scholarly journals The best efficiency point of an axial fan at low-pressure conditions

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 168781402110011
Author(s):  
Jose J Corona ◽  
Osama Mesalhy ◽  
Louis Chow ◽  
Quinn Leland ◽  
John P Kizito
Keyword(s):  
Optimal Design ◽  
Performance Measures ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Rotational Speed ◽  
Ambient Pressure ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Axial Fan ◽  
Electromechanical Actuators ◽  
Aerospace Applications ◽  
Axial Fans

In the current work, the objective is to determine the best efficiency point (BEP) of an axial fan using CFD. Analyzing the performance of the fan based upon the parameters chosen can lead to the optimal design of an axial flow fan for aerospace applications where the ambient pressure varies rapidly. The 2-bladed fan chosen for the study is the Propimax 2L which is considered the base fan used for comparison of all the results of the work. The set of parameters tested were fan rotational speed, ambient pressure conditions, blade count, and the airfoil design. All the performance measures were based on overall fan efficiency. The results yield the following: an increased rotational speed led to higher efficiencies, the most efficient ambient pressure of which the fan can perform is 0.7 atm, a 5-bladed fan configuration produced the highest efficiency, and airfoil selection is critical for fan efficiency enhancements. The results demonstrated that at 0.7 atm the fan efficiency is the highest due to the changes in power consumption to the density effect. A key finding in the work is that higher blade counts do not necessarily lead to higher performing axial fans. A high cambered airfoil provided a higher flow rate at free delivery than that of the Propimax 2L design, but the rotorcraft airfoil did not yield favorable results. The analysis is focused on the fan design of cooling of the electromechanical actuators (EMAs).

Performance and Flow Conditions of Contra-Rotating Small-Sized Axial Fan

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toru Shigemitsu ◽  
Junichiro Fukutomi ◽  
Yuki Okabe ◽  
Kazuhiro Iuchi
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Analysis ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Rotational Speed ◽  
Flow Conditions ◽  
Axial Fan ◽  
Higher Power ◽  
Performance Curves ◽  
Air Cooler ◽  
Axial Fans ◽  
Quantity Of Heat

Small-sized axial fans are used as air cooler for electric equipments. But there is a strong demand for higher power of fans according to the increase of quantity of heat from electric devices. Therefore, higher rotational speed design is conducted although, it causes the deterioration of efficiency and the increase of noise. Then the adoption of contra-rotating rotors for the small-sized axial fan is proposed for the improvement of performance. In the present paper, the performance curves of the contra-rotating small-sized axial fan with 100mm diameter are shown and the velocity distributions for a designed flow rate at the inlet and the outlet of each front and rear rotor are clarified with experimental results. Furthermore, the flow conditions between front and rear rotors of the contra-rotating small-sized axial fan are investigated by numerical analysis results and higher performance design of the contra-rotating small-sized axial fan is discussed.

Effect of Blade Angle of Attack and Hub to Tip Ratio on Mass Flow Rate in an Axial Fan at a Fixed Rotational Speed

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad J. Izadi ◽  
Alireza Falahat
Keyword(s):  
Mass Flow Rate ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Rotational Speed ◽  
Angle Of Attack ◽  
Maximum Flow ◽  
Maximum Flow Rate ◽  
Maximum Mass ◽  
Blade Angle ◽  
Axial Fan

In this investigation an attempt is made to find the best hub to tip ratio, the maximum number of blades, and the best angle of attack of an axial fan with flat blades at a fixed rotational speed for a maximum mass flow rate in a steady and turbulent conditions. In this study the blade angles are varied from 30 to 70 degrees, the hub to tip ratio is varied from 0.2 to 0.4 and the number of blades are varied from 2 to 6 at a fixed hub rotational speed. The results show that, the maximum flow rate is achieved at a blade angle of attack of about 45 degrees for when the number of blades is set equal to 4 at most rotational velocities. The numerical results show that as the hub to tip ratio is decreased, the mass flow rate is increased. For a hub to tip ratio of 0.2, and an angle of attack around 45 degrees with 4 blades, a maximum mass flow rate is achieved.

scholarly journals Numerical analysis of axial fan characteristics

Mechanik ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 91 (7) ◽  
pp. 606-608
Author(s):  
Stanisław Wrzesień ◽  
Michał Frant ◽  
Maciej Majcher
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Analysis ◽  
Numerical Methods ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Total Pressure ◽  
Volumetric Flow Rate ◽  
Total Efficiency ◽  
Axial Fan ◽  
Axial Fans ◽  
Basic Characteristics

The paper presents an analysis and comparison of basic characteristics of axial fans, both analytically and numerically. Such characteristics are: the characteristics of the total pressure, power and total efficiency as a function of the volumetric flow rate. The presented results showed significant quantitative and qualitative differences in the characteristics obtained by two methods. The usefulness of numerical methods in relation to the results of the initial analytical project was confirmed.

Aerodynamic Performance Evaluation of Axial Flow Fan Using Numerical Techniques

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raghuvaran D. ◽  
Satvik Shenoy ◽  
Srinivas G
Keyword(s):  
Mass Flow Rate ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Rotational Speed ◽  
Total Pressure ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
High Mass ◽  
Ansys Fluent ◽  
Industrial Sectors ◽  
Mass Flow Rates

Abstract Axial flow fans (AFF) are extensively used in various industrial sectors, usually with flows of low resistance and high mass flow rates. The blades, the hub and the shroud are the three major parts of an AFF. Various kinds of optimisation can be implemented to improve the performance of an AFF. The most common type is found to be geometric optimisation including variation in number of blades, modification in hub and shroud radius, change in angle of attack and blade twist, etc. After validation of simulation model and carrying out a grid independence test, parametric analysis was done on an 11-bladed AFF with a shroud of uniform radius using ANSYS Fluent. The rotational speed of the fan and the velocity at fan inlet were the primary variables of the study. The variation in outlet mass flow rate and total pressure was studied for both compressible and incompressible ambient flows. Relation of mass flow rate and total pressure with inlet velocity is observed to be linear and exponential respectively. On the other hand, mass flow rate and total pressure have nearly linear relationship with rotational speed. A comparison of several different axial flow tracks with the baseline case fills one of the research gaps.

Performance Evaluation of a Turbine Used in a Regenerative Organic Rankine Cycle

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maoqing Li ◽  
Jiangfeng Wang ◽  
Lin Gao ◽  
Xiaoqiang Niu ◽  
Yiping Dai
Keyword(s):  
Flow Rate ◽  
Rotational Speed ◽  
Electrical Power ◽  
Organic Rankine Cycle ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
Low Grade Heat

Due to environmental constraints, the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) is widely used to generate electricity from low grade heat sources. In ORC processes, the working fluid is an organic substance, which has a better thermodynamic performance than water for low grade heat recovery. The design of the turbine which is the key component in the ORC system strongly depends on the operating conditions and on the scale of the facility. This paper presents an experimental study on a prototype of an axial-flow turbine integrated into a regenerative ORC system with R123 as working fluid. The power output is 10kW scale, and the single-stage turbine is selected. The turbine is specially designed and manufactured, and a generator is connected to the turbine directly. In the experiment, the turbine is tested under different inlet pressure conditions (0.6–1.5MPa), different inlet temperature conditions (80–150°C) and different flow rate conditions. The experimental data such as the pressures, temperatures of the turbine inlet and outlet, flow rate, rotational speed, and electrical power generation are analyzed to find their inner relationships. During the test, the turbine rotational speed could reach more than 3010 r/min, while the design rotational speed is 3000 r/min. The isentropic efficiency of the turbine could reach 53%. The maximum electrical power generated by the turbine-generator is 6.57KW. From the test data the peak value of the temperature difference between the inlet and the outlet of the turbine is 53 °C, and the expansion ratio reaches about 11. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solvers is also used to analyze the performance of the turbine. The distributions of the pressure, Mach number, and static entropy in the turbine flow passage component are examined and the reasons are also obtained. This study reveals the relationships between the performance of the axial-flow turbine and its inlet and outlet vapor conditions. The experiment results and the CFD results lay a foundation for using this type turbine in the ORC systems which product electrical power from a few KW to MW.

Air/Water Two-Phase Flow Performance of Contra-Rotating Axial Flow Pump and Rotational Speed Control of Rear Rotor

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toru Shigemitsu ◽  
Akinori Furukawa ◽  
Satoshi Watanabe ◽  
Kusuo Okuma
Keyword(s):  
Flow Rate ◽  
Rotational Speed ◽  
Two Phase Flow ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Rate Range ◽  
Flow Rate Range ◽  
Axial Flow Pump ◽  
Flow Pump

An application of contra-rotating rotors, consisting of front and rear rotors rotating in the opposite direction from each other, has been proposed against a demand for developing a higher specific speed axial flow pump with a more compact structure, higher efficiency and higher cavitation performance. As axial flow pumps are used for standby operations of air-lock and air/water mixing discharge to prevent floods, air/water two-phase flow performance of the contra-rotating pump has to be also investigated. In the present paper, therefore, experimental results on air/water two-phase flow performance of a test pump with contra-rotating rotors are shown and compared with those of a conventional axial flow pump, consisting of a front rotor and a rear stator. Even under two-phase flow conditions head characteristic curve of the contra-rotating type has a more strongly negative slope than that of the conventional type. The contra-rotating type maintains higher head and higher efficiency even in the low flow rate range and vice versa in the high flow rate range. This result will be discussed by considering the change of outlet flow from front rotor due to two-phase flow with the help of observed air behavior in the rotors. Then effects of changes of rear rotor rotational speed different from front rotor speed, which is an advantage of the contra-rotating axial flow pump, on two-phase flow performance are examined. Under the condition of constant ratio of air to water flow rates, the head rise of the rear rotor linearly increases with rear rotor rotational speed. Air/water two-phase flow performance of the contra-rotating axial flow pump can be improved by this control procedure for the rear rotor rotational speed.

scholarly journals Energy Efficiency Optimization Design of a Forward-Swept Axial Flow Fan for Heat Pump

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ke Yang ◽  
Shuiqing Zhou ◽  
Yinjie Hu ◽  
Huaxin Zhou ◽  
Weiya Jin
Keyword(s):  
Heat Pump ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Total Pressure ◽  
Optimization Design ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Kriging Model ◽  
Axial Fan ◽  
Nsga Ii ◽  
Pump System ◽  
Heat Pump System

As one of the key components of the heat pump system, compared to that of a conventional axial fan, the blade tip area of a forward-swept axial fan is much larger than its blade root, which is the main noise source of the fan and also has an important influence on the fan efficiency. Enhancement of the aerodynamic performance and efficiency of a forward-swept axial fan was addressed by utilizing the Bezier function to parameterize the forward-swept curve on blade tops. In order to quickly select an agent model suitable for the project, an ES model was established by integration of the radial basis function model and the Kriging model. When NSGA-II was combined, multi-objective optimization was carried out with the flow rate and total pressure efficiency as optimization goals. Analysis of optimization results revealed that the optimized axial flow fan’s flow rate and total pressure efficiency were improved to some degree. At the design working point, the fan’s flow rate increased by 1.78 m³/min, while the total pressure efficiency increased by 3.0%. These results lay solid foundation for energy saving of the heat pump system.

Internal Flow Conditions of Contra-Rotating Small-Sized Axial Fan

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toru Shigemitsu ◽  
Junichiro Fukutomi ◽  
Yuki Okabe ◽  
Kazuhiro Iuchi
Keyword(s):  
Flow Rate ◽  
Internal Flow ◽  
Flow Conditions ◽  
Axial Fan ◽  
Higher Power ◽  
Performance Curves ◽  
Air Cooler ◽  
Performance Deterioration ◽  
Axial Fans ◽  
Quantity Of Heat

Small-sized axial fans are used as air cooler for electric equipments. But there is a strong demand for higher power of fans according to the increase of quantity of heat from electric devices. Therefore, higher rotational speed design is conducted, although, it causes the deterioration of efficiency and the increase of noise. Then the adoption of contra-rotating rotors for the small-sized axial fan is proposed for the improvement of performance. In the present paper, the performance curves of the contra-rotating small-sized axial fan with 100mm diameter are shown and the velocity distributions at a partial flow rate at the inlet and the outlet of each front and rear rotor are clarified with experimental results. Furthermore, the flow conditions between front and rear rotors of the contra-rotating small-sized axial fan are investigated by numerical analysis results and causes of the performance deterioration of the contra-rotating small-sized axial fan at the partial flow rate is discussed.

Experimental Investigation of the Effect of Reynolds Number on the Efficiency of Single-Stage Axial Fans

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Massimo Masi ◽  
Stefano Castegnaro ◽  
Andrea Lazzaretto
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Single Stage ◽  
Axial Fan ◽  
Low Speed ◽  
Surface Finishes ◽  
Axial Fans ◽  
The Many ◽  
Testing Standards

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.

A New Practical Approach to the Design of Industrial Axial Fans: Part I — Tube-Axial Fans With Very Low Hub-to-Tip Ratio

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Massimo Masi ◽  
Andrea Lazzaretto
Keyword(s):  
Rotational Speed ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Design Method ◽  
Pressure Coefficient ◽  
Experimental Tests ◽  
Aerodynamic Load ◽  
Blade Design ◽  
Axial Fan ◽  
Flow Rate Coefficient ◽  
Axial Fans

Abstract This paper presents a simple but complete design method to obtain arbitrary vortex design tube-axial fans starting from fixed size and rotational speed. The method couples the preliminary design method previously suggested by the authors ago with an original revised version of well-known blade design methods taken from the literature. The aim of this work is to verify the effectiveness of the method in obtaining high efficiency industrial fans. To this end, the method has been applied to a 315mm rotor-only tube-axial fan having the same size and rotational speed, and a slightly higher flow rate coefficient, as another prototype previously designed by the authors, which was demonstrated experimentally to noticeably increase the pressure coefficient of an actual 560mm industrial fan. In contrast, no constraints are imposed on the hub-to-tip ratio and pressure coefficient. The new design features a hub-to-tip ratio equal to 0.28 and radially stacked blades with aerodynamic load distribution corresponding to a roughly constant swirl at rotor exit. The ISO-5801 experimental tests showed a fan efficiency equal to 0.68, which is 6% higher than that of the previous prototype. The pressure coefficient is lower, but still 12% higher than that of the benchmark 560mm industrial fan.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document