Unsteady Flow Analysis of the Stator-Rotor Interaction in an Axial Flow Fan

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Ferna´ndez Oro ◽  
K. Argu¨elles Di´az ◽  
C. Santolaria Morros ◽  
R. Ballesteros Tajadura
Keyword(s):  
Unsteady Flow ◽  
Flow Analysis ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
3D Models ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Rotor Blades ◽  
Axial Flow Fan ◽  
Rotating Blade ◽  
Flow Phenomena

In the usual operation of turbomachinery, some unsteady flow phenomena appear due to the non uniformity of the flow inside the rotor, when observed in the fixed reference frame. These phenomena are often related to the unsteady character of the pressure and velocity fields, which produce oscillating forces on the blades, superimposed to the steady force. These oscillating forces are the main mechanism of noise generation, which appear even at a constant rotational speed and at flow rates where the performance curves are stable. In axial turbomachines, the interaction is due to relative motion between the static and rotating blade rows. Considering the case of a fixed blade row (stator) placed upstream of the rotor, the non uniform flow leaving those blades (usually referred as IGV blades) is observed as an unsteady flow by the rotor blades. The effect of this interaction is the generation of unsteady forces on the rotor blades, which generate vibrations (risk of fatigue failure) and noise, and non-uniformity and unsteadiness of the pressure field, that propagates as an acoustic wave. The first part of this work is a brief description of a URANS numerical modeling of the unsteady flow characteristics of a one-stage subsonic axial flow fan with a reaction degree greater than 1. The focus is placed on the statorrotor interaction performance. Both 2D and 3D models of the fan, with 13 IGV’s and 9 rotor blades, were developed and an unsteady simulation was achieved to carry out the main characteristics of the flow inside the turbomachine. Once the actuating forces are determined, the influence of the radial position, the operating conditions and the distance of the fixed and the rotating blade rows is also analyzed. The final part of the paper is focused over the identification, through the definition of deterministic stresses — related to the characteristic blade-passage frequency of every row — that provoke the interaction between fixed and rotating blade rows and its evolution through time. The object is to obtain, in a stress tensor form, the contribution of the velocity field, that is changing because of the sucessive relative positions between blade rows, to the pressure distribution over the blade surfaces in the interior of the stage. Finally, a map of deterministic stresses and even, deterministic kinetic energy, can be obtained to show the influence of the blade rows in the interaction, unsteady phenomena.

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 on Unsteady Flow Characteristics in an Axial-Flow Fan under Stall Conditions

Processes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 958
Author(s):  
Chenlong Jiang ◽  
Mengjiao Li ◽  
Enda Li ◽  
Xingye Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Unsteady Flow ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Rotating Stall ◽  
Air Separation ◽  
Flow Coefficient ◽  
Tip Leakage Flow ◽  
Axial Flow Fan ◽  
Time Frequency ◽  
Flow Capacity

Based on Shear Stress Transport (SST) turbulence model for unsteady simulation of an axial-flow fan, this paper studies the time-frequency information in the hump region, and investigates the disturbance information of spike and modal wave under different flow coefficients based on continuous wavelet transform (CWT). The results show that before the hump point, the low-frequency modal wave occupies the main disturbance form and circularly propagates at 1/10 of the rotor speed, and the axial-flow fan does not enter the stall stage; while after the flow coefficient reduces to the hump point, the spike wave with higher frequency replaces the modal wave as the main disturbance mode while the axial-flow fan enters the stall stage. Through in-depth investigation of unsteady flow characteristics under the hump point, it is found that after experiencing the emerging spike, with the sharp increase of incidence angle, some flow distortions appear on the intake surface, and further induce some flow paths to form stall vortices. When a path goes into stall stage, the airflow state is greatly affected, the inverse flow and air separation phenomenon in the rim region increase significantly, and the flow capacity decreases significantly, so the flow capacity in the hub region increases correspondingly. The flow path distortion of tip leakage flow (TLF) and leading edge (LE) spillage caused by the stall vortices are the main inducements of rotating stall.

Analysis of the Inter-Row Flow Field Within a Transonic Axial Compressor: Part 2 — Unsteady Flow Analysis

2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xavier Ottavy ◽  
Isabelle Trébinjac ◽  
André Vouillarmet
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Unsteady Flow ◽  
Flow Analysis ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Rotor Blades ◽  
Time Averaging ◽  
Flow Phenomena ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Transonic Axial Compressor

An analysis of the experimental data, obtained by laser two-focus anemometry in the IGV-rotor inter-row region of a transonic axial compressor, is presented with the aim of improving the understanding of the unsteady flow phenomena. A study of the IGV wakes and of the shock waves emanating from the leading edge of the rotor blades is proposed. Their interaction reveals the increase in magnitude of the wake passing through the moving shock. This result is highlighted by the streamwise evolution of the wake vorticity. Moreover, the results are analyzed in terms of a time averaging procedure and the purely time-dependent velocity fluctuations which occur are quantified. It may be concluded that they are of the same order of magnitude as the spatial terms for the inlet rotor flow field. That shows that the temporal fluctuations should be considered for the 3D rotor time-averaged simulations.

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.

Large Eddy Simulation and Acoustical Analysis for Prediction of Aeroacoustics Noise Radiated From an Axial-Flow Fan

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshinobu Yamade ◽  
Chisachi Kato ◽  
Hayato Shimizu ◽  
Takahiro Nishioka
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Large Eddy Simulation ◽  
Unsteady Flow ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Rotor Blades ◽  
Coarse Mesh ◽  
Axial Flow Fan ◽  
Eddy Simulation ◽  
Fine Mesh ◽  
Large Eddy

A final objective of this study is to develop a tool to predict aeroacoustics noise radiated from a low-speed fan, and its reduction. Aeroacoustics noise that is radiated from a low-speed axial flow fan, with a six-blades rotor installed in a casing duct, is predicted by an one-way coupled analysis of the computation of the unsteady flow in the ducted fan and computation of the sound radiated to the ambient air. The former is performed by our original code, FrontFlow/blue, which is based on Large Eddy Simulation (LES). The latter is performed by using a commercial code, SYSNOISE, which computes the sound fields in the frequency domain. The following three cases of computations are performed for LES with different flow field configurations and/or grid resolutions: a coarse mesh without the struts located, in the actual fan, upstream of the rotor blades, a fine mesh without the struts, and a coarse mesh with the struts. The first two test cases are intended to investigate the effects of the mesh resolution on the prediction accuracy of the unsteady flow field, especially we intended to capture unsteadiness in turbulent boundary layer (TBL) in the second test case with the computational mesh composed of about 30 millions hexahedral elements. The fine mesh LES successfully reproduced the transition to TBL on the suction surface of the rotor blades and gives better, when compared with the results from the coarse mesh LES, agreements with measurements in terms of Euler’s. The final case is used for providing acoustical input data of the sound source. A reasonable agreement is obtained between the predicted and measured sound pressure level evaluated at 1.5 m upstream of the blade center.

Improvement of Stalling Characteristics of an Axial-Flow Fan by Radial-Vaned Air-Separators

2010 ◽  
Vol 132 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nobuyuki Yamaguchi ◽  
Masayuki Ogata ◽  
Yohei Kato
Keyword(s):  
Solid Wall ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Internal Flow ◽  
Rotor Blades ◽  
Relative Location ◽  
Flow Conditions ◽  
Axial Flow Fan ◽  
Light Load ◽  
Stall Prevention ◽  
Air Separator

An improved construction of air-separator device, which has radial-vanes embedded within its inlet circumferential opening with their leading-edges facing the moving tips of the fan rotor-blades so as to scoop the tip flow, was investigated with respect to the stall-prevention effect on a low-speed, single-stage, lightly loaded, axial-flow fan. Stall-prevention effects by the separator layout, relative location of the separator to the rotor-blades, and widths of the openings of the air-separator inlet and exit were parametrically surveyed. As far as the particular fan is concerned, the device together with the best relative location has proved to be able to eliminate effectively the stall zone having existed in the original solid-wall characteristics, which has confirmed the promising potential of the device. Guidelines were obtained from the data for optimizing relative locations of the device to the rotor-blades, maximizing the stall-prevention effect of the device, and minimizing the axial size of the device for a required stall-prevention effect, at least for the particular fan and possibly for fans of similar light-load fans. The data suggest the changing internal flow conditions affected by the device conditions.

scholarly journals Aerodynamic Analysis of Multistage Turbomachinery Flows in Support of Aerodynamic Design

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
John J. Adamczyk
Keyword(s):  
Unsteady Flow ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Design Environment ◽  
Cfd Simulations ◽  
Average Flow ◽  
Flow Models ◽  
Time Average ◽  
Semi Empirical ◽  
Future Work

This paper summarizes the state of 3D CFD based models of the time average flow field within axial flow multistage turbomachines. Emphasis is placed on models which are compatible with the industrial design environment and those models which offer the potential of providing credible results at both design and off-design operating conditions. The need to develop models which are free of aerodynamic input from semi-empirical design systems is stressed. The accuracy of such models is shown to be dependent upon their ability to account for the unsteady flow environment in multistage turbomachinery. The relevant flow physics associated with some of the unsteady flow processes present in axial flow multistage machinery are presented along with procedures which can be used to account for them in 3D CFD simulations. Sample results are presented for both axial flow compressors and axial flow turbines which help to illustrate the enhanced predictive capabilities afforded by including these procedures in 3D CFD simulations. Finally, suggestions are given for future work on the development of time average flow models.

scholarly journals Numerical study of unsteady flow and exciting force for swept turbomachinery blades

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (suppl. 3) ◽  
pp. 669-676
Author(s):  
Di Zhang ◽  
Ma Jiao-Bin ◽  
Qi Jing
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Unsteady Flow ◽  
Pressure Fluctuation ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Aerodynamic Performance ◽  
Rotor Blades ◽  
Stable Operation ◽  
Straight Blade ◽  
Excitation Force

The aerodynamic performance of blade affects the vibration characteristics and stable operation of turbomachinery closely. The aerodynamic performance of turbine stage can be improved by using swept blade. In this paper, the RANS method and the RNG k-? turbulence mode were adopted to investigate the unsteady flow characteristics and excitation force of swept blade stage. According to the results, for the swept blade, the fluid of boundary layer shifts in radial direction due to the influence of geometric construction. It is observed that there is similar wake development for several kinds of stators, and the wake has a notable effect on the boundary layer of the rotor blades. When compared with straight blade, pressure fluctuation of forward-swept blade is decreased while the pressure fluctuation of backward-swept blade is increased. The axial and tangential fundamental frequency excitation force factors of 15?forward-swept blade are 0.139 and 0.052 respectively, which are the least, and all excitation force factors are in the normal range. The excitation factor of the forward-swept blade is decreased compared with straight blade, and the decreasing percentage is closely related to the swept angle. As for backward-swept blades, the situation is the other way around. Additionally, the change of axial excitation factor is more obvious. So the vibration reduction performance of forward-swept blade is better.

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