Noise reduction for centrifugal fan with non-isometric forward-swept blade impeller

To reduce the noise of the T9-19No.4A centrifugal fan, whose impeller has equidistant forward-swept blades, two new impellers with different blade spacing were designed and an experimental study was conducted. Both the fan’s aerodynamic performance and noise were measured when the two redesigned impellers were compared with the original ones. The test results are discussed in detail and the effect of the noise reduction method for a centrifugal fan using impellers with non-isometric forward-swept blades was analyzed, which can serve as a reference for researches on reduction of fan noise. __________ Translated from Fluid Machinery, 2007, 35(9): 1–4, 37 [译自: 流体机械]     

Research on performance of centrifugal pump with different-type open impeller

To investigate the influence of impeller type on the performance and inner flow of centrifugal pump, the numeri- cal simulation and experimental research were carried out on the same centrifugal pump with straight-blade and curved-blade open impeller. Based on SIMPLEC algorithm, time-averaged N-S equation and the standard k-e turbulence model, the numerical results are obtained. The pressure distribution in the different type impellers is uniform, while the low pressure area in straight-blade inlet is larger. The vortexes in the passage of impeller exist in both cases. Relative to curved-blade impeller, there are larger vortexes in most of the flow passages except the passage near the tongue in straight-blade impeller. Also some small backflow regions are found at the blade inlet of two impellers. The characteristic curves achieved by numerical simulation basieaUy agree with those by experiment, and straight-blade open impeller centrifugal pump has a better hydraulic performance.     

Cooling of a permanent magnet electric motor with a centrifugal impeller

This paper presents a thermal fluid analysis on the air cooling of a permanent magnet electric motor with a centrifugal impeller. A numerical model is developed for the heat transfer and fluid flow process. The flow rates of the cooling air are also experimentally measured. The agreement between the numerical model prediction and experimental data is reasonably good. Detailed structures of the cooling flow are presented. Convection heat transfer on the surface of the armature is quantified. Comments on the application of the motor architecture are given. Design modifications are proposed for performance improvements.     

Use of partially shrouded impeller in a small centrifugal compressor

Numerical analysis is conducted for the 3-dimensional impeller and vaneless diffuser of a small centrifugal com- pressor. The influence of impeller tip clearance on the flow field of the impeller is investigated. Detailed investigation on the leaking flow across the tip clearance of the impeller shows that the leaking flow rate is higher near the exit of the impeller than that near the inlet of the impeller. Based on this phenomenon, a new partially shrouded impeller is designed. The impeller is shrouded near the exit of the impeller. Numerical results show that the secondary flow region becomes smaller at the exit of the impeller. Better performance is achieved than that with the unshrouded impeller.     

Numerical simulation of flow in centrifugal pump with complex impeller

Based on the Navier-Stokes equations and the Spalart-Allmaras turbulence model, three dimensional turbulent flow fields in centrifugal pump with long-mid-short blade complex impeller are calculated and analyzed numerically. The relative velocity and pressure distributions in the flowpart are obtained. It is found that the flow in the passage of the complex impeller is unsymmetrical due to the joint action between volute and impeller. The back-flow region is at inlet of long-blade suction side, near middle part of long-blade pressure side and outlet of short-blade suction side. The flow near volute throat is affected greatly by volute. The relative velocity is large and it is easy to bring back flow at outlet of the complex impeller near volute throat. The static and total pressure rise uniformly from inlet to outlet in the impeller. At impeller outlet, the pressure periodically decreases from pressure side to suction side, and then the static pressure sharply rise near the throat. The experimental results show that the back flow in the impeller has an important influence on the performance of pump.     

Experimental study on a centrifugal pump with an open impeller during startup period

Transient performance of fluid machinery during transient operating periods,such as startup and stopping,has been drawn more attentions recently due to the growing engineering needs.In this paper,the transient behavior of a prototype centrifugal pump with an open impeller during rapid startup period is studied experimentally.The variations of the rotational speed,flow rate,head,and shaft power during rapid startup period are recorded in experiments at different discharge valve openings.In addition,the non-dimensional flow rate and head are also used to analyze the transient behavior.The research result shows that the rise characteristic of the rotational speed is not basically changed by working points,while mainly depends on the startup characteristics of the driving motor.Compared with the rapid rise of the rotational speed,the flow rate rises slowly in the initial stage of startup.Moreover,the flow rate lags behind the rotational speed to rise to final stable value,and the delay becomes more severe with the increase of the discharge valve opening.The shaft power impact phenomenon generally exists in the process of startup.The non-dimensional analysis shows that the non-dimensional head is very high at the very beginning of startup,and quickly falls to the minimum,then gradually rises to final stable value,while the non-dimensional flow rate always shows the rise tendency during whole startup period.In conclusion,it is found from the non-dimensional results that the quasi-steady analysis is unable to accurately assess the transient flow during startup period.     

Investigation of the flow in the impeller side clearances of a centrifugal pump with volute casing

The paper is concerned with the fluid flow in the impeller side clearances of a centrifugal pump with volute cas-ing.The flow conditions in these small axial gaps are of significant importance for a number of effects such as disk friction,leakage losses or hydraulic axial thrust to name but a few.In the investigated single stage pump,the flow pattern in the volute turns out to be asymmetric even at design flow rate.To gain a detailed insight into the flow structure,numerical simulations of the complete pump including the impeller side clearances are accom-plished.Additionally,the hydraulic head and the radial pressure distributions in the impeller side clearances are measured and compared with the numerical results.Two configurations of the impeller,either with or without balancing holes,are examined.Moreover,three different operating points,i.e.:design point,part load or overload conditions are considered.In addition,analytical calculations are accomplished to determine the pressure distri-butions in the impeller side clearances.If accurate boundary conditions are available,the 1D flow models used in this paper can provide reasonable results for the radial static pressure distribution in the impeller side clearances.Furthermore,a counter rotating wake region develops in the rear impeller side clearances in absence of balancing holes which severely affects the inflow and outflow conditions of the cavity in circumferential direction.     

Investigation on centrifugal impeller in an axial-radial combined compressor with inlet distortion

Assembling an axial rotor and a stator at centrifugal compressor upstream to build an axial-radial combined compressor could achieve high pressure ratio and efficiency by appropriate size augment.Then upstream potential flow and wake effect appear at centrifugal impeller inlet.In this paper,the axial-radial compressor is unsteadily simulated by three-dimensional Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations with uniform and circumferential distorted total pressure inlet condition to investigate upstream effect on radial rotor.The results show that spanwise nonuniform total pressure distribution is generated and radial and circumferential combined distortion is formed at centrifugal rotor inlet.The upstream stator wake deflects to rotor rotation direction and decreases with blade span increases.Circumferential distortion causes different separated flow formations at different pitch positions.The tip leakage vortex is suppressed in centrifugal blade passages.Under distorted inlet condition,flow direction of centrifugal impeller leading edge upstream varies evidently near hub and shroud but varies slightly at mid-span.In addition,compressor stage inlet distortion produces remarkable effect on blade loading of centrifugal blade both along chordwise and pitchwise.     

甲醛生产装置离心风机的废热利用

针对甲醛装置离心风机产生的废热,提出改变冷却介质及部分修改可加以利用。通过对改造前后进行对比分析,说明在一定条件下利用化工低温废热是可行的。经改造实践证明,冷却介质改变后,离心风机废热不但得到利用,同时产生一定经济效益,而且风机运行更加稳定连续,具有一定的推广应用价值。     

Prediction of dynamic and aerodynamic characteristics of the centrifugal fan with forward curved blades

The main aim of this paper is determine the centrifugal fan with forward curved blades aerodynamic characteris- tics based on numerical modeling. Three variants of geometry were investigated. The first, basic ＂A＂ variant con- tains 12 blades. The geometry of second ＂B＂ variant contains 12 blades and 12 semi-blades with optimal length [1]. The third, control variant ＂C＂ contains 24 blades without semi-blades. Numerical calculations were per- formed by CFD Ansys. Another aim of this paper is to compare results of the numerical simulation with results of approximate numerical procedure. Applied approximate numerical procedure [2] is designated to determine char- acteristics of the turbulent flow in the bladed space of a centrifugal-flow fan impeller. This numerical method is an extension of the hydro-dynamical cascade theory for incompressible and inviscid fluid flow. Paper also par- tially compares results from the numerical simulation and results from the experimental investigation. Acoustic phenomena observed during experiment, during numerical simulation manifested as deterioration of the calcula- tion stability, residuals oscillation and thus also as a flow field oscillation. Pressure pulsations are evaluated by using frequency analysis for each variant and working condition.     

CFB锅炉大型离心式风机调速装置的选择

介绍了CFB锅炉大型离心式风机调速装置选择的必要性,并对不同的调速方式在适用性、经济性方面进行了比较.作为实例,介绍了广州石化465t/hCFB锅炉引风机的选择过程.     

Influence of tip clearance on performance of a contra-rotating fan

Influences of tip clearance on the tip flow and associated loss mechanism in a contra-rotating axial flow fan has been studied in the paper, based on three dimensional numerical results. The results with different tip clearance are compared in terms of stage efficiency, relative total pressure loss coefficient, flow angle. It is found that the efficiency of the contra-rotating fan changes almost linearly with increment of the tip clearance, however, efficiency of the rear rotor is observed to decrease more dramatically than that of the forward rotor given same tip clearance variation. The analysis on the flow structure indicates that the tip region flow field is qualitatively similar in both rotors. However, with the same clearance value, the leakage flow in the rear rotor is effected by a tip leakage vortex of greater intensity caused by relative loading levels and the inter rotor interaction.     

Aerodynamic performance and noise characteristics of a centrifugal compressor with modified vaned diffusers

Improvement of aerodynamic performance and reduction of interaction tone noise of a centrifugal compressorwith vaned diffusers are discussed by experiments and visualization techniques using a colored oil-film method.The focus of the research is concentrated on the leading edge shape of diffuser vanes that are deeply related to thegeneration mechanism of the interaction tone noise.The compressor-radiated noise can be reduced by more thanten decibels by using modified diffuser vanes which have 3-D tapered shapes on both pressure and suction sur-faces of the leading edge.Furthermore,by adopting the proposed modified diffuser vanes,the secondary flowwhich is considered to be an obstruction of diffuser pressure recovery can be suppressed,and also the pressuredecrease observed in the throat part of the diffuser flow passage is reducible.Thus,the proposed diffuser vanesshow a favorable result for both noise and the aerodynamic performance of the centrifugal compressor,and offera few basic guidelines for the diffuser vane design.     

Factors affecting small axial cooling fan performance

Many factors such as outer diameter,hub ratio,blade numbers,shape and stagger angle affect the performance of small cooling fans.A small cooling fan was simulated using CFD software for three blade stagger angles (30.5°,37.5°,44.5°)and obtained the internal flow field and the static characteristics.Research indicated that the stagger angle has an obvious effect on the static characteristics of a fan.For flow rates below 0.0104 m3/s,total pressure is the greatest when the stagger angle is 37.5°;flow rates higher than 0.0104 m3/s,the total pressure is greatest when the stagger angle is 44.5° For the same flow rates,the velocity at inlet of pressure surface increases with increasing stagger angle,but the change of velocity on the suction surface is very small.For one model,vortices and the speed of revolution surfaces decrease with tip clearance increasing.But for other three models,increasing the stagger angle,the vortex intensity and speed of revolution surfaces at same height tip clearance increases,simultaneously,the position of vortex offset from the top of the rotor blade to the suction surface.     

离心压缩机无叶扩压器的改进新方法

研究了某高压比离心压缩机无叶扩压器的性能,提出在无叶扩压器轮盘侧加装一定高度机翼型导叶的改进方法。结果表明,这种扩压器可以改善其内部流动,提高自身的压力恢复系数和效率,从而改善离心压缩机的整级性能。     

分流叶片周向位置设计及其对离心叶轮内部流动的影响

利用计算流体力学软件,对某高压比、高转速、小流量离心式压气机的半开式叶轮内部三维粘性流场进行了数值模拟研究。重点分析了分流叶片周向位置对叶轮内部流动和性能的影响,提出了适合此半开式离心叶轮分流叶片周向位置的设计方案。结果表明：分流叶片不同周向位置对流场影响明显,当分流叶片偏向长叶片吸力面侧时,叶轮流道内低速区增大,流动分布不均匀。研究还发现：固定分流叶片进口而将出口位置向长叶片压力面侧偏置,可以改善叶轮内部流动情况,提高叶轮性能。     

Effect of high negative incidence on the performance of a centrifugal compressor stage with conventional vaned diffusers

Three vaned diffusers, designed to have high negative incidence (-8°) at the design operating point, are studied experimentally. The overall performance (efficiency and pressure ratio) are measured at three rotational speeds, and flow angles before and after the diffuser are measured at the design rotational speed and with three mass flow rates. The results are compared to corresponding results of the original vaneless diffuser design. Attention is paid to the performance at lower mass flows than the design mass flow. The results show that it is possible to improve the performance at mass flows lower than the design mass flow with a vaned diffuser designed with high negative incidence. However, with the vaned diffusers, the compressor still stalls at higher mass flow rates than with the vaneless one. The flow angle distributions after the diffuser are more uniform with the vaned diffusers.     

Effects of bending-torsional duct-induced swirl distortion on aerodynamic performance of a centrifugal compressor

A turbocharger compressor working in commercial vehicles,especially in some passenger cars,often works together with some pipes with complicated geometry as an air intake system,due to limit of available space in internal combustion engine compartments.These pipes may generate various distortions of physical parameters of the air at the inlet of the compressor and therefore the compressor aerodynamic performance deteriorates.Sometimes,the turbocharging engine fails to work at some operation points.This paper investigates the effects of various swirl distortions induced by different bending-torsional intake ducts on the aerodynamic performance of a turbocharger compressor by both 3D numerical simulations and experimental measurements.It was found that at the outlet of the pipes the different inlet ducts can generate different swirl distortions,twin vortices and bulk-like vortices with different rotating directions.Among them,the bulk-like vortices not only affect seriously the pressure distribution in the impeller domain,but also significantly deteriorate the compressor performance,especially at high flow rate region.And the rotating direction of the bulk-like vortices is also closely associated with the efficiency penalty.Besides the efficiency,the transient flow rate through a single impeller channel,or the asymmetric mass flow crossing the whole impeller,can be influenced by two disturbances.One is from the upstream bending-torsional ducts;other one is from the downstream volute.     

Effects of measuring positions on the measured aerodynamic performance of a centrifugal compressor

This paper performs a numerical simulation of three-dimensional flow field in a centrifugal compressor with long inlet and outlet pipes using CFX software. By arranging virtual probes at different positions in both inlet and outlet planes, the aerodynamic performance of the centrifugal compressor is measured and compared with each other. Then effects of measuring positions on measurement results are discussed. The results show that it will generate notable measuring errors of the pressure ratio and efficiency if the inlet total pressure is measured using a single-point probe. The inlet total pressure data can be accurate when they are measured using a 3-point rake. The outlet total pressure and total temperature data can not be accurate if they are respectively measured at one circumferential position even using a multi-point rake. Increasing tangential measuring positions at the outlet is effective to improve the test accuracy. When the outlet total pressure and total temperature are respectively measured at 3 tangential positions, the data can be almost accurate.