
Inlet Pipe ◽  
Part Load ◽  
Cavitation Inception ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Load Conditions

In order to predict cavitation performance of the centrifugal pump, including cavitating structures and vapour volume at the blade suction side, as well as its relationship with the backflow in the impeller eye, a 3D numerical simulation of detailed steady and unsteady cavitating flow was applied to reproduce its inner flow fields at part load conditions (0.5Qd and 0.4Qd). The comparisons of cavitation characteristics of the current centrifugal pump at an on-design point (1.0Qd) and a high flow rate (1.2Qd) were achieved as well. In addition, Frequency analysis of pressure fluctuations at the blade passages and the inlet pipe were also obtained during cavitation for a flow coefficient of 50%. The results further show that successive blade cavitation patterns and the creeping cavitation number dropping appear for a wide range of flow rates when the inlet total pressure decreases from cavitation inception to the breakdown of the centrifugal pump, as is quite different from that when cavitation occurs at 1.0Qd or 1.2Qd. Unbalanced attached cavities on the blade suction side were also observed at 0.5Qd. Meanwhile, the unsteady behaviour of cavities attached to the blade suction side and cavitation number dropping depend on the flow rate and cavitation number. Another significant characteristic of the phenomenon is that all the domain frequencies in blade passages and inlet pipe at part load conditions are 0.048Hz∼48.285Hz, which is typically lower than the shaft rotational frequency of the model centrifugal pump.

Suppression of Self-Excited Flow Instability in a Radial Diffuser Using Rough Surfaces

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saad A. Ahemd ◽  
Hayder Salem
Keyword(s):  
Flow Rate ◽  
Smooth Surface ◽  
Flow Instability ◽  
Rough Surfaces ◽  
Flow Coefficient ◽  
Flow Instabilities ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Flow Rates ◽  
Flow Limit ◽  
Stable Operating

Flow instabilities in a compression system at low flow rates set the flow limit of the stable operating range. Experiments to investigate the feasibility of controlling the stall in the radial diffuser of a low speed centrifugal compressor were carried out. The technique was very simple and involved using rough surfaces (i.e., sand papers) attached to the diffuser shroud. The results showed that the flow instability in the diffuser (stall) was delayed to a lower flow coefficient (the mass flow rate could be reduced to 70% of its value with the smooth surface) when the rough surfaces were positioned on the diffuser shroud.

scholarly journals Unsteady Characteristics of Forward Multi-Wing Centrifugal Fan at Low Flow Rate

Processes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. 691 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lun ◽  
Ye ◽  
Lin ◽  
Ying ◽  
Wei
Keyword(s):  
Unsteady Flow ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Internal Flow ◽  
Boundary Layer Separation ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Centrifugal Fan ◽  
Suction Surface ◽  
Cfd Method ◽  
Low Flow Rate

The unsteady flow characteristics of a forward multi-wing centrifugal fan under a low flow rate are studied using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method. This paper emphasizes the eddy current distribution in terms of the Q criterion method, as well as pressure fluctuation, frequency spectrum, and kinetic energy spectrum analysis of internal monitoring points in a forward multi-wing centrifugal fan. The numerical results show that abnormal eddies mainly appear at the volute outlet and near the volute tongue, boundary layer separation occurs near the suction surface of the blade, and shedding eddies appear at the trailing edge of the blade with the time evolution. The unsteady flow characteristics of a forward multi-wing centrifugal fan at a small flow rate provide significant physical insight into understanding the internal flow law.

scholarly journals Unsteady Flow Characteristics of Rotating Stall and Surging in a Backward Centrifugal Fan at Low Flow-Rate Conditions

Processes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 872 ◽  
Author(s):  
Biao Zhou ◽  
Ximing He ◽  
Hui Yang ◽  
Zuchao Zhu ◽  
Yikun Wei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Unsteady Flow ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Internal Flow ◽  
Rotating Stall ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Centrifugal Fan ◽  
Unsteady Characteristics ◽  
Low Flow Rate

The steady and unsteady flow characteristics of internal flow in a backward centrifugal fan of double inlet at low flow-rate condition are investigated by computational fluid dynamics in this paper. The investigation aims to reveal insights into generation mechanisms and our physical understanding of the rotating stall and surge. The numerical results mainly demonstrate that, with decreasing flow rate, a large number of vortex flows almost increasingly occupy the internal flow of the impeller. The reverse flow and separation vortices increasingly appear near the outlet of volute, and the internal flow of the impeller is completely blocked by the separated vortex flow at low flow-rate conditions. Results indicate that, due to a synchronization of the impeller rotation and separation vortex, these separated vortices act intensely on the pressure surface of the blade with time evolution, and the interaction between the separated vortices and surface of blade increasingly yields small-scale eddies. It is further found that the amplitude of pressure and velocity fluctuations gradually increase with the decrease of flow rate in a certain range. The unsteady characteristics acting on the volute tongue gradually increase in a range of Qd to 0.3 Qd (Qd is the design volume flow rate) with the decrease of flow rate, and the unsteady characteristics acting on the volute tongue are weakened at the working condition of 0.15 Qd. These insights clearly explain the unsteady nature of the rotating stall and surge phenomenon in the double inlet backward centrifugal fan.

An Off-Design Performance Prediction Model for Low-Speed Double-Discharge Centrifugal Fans

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tristan Wolfe ◽  
Yu-Tai Lee ◽  
Michael E. Slipper
Keyword(s):  
Mach Number ◽  
Prediction Model ◽  
Test Data ◽  
Flow Coefficient ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Centrifugal Fan ◽  
Input Coefficient ◽  
Low Speed ◽  
Work Input ◽  
Double Discharge

A generalized model for mapping the trend of the performance characteristics of a double-discharge centrifugal fan is developed based on the work by Casey and Robinson (C&R) which formulated compressor performance maps for tip-speed Mach numbers ranging from 0.4 to 2 using test data obtained from turbochargers with vaneless diffusers. The current paper focuses on low-speed applications for Mach number below 0.4. The C&R model uses four non-dimensional parameters at the design condition including the flow coefficient, the work input coefficient, the tip-speed Mach number and the polytropic efficiency, in developing a prediction model that requires limited geometrical knowledge of the centrifugal turbomachine. For the low-speed fan case, the C&R formulas are further modified to apply a low-speed, incompressible analysis. The effort described in this paper begins by comparing generalized results using efficiency data obtained from a series of fan measurements to that using the C&R model. For the efficiency map, the C&R model is found to heavily depend on the ratio of the flow coefficient at peak efficiency to that at the choke flow condition. Since choke flow is generally not applicable in the low-speed centrifugal fan operational environment, an alternate, but accurate estimation method based on fan free delivery derived from the fan test data is presented. Using this new estimation procedure, the modified C&R model predicts reasonably well using the double-discharge centrifugal fan data for high flow coefficients, but fails to correlate with the data for low flow coefficients. To address this undesirable characteristic, additional modifications to the C&R model are also presented for the fan application at low flow conditions. A Reynolds number correction is implemented in the work input prediction of the C&R model to account for low-speed test conditions. The new model provides reasonable prediction with the current fan data in both work input and pressure rise coefficients. Along with the developments for the efficiency and work input coefficient maps, the use of fan shut-off and free delivery conditions are also discussed for low-speed applications.

scholarly journals Performance Analysis of Z-Blade Reaction Type Turbine for Low-Head Low Flowrate Pico Hydro

2021 ◽  
Vol 85 (2) ◽  
pp. 51-65
Author(s):  
Mohd Farriz Basar ◽  
Fatin Syakira Mohd Hassan ◽  
Nurul Ashikin Rais ◽  
Izzatie Akmal Zulkarnain ◽  
Wan Azani Wan Mustafa
Keyword(s):  
Mass Flow Rate ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Rotational Speed ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Practical Case ◽  
Reaction Type ◽  
K Factor ◽  
Water Turbine ◽  
Low Head

The study explores the performance characteristics of a Z-Blade reaction type water turbine and investigates a test unit for an ideal and practical case using the governing equations derived from the principles of conservation of mass, momentum, and energy. Various analyses are conducted with consideration of the ideal and possible operating condition for low-head (3 m to 5 m) and low-flow (2.5 L/sec and below) water resources. The relationship of the fluid flow friction known as k-factor with mass flow rate and angular velocity for a Z-Blade turbine model is discussed. The measured performance of two PVC pipe sizes (0.5 inch and 1 inch) of a Z-Blade turbine is presented and evaluated against theoretical results. This work also describes the simple concept of a Z-Blade turbine for a pico-hydro application. A large variation in k-factor with a 1% difference in rotational speed and mass flow rate is presented. The coefficient k-factor is also demonstrated as a strong parameter influencing the mass flow rate and rotational speed performance. This coefficient also has a significant impact on the conversion of potential energy into power output.

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