Understanding the Flow Behavior in a Low Hub-Tip Ratio, High Aspect Ratio Contra-Rotating Axial Fan Stage

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chetan S. Mistry ◽  
A. M. Pradeep
Keyword(s):  
Aspect Ratio ◽  
Total Pressure ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Flow Behavior ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Pressure Rise ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Speed Ratio ◽  
Axial Fan ◽  
Stall Margin

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.

Effect of Speed Ratio and Axial Spacing Variations on the Performance of a High Aspect Ratio, Low Speed Contra-Rotating Fan

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chetan S. Mistry ◽  
A. M. Pradeep
Keyword(s):  
Aspect Ratio ◽  
Numerical Simulations ◽  
High Aspect Ratio ◽  
Total Pressure ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Pressure Rise ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Speed Ratio ◽  
Stall Margin ◽  
Low Speed

This paper explores the effect of speed ratio and axial spacing between high aspect ratio, low speed contra-rotating pair rotors on their aerodynamic performance. The blades were designed with a low hub-tip ratio of 0.35 and an aspect ratio of 3.0. Numerical and experimental studies are carried out on these contra-rotating rotors operating at a Reynolds number of 1.258 × 105 (based on blade chord). The first and second rotors were designed to develop a pressure rise of 1100 Pa and 900 Pa, respectively, for total mass flow rate of 6 kg/s when both operating at a design speed of 2400 rpm. The performance of the fan was evaluated based on variations of total pressure and flow angles at off-design operating conditions. The measurementsof total pressure rise, flow angles etc. are taken upstream of the first rotor and in between the two rotors and downstream of the second rotor. The performance of the contra rotating stage is mainly influenced by the axial spacing between the rotors and speed ratio of both the rotors. The study reveals that the aerodynamics of the contra-rotating stage and stall margin is significantly affected by both the speed ratio as well as the axial spacing between the rotors. It was found that with increasing the speed ratio, the strong suction generated by the second rotor, improves the stage pressure rise and stall margin. Lower axial spacing changes the flow incidence to the second rotor and thereby improves the overall performance of the stage. This however, is accompanied by an increased noise level. The performance is investigated at different speed ratios of the rotors at varying axial spacing. Detailed numerical simulations have been conducted using ANSYS CFX13© using mixing plane approach between rotors. Numerical simulations are compared with experimental results at off-design conditions. These results are validated using the experimental data. Numerical simulations are expected to provide deeper insight into the flow physics of contra-rotating rotors which may be difficult to capture experimentally.

Influence of Circumferential Inflow Distortion on the Performance of a Low Speed, High Aspect Ratio Contra Rotating Axial Fan

2014 ◽  
Vol 136 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chetan Mistry ◽  
A. M. Pradeep
Keyword(s):  
Aspect Ratio ◽  
High Aspect Ratio ◽  
Rotational Speed ◽  
Total Pressure ◽  
Flow Behavior ◽  
Axial Fan ◽  
Low Speed ◽  
Overall Performance ◽  
Design Speed ◽  
Inflow Conditions

The influence of circumferential inflow distorted on the performance and flow behavior of a high aspect ratio, low speed contra rotating fan is reported in this paper. The total pressure at the inlet is artificially distorted by means of 90 deg mesh sector with a porosity of 0.70. The performance of the contra rotating fan was studied under different speed combinations of the two rotors under clean and distorted inflow conditions. Detailed flow analyses were conducted under design and off-design conditions. In order to understand the effect of distortion and its extent, the distortion sector was rotated circumferentially at intervals of 15 deg to cover the entire annulus. Detailed measurements of the total pressure, velocity components, and flow angles were carried out at the inlet of the first rotor, between the two rotors, and at the exit of the second rotor. The study reveals a few interesting aspects on the effect of inflow distortion on the performance of a contra-rotating stage. For the design speed combination and lower rotational speed of rotor-2, a reduction in the overall operating range with a shift of the peak pressure point towards higher mass flow rate, was observed. It is observed that the effect of inflow distortion at the inlet of rotor-1 gets transferred in the direction of rotor-1 rotation and spreads across the entire annulus. The opposite sense of rotation of rotor-2 causes the distortion effect to get transferred in the direction of rotation of rotor-2 with an associated reduction in the total pressure near the hub. It is observed that a higher rotational speed of the second rotor has a beneficial effect on the overall performance due to the strong suction by generated higher rotational speed of rotor-2.

Effects of Rotor-Speed-Ratio and Crosswind Inlet Distortion on Off-Design Performance of Contra-Rotating Propelling Unit

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stavros V. Vouros ◽  
Alexandros C. Chasoglou ◽  
Theofilos G. Efstathiadis ◽  
Anestis I. Kalfas
Keyword(s):  
Wind Tunnel ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Total Pressure ◽  
Static Pressure ◽  
Pressure Rise ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Speed Ratio ◽  
Rotor Speed ◽  
Design Performance ◽  
Inlet Distortion

This paper presents an investigation of the effects of rotor-speed-ratio (RSR) and inlet crosswind distortion on the off-design performance of a contra-rotating propelling unit. A dedicated wind tunnel has been built in order to study the off-design performance in distorted and undistorted conditions. A miniature 8-hole pressure rake has been calibrated to measure the total and static pressure field across the blade span, upstream and downstream of the propellers. A data analysis algorithm has been developed for the rapid exportation of desensitized and reliable mass-averaged characteristics, while wall blockage effects are accounted for incorporating a correction factor. Investigation of rotor-speed-ratio effects at undistorted inlet conditions show that, efficiency is the highest when the front rotor operates at rotational speed equal to 90% of the aft rotor’s speed. For the optimum RSR, the effects of crosswind inlet distortion are investigated. Crosswind mass-flow is generated by a 16-fan array, accommodated in a secondary square wind-tunnel, with its center axis perpendicular to propeller main flow direction. In order to achieve realistic crosswind flow characteristics, the pressure side of the secondary wind tunnel is being used, after proper flow conditioning. Total and static pressure distribution highlights the location of a primary and a secondary stall cell, both upstream and downstream of the propellers. The results indicate a spanwise shift of the inlet pressure profile towards the direction of crosswind. A rotation of the wake is also observed due to propellers’ remaining swirl. Finally, the effect of distortion on the overall performance is being investigated, by the exportation of averaged total pressure rise for the various examined inlet distortion cases. Mass-flow is slightly increased; however, total pressure rise is dramatically reduced due to crosswind flow effects. Especially for the case of landing under extremely strong crosswind, the ratio between total pressure rise and inlet dynamic head is 4.2 times lower, compared to undistorted inlet operating conditions.

Numerical investigations on the effect of volute casing treatment for performance augmentation in a centrifugal fan

2021 ◽  
pp. 095440622110341
Author(s):  
Manjunath L Nilugal ◽  
K Vasudeva Karanth ◽  
Madhwesh N
Keyword(s):  
Total Pressure ◽  
Static Pressure ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Pressure Coefficient ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Pressure Rise ◽  
Centrifugal Fan ◽  
Casing Treatment ◽  
Sliding Mesh ◽  
Optimum Configuration

This article presents the effect of volute chamfering on the performance of a forward swept centrifugal fan. The numerical analysis is performed to obtain the performance parameters such as static pressure rise coefficient and total pressure coefficient for various flow coefficients. The chamfer ratio for the volute is optimized parametrically by providing a chamfer on either side of the volute. The influence of the chamfer ratio on the three dimensional flow domain was investigated numerically. The simulation is carried out using Re-Normalisation Group (RNG) k-[Formula: see text] turbulence model. The transient simulation of the fan system is done using standard sliding mesh method available in Fluent. It is found from the analysis that, configuration with chamfer ratio of 4.4 is found be the optimum configuration in terms of better performance characteristics. On an average, this optimum configuration provides improvement of about 6.3% in static pressure rise coefficient when compared to the base model. This optimized chamfer configuration also gives a higher total pressure coefficient of about 3% validating the augmentation in static pressure rise coefficient with respect to the base model. Hence, this numerical study establishes the effectiveness of optimally providing volute chamfer on the overall performance improvement of forward bladed centrifugal fan.

Detailed Numerical Study of the Main Sources of Loss and Flow Behavior in Low Pressure Steam Turbine Exhaust Hoods

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dickson Munyoki ◽  
Markus Schatz ◽  
Damian M. Vogt
Keyword(s):  
Steam Turbine ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Flow Behavior ◽  
Low Pressure ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Pressure Recovery ◽  
Exhaust Hood ◽  
Recovery Coefficient ◽  
Pressure Steam ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

The performance of the axial-radial diffuser downstream of the last low-pressure steam turbine stages and the losses occurring subsequently within the exhaust hood directly influences the overall efficiency of a steam power plant. It is estimated that an improvement of the pressure recovery in the diffuser and exhaust hood by 10% translates into 1% of last stage efficiency [11]. While the design of axial-radial diffusers has been the object of quite many studies, the flow phenomena occurring within the exhaust hood have not received much attention in recent years. However, major losses occur due to dissipation within vortices and inability of the hood to properly diffuse the flow. Flow turning from radial to downward flow towards the condenser, especially at the upper part of the hood is essentially the main cause for this. This paper presents a detailed analysis of the losses within the exhaust hood flow for two operating conditions based on numerical results. In order to identify the underlying mechanisms and the locations where dissipation mainly occurs, an approach was followed, whereby the diffuser inflow is divided into different sectors and pressure recovery, dissipation and finally residual kinetic energy of the flow originating from these sectors is calculated at different locations within the hood. Based on this method, the flow from the topmost sectors at the diffuser inlet is found to cause the highest dissipation for both investigated cases. Upon hitting the exhaust hood walls, the flow on the upper part of the diffuser is deflected, forming complex vortices which are stretching into the condenser and interacting with flow originating from other sectors, thereby causing further swirling and generating additional losses. The detailed study of the flow behavior in the exhaust hood and the associated dissipation presents an opportunity for future investigations of efficient geometrical features to be introduced within the hood to improve the flow and hence the overall pressure recovery coefficient.

scholarly journals Experimental and numerical study on the performance of an axial fan with a Gurney flap

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 168781401880380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liu Chen ◽  
Haijun Xie ◽  
Jun Xu ◽  
Ren Dai ◽  
Jian Chen
Keyword(s):  
Computational Fluid Dynamic ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Fluid Dynamic ◽  
Pressure Rise ◽  
Field Analysis ◽  
Horizontal Wind ◽  
Tip Leakage Flow ◽  
Axial Fan ◽  
Gurney Flap ◽  
Lift Enhancement

Gurney flap is a miniature lift-enhancement device installed at the airfoil trailing edge and has been successfully applied to fixed wing aircraft and low-speed horizontal wind turbines. In this article, Gurney flap is extended to increase pressure output of a diffusive cascade flow in rotating turbomachinery, which is complicated for its three dimensionalities and diffusive separation characteristics. Wind tunnel tests and computational fluid dynamic simulations were accomplished on an axial fan profiled with an NACA 65-(12)10 airfoil to investigate the effects of Gurney flap on the performance of a high solidity. We present the detailed flow features of the fan with and without Gurney flap after validating the simulation results with the experimental datum. The experimental results show positive Gurney flap effects on fan’s pressure rise and flow rate improvement. However, negative Gurney flap effects on fan’s efficiency are more evident than Gurney flap on isolated airfoils. Detailed flow field analysis from computational fluid dynamic computation reveals that the increased airfoil pressure loading along the fan blade chord strengthens the tip leakage flow, which induces more tip second flow losses than in the baseline fan. In addition to the positive lift enhancement, the net Gurney flap effect in diffusion cascade is influenced by the three-dimensional flow structure.

A Numerical Study of Volute Design in Centrifugal Compressor

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weili Yang ◽  
Peter Grant ◽  
James Hitt
Keyword(s):  
Centrifugal Compressor ◽  
Pressure Loss ◽  
Total Pressure ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Flow Behavior ◽  
Numerical Results ◽  
Total Pressure Loss ◽  
Pressure Loss Coefficient ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd ◽  
Operating Points

Abstract Our principle goal of this study is to develop a CFD based analysis procedure that could be used to analyze the geometric tradeoffs in scroll geometry when space is limited. In the study, a full centrifugal compressor stage at four different operating points from near surge to near choke is analyzed using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and laboratory measurement. The study concentrates on scroll performance and its interaction with a vaneless diffuser and impeller. The numerical results show good agreement with test data in scroll circumferential pressure distribution at different ΛAR, total pressure loss coefficient, and pressure distortion at the tongue. The CFD analysis also predicts a reasonable choke point of the stage. The numerical results provide overall flow field in the scroll and diffuser at different operating points. From examining the flow fields, one can have a much better understanding of rather complicated flow behavior such as jet-wake mixing, and choke. One can examine total pressure loss in detail to provide crucial direction for scroll design improvement in areas such as volute tongue, volute cross-section geometry and exit conical diffuser.

scholarly journals Prediction of Performance of a Variable-Pitch Axial Fan with Forward-Skewed Blades

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 2353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuemin Ye ◽  
Fuwei Fan ◽  
Ruixing Zhang ◽  
Chunxi Li
Keyword(s):  
Total Pressure ◽  
Pressure Rise ◽  
Separation Flow ◽  
Axial Fan ◽  
Point Change ◽  
Variable Pitch ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Through Flow ◽  
Efficiency Increase ◽  
Blade Pitch Angle

For a single-stage variable-pitch axial fan, the aerodynamic performance and through flow with and without blade skewing are examined numerically. Simulated results show that the total pressure rise and efficiency increase by 2.99% and 0.16%, respectively, with the best forward-skewed angle of θ = 3° at the design conditions. At the blade pitch angles of β = 29° and 35°, the total pressure rises and efficiency of the fan with θ = 3.0° under the highest efficiency point change by −0.55%, −0.53% and 1.39%, 2.11%, respectively. At design and off-design conditions, the forward-skewed blades mitigate tip leakage and delay the emergence of separation flow at the blade root, these benefits are higher at the higher blade pitch angle. The θ = 3.0° forward skew effectively raises the stage performance of the impeller and guide vanes.

Effect of Axial Sweep and Tip Extension on Performance of an Axial Fan

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ankit Bhai Patel ◽  
K. Viswanath ◽  
Dhyanjyoti Deb Nath
Keyword(s):  
Performance Improvement ◽  
Flow Direction ◽  
Pressure Rise ◽  
Aerodynamic Performance ◽  
Secondary Flows ◽  
Tip Vortex ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Pressure Probe ◽  
Axial Fan ◽  
Stall Margin

Performance enhancement in terms of stall margin increment, increased pressure rise coefficient and increased efficiency is of great need for low speed axial fans. Stacking line modifications in terms of sweep, skew, dihedral or combination of these, as well as blade tip geometry modifications are assumed to be one of the ways to achieve finite performance improvement. Non radial stacking of blade profiles modifies secondary flows, tip vortex effects, hub passage vortex and thus affects aerodynamic performance parameters such as stall margin, efficiency, pressure rise, blade loading. In literature many studies have confined to comparison of few cases which led to conflicting results as modification of stacking line may have different effects in different cases. In the present work, comparison of performance of axial fan rotor with three different blade configurations BSL (baseline), SWP (swept blade) and EXTN (swept blade with extended tip) are considered. The BSL configuration is designed on basis of non-free vortex design. The SWP configuration is obtained by shifting radial stacking line of the BSL in axial flow direction by 10° (Forward sweep). The EXTN configuration is obtained by extending tip profile on pressure surface as well as suction surface by 3% locally. Experiments have been conducted on these three configurations to study effects of these modifications on aerodynamic performance. The flow field has been surveyed using Kiel probe, Three hole pressure probe at many flow rates starting from fully open to fully closed. Unsteady flow analysis at exit of rotors of all configurations is carried out using fast response pressure probe. Experimental results show slight performance improvement in terms of increased stall margin, efficiency, as well as total pressure rise for SWP rotor as well as EXTN rotor compared to BSL rotor at low flow coefficients.

Experimental and Numerical Study of Stall Flutter in a Transonic Low-Aspect Ratio Fan Blisk

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Sanders ◽  
K. K. Hassan ◽  
D. C. Rabe
Keyword(s):  
Aspect Ratio ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Fluid Dynamic ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Strain Gages ◽  
Pressure Transducers ◽  
Low Aspect Ratio ◽  
Benchmark Data

Experiments are performed on a modern design transonic shroudless low-aspect ratio fan blisk that experienced both subsonic/transonic and supersonic stall-side flutter. High-response flush mounted miniature pressure transducers are utilized to measure the unsteady aerodynamic loading distribution in the tip region of the fan for both flutter regimes, with strain gages utilized to measure the vibratory response at incipient and deep flutter operating conditions. Numerical simulations are performed and compared with the benchmark data using an unsteady three-dimensional nonlinear viscous computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis, with the effects of tip clearance, vibration amplitude, and the number of time steps-per-cycle investigated. The benchmark data are used to guide the validation of the code and establish best practices that ensure accurate flutter predictions.

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