Numerical Study on the Passive Control of the Aeroelastic Response in Large Axial Fans

Author(s):  
A. Castorrini ◽  
A. Corsini ◽  
A. G. Sheard ◽  
F. Rispoli

The morphing geometry concept finds interesting applications in load reduction and performance increasing for wings and rotor blades in off-design conditions. Here we report a numerical study on the effect that a passive morphing system (made by an elastic-low stiffness surface) has on the sectional load and flowfield, when it is applied to the trailing edge of an axial fan. We obtain the results extracting the section of the fan blade and test it in the 2D cascade, with and without the elastic device, in different operating conditions. Keeping in mind the two-dimensional approximation, it will be possible to observe how the tested device could reduce the load in off-design and high angle of attack conditions, while the same solution could introduce vibrations in design conditions. All the simulations imply the solution of the fluid-structure interaction between the incompressible, turbulent flow and the elastic structure. This solution is obtained using a finite element based, strongly coupled solver, applied to the periodic 2D domain of the section in the cascade.

Author(s):  
Marek ROŚKOWICZ ◽  
Ryszard CHACHURSKI ◽  
Sławomir TKACZUK ◽  
Piotr LESZCZYŃSKI ◽  
Maciej MAJCHER ◽  
...  

This paper presents a numerical strength analysis of a ducted axial fan blade. Ducted axial fans are a large group of fluid-flow machines. The analysis was designed to determine the causes of cyclic failures of a ventilation unit. The paper presents a reverse engineering approach to the mapping of the fan blade’s geometrical features. The geometrical features were mapped by triangulation from the scanning images produced by a 3D optical scanner. These were followed by simplifying assumptions on which the numerical calculations were based. The numerical calculations were carried out at the operating rotational speeds of the ducted axial fan’s rotor. The course of the numerical calculations is described, and their results are also presented herein. The results are represented on colour maps of stress distribution for selected structural elements of the fan blade. The stress distribution at a blade cross-section was compared to CT scans of the fractures of failed rotor blade airfoils. Final conclusions were developed which show that the design engineering process of fans should feature optimisation of the fan’s efficiency, including the strength and performance parameters, which should include the service life of the fan.


Author(s):  
Mónica Galdo Vega ◽  
Jesus Manuel Fernandez Oro ◽  
Katia María Argüelles Díaz ◽  
Carlos Santolaria Morros

This second part is devoted to the identification of vortex sound sources in low-speed turbomachinery. As a starting point, the time-resolved evolution of the vortical motions associated to the wake shear layers (reported in the first part of the present study) is employed to obtain vorticity distributions in both blade-to-blade and traverse locations throughout the axial fan stage. Following, the Powell analogy for generation of vortex sound is revisited to obtain the noise sources in the nearfield region of the fan. Both numerical and experimental databases presented previously are now post-processed to achieve a deep understanding of the aeroacoustic behavior of the vortical scales present in the flow. A LES simulation at midspan, using a 2.5D scheme, allows an accurate description of the turn-out time of the shedding vortices, within high-density meshes in the blades and vanes passages, and a correct modeling of the dynamics of turbulence. Besides, thermal anemometry has been employed with a two-wire probe to measure the planar flow in the midspan sections of the fan. Statistical procedures and signal conditioning of velocity traces have confirmed experimentally the unsteady flow patterns devised in the numerical model. The comparison of the rotor-stator and the stator-rotor configurations provides the influence of the wake mixing and the nucleation of turbulent spots in the distribution of the Powell source terms. Moreover, the relation between the turbomachine configuration and the generation of vortex sound can be established, including the impact of the operating conditions and the contributions of the interaction mechanisms.


2003 ◽  
Vol 03 (03) ◽  
pp. L259-L264
Author(s):  
Jian-Da Wu ◽  
Mingsian R. Bai

In this paper, a ring silencer design for reducing the noise of axial fans is presented. The noise sources on axial fans are usually caused by the fluctuating pressure distribution on the surface of fan blade. Most of the sources are near the trailing edge of blades or boundary region of blades. The ideation of proposed design is based on the principle of Helmholtz resonator for reducing the noise around the fan. The electro-acoustic analogy of this design is presented and simply discussed. Experimental measurement is carried out to evaluate the proposed design for reducing the axial fan noise. The result of experiment indicated that the ring silencer achieved 17 dB in blade passing frequency and 10 dB in other broadband frequency of power spectrum level.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3.3) ◽  
pp. 139
Author(s):  
G Saravanan ◽  
Vinoth Kumar Annamalai ◽  
N Bharath ◽  
Antonio Kevin ◽  
G Rahul Teja ◽  
...  

The present work deals with helicopter theory involving the study, design and fabrication of the helicopter rotor blades with the length-morphing mechanism. The research of the rotor blades has enabled in a proper understanding of the aerodynamics and design of the same. The thrust produced by a blade is proportional to its area, and for every motor RPM, maximum thrust efficiency is achieved for a discrete length of the rotor blade. Facing this complexity, designers compute an optimal length for the average motor RPM while designing the heli-copter blades. Acknowledging the challenges, Length-Morphing rotor blades targeting maximum thrust efficiency for each motor RPM was developed with the aid of knowledge in Blade Element Theory. The rotor blade was designed and fabricated to be driven by the centrifugal force from the motor. The rotor blade was divided into fixed inboard section and sliding outboard part in a span-wise direction. The analy-sis was carried out to study and comprehend the operating conditions of the length-variable rotor during revolutions and to derive the design variables of extension-spring and rotor weight. Variation of thrust concerning the length of the rotor blade was studied, and the setup was fabricated. The project aims to enable maximum rotor blade thrust efficiency for each RPM of the motor by varying the length of the rotor blade and computing the performance characteristics of the same.  


Author(s):  
Chetan S. Mistry ◽  
A. M. Pradeep

This paper discusses the results of a parametric study of a pair of contra-rotating axial fan rotors. The rotors were designed to deliver a mass flow of 6 kg/s at 2400 rpm. The blades were designed with a low hub-tip ratio of 0.35 and an aspect ratio of 3.0. Numerical and experimental studies were carried out on these contra-rotating rotors operating at a Reynolds number of 1.25 × 105 (based on blade chord). The axial spacing between the rotors was varied between 50 to 120 % of the chord of rotor 1. The performance of the rotors was evaluated at each of these spacing at design and off-design speeds. The results from the numerical study (using ANSYS CFX) were validated using experimental data. In spite of certain limitations of CFD under certain operating conditions, it was observed that the results agreed well with those from the experiments. The performance of the fan was evaluated based on the variations of total pressure, velocity components and flow angles at design and off-design operating conditions. The measurement of total pressure, flow angles etc. are taken upstream of the first rotor, between the two rotors and downstream of the second rotor. It was observed that the aerodynamics of the flow through a contra rotating stage is significantly influenced by the axial spacing between the rotors and the speed ratio of the rotors. With increasing speed ratios, the strong suction generated by the second rotor, improves the stage pressure rise and the stall margin. Lower axial spacing on the other hand, changes the flow incidence to the second rotor and thereby improves the overall performance of the stage. The performance is investigated at different speed ratios of the rotors at varying axial spacing.


2009 ◽  
Vol 131 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee Gorny ◽  
Gary H. Koopmann

Fan noise challenges noise control engineers in developing products ranging in scale from small ventilation systems to large turbomachines. The dominant noise source in many axial fans is the tonal noise due to rotor/stator interactions at the fundamental blade passing frequency. Flow-excited resonators have been used in the past for minimizing blade tone sound pressure levels (SPLs) generated by centrifugal fans through means of secondary source cancellation. The focus of this research is to extend that cancellation method to axial fans by attaching flow-driven quarter wavelength resonators fitted with optimal mouth perforations around the perimeter of the fan’s shroud. A ducted-fan test facility was developed to measure upstream and downstream noise radiated from a test fan. Resonators were mounted at specific locations around the fan’s shroud to obtain reductions in blade tone SPLs in both flow directions. They were driven into resonance via the unsteady pressure from the passing blades. An analytical model using transmission line theory was developed and validated experimentally to characterize the resonator’s behavior under various flow conditions and mouth geometries. This model was used to predict the resonator’s potential for reducing in-duct blade tones for specific flows and mouth perforation patterns. In a series of experiments to obtain the optimal resonator mouth perforations, it was observed that upstream and downstream SPL attenuations require different placement of the resonator mouth relative to the blade of the fan. With a single tuned resonator it was demonstrated that the fundamental blade tone SPLs can be reduced by as much as 20 dB in either the upstream or the downstream duct but not in both directions simultaneously. This behavior results when combining the resonator’s monopolelike sound field with the dipolelike sound field of the fan’s blades. Further studies are underway to extend the above method to higher pressure fans operating at speeds that generate higher order duct modes.


Author(s):  
Massimo Masi ◽  
Stefano Castegnaro ◽  
Andrea Lazzaretto

Uncertainties surrounding the influence of Reynolds number on the performance of air handling turbomachines are as old as the study of turbomachinery fluid dynamics. In particular, all low-speed turbomachines and most axial-flow fans feature Reynolds numbers that are often lower than the critical value, above which the literature states a limited dependency of blades cascade aerodynamics on Reynolds number. Testing standards already account for this well-known issue, which arises mainly in the case of geometrically similar fans of different size and/or operating conditions. On the other hand, one of the main practical issues in the design of low-speed machines is the disagreement among the most authoritative sources on the value of the critical Reynolds number for axial fans. The many definitions of Reynolds number, which are suited to either fan design purposes or fan performance assessment, introduce additional problems, as the corresponding values may differ by orders of magnitude depending on the chosen definition. A less debated issue deals with the effect of Reynolds number on global performance and efficiency parameters for different axial-flow fan configurations. This paper reports pressure and efficiency data measured at several rotational speeds of four axial fans that feature different configurations, hub-to-tip ratios, sizes and surface finishes. In particular, the tests consider two 315mm and one 630mm tube-axial fans, and one 800mm vane-axial fan with preswirler blading. Data on two vane-axial fans with straightener, and one preswirler-rotor-stator stage, available in the literature, widen the discussion on the Reynolds number effect on the entire category of single-stage axial fans.


Author(s):  
Muhammad Uzair ◽  
Mubashir Ali Siddiqui ◽  
Usman Allauddin

The effectiveness of the parabolic dish system (PDS) is greatly affected by the heat losses associated with high temperatures. The complexity of flow and temperature patterns in and around the cavity receiver makes it a challenging task to determine the convective heat loss from the cavity. Various studies have been carried out to determine the convection heat losses from isolated cavities of different shapes. In the presence of dish structure, the free stream wind may affect the stability of structure and the heat losses from the PDS. In this study, effect of focal length on the performance of the coupled cavity-dish system was analyzed using numerical simulations. The loading and the convective heat loss from the cavity were examined with three different cavity positions and different operating conditions in the presence of the dish. The results showed that the shallow dish experienced higher local air velocities near the cavity receiver than in the case of the deep dish. It was concluded that the heat loss is a stronger function of tilt angle rather than focal length, and in essence, the heat losses due to variation of this are negligible.


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