Norimasa Shiomi

Visualization of Tip Vortex Flow in an Open Axial Fan by EFD

The behavior of tip vortex in an axial fan without casing wall (called open axial fan) was discussed and analyzed. The velocity measurement was performed by using two-components Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV) system. The detailed velocity and vorticity distribution inside blade passage and downstream of rotor were obtained. Thus the structure of tip vortex and its behavior were graphically visualized by experimental fluid dynamics (EFD). The tip vortex flow trace was indicated with the calculation of vorticity. As a result, it was found that tip vortex was generated at blade tip region near leading edge and it extended to downstream of blade exit with its core tending inward to hub direction. In addition, leading edge vortex was also found at the forepart of the experimental open fan.

Effect of Inlet Geometry on Fan Performance and Inlet Flow Fields in a Semi-opened Axial Fan

Abstract In order to clarify the effect of inlet bellmouth size of semi-opened type axial fan on its performance and flow fields around rotor, fan test and flow field measurements using hotwire anemometer were carried out for 6 kinds of bellmouth size. As results of fan test, the shaft power curve hardly changed, even if the bellmouth size changed. On the other hand, the pressure-rise near best efficiency point became small with the bellmouth size decreasing. Therefore, the value of maximum efficiency became small as the bellmouth size decreased. As results of flow field measurements at fan inlet, the main flow region with large meridional velocity existed near blade tip when the bellmouth size was large. As bellmouth size became smaller, the meridional velocity at fan inlet became smaller and the one at outside of blade tip became larger. As results of flow field measurements at fan outlet, the main flow region existed near rotor hub side.

Internal Flow of a High Specific-Speed Diagonal-Flow Fan (Rotor Outlet Flow Fields with Rotating Stall)

We carried out investigations for the purpose of clarifying the rotor outlet flow fields with rotating stall cell in a diagonal-flow fan. The test fan was a high‐specific-speed (ns = 1620) type of diagonal-flow fan that had 6 rotor blades and 11 stator blades. It has been shown that the number of the stall cell is 1, and its propagating speed is approximately 80% of its rotor speed, although little has been known about the behavior of the stall cell because a flow field with a rotating stall cell is essentially unsteady. In order to capture the behavior of the stall cell at the rotor outlet flow fields, hot-wire surveys were performed using a single-slant hotwire probe. The data obtained by these surveys were processed by means of a double phase-locked averaging technique, which enabled us to capture the flow field with the rotating stall cell in the reference coordinate system fixed to the rotor. As a result, time-dependent ensemble averages of the three-dimensional velocity components at the rotor outlet flow fields were obtained. The behavior of the stall cell was shown for each velocity component, and the flow patterns on the meridional planes were illustrated.

Effect of Inlet Geometry on Fan Performance and Flow Field in a Half-Ducted Propeller Fan

In order to clarify the effect of rotor inlet geometry of half-ducted propeller fan on performance and velocity fields at rotor outlet, the experimental investigation was carried out using a hotwire anemometer. Three types of inlet geometry were tested. The first type is the one that the rotor blade tip is fully covered by a casing. The second is that the front one-third part of blade tip is opened and the rest is covered. The third is that the front two-thirds are opened and the rest is covered. Fan test and internal flow measurement at rotor outlet were conducted about three types of inlet geometry. At the internal flow measurement, a single slant hotwire probe was used and a periodical multisampling technique was adopted to obtain the three-dimensional velocity distributions. From the results of fan test, the pressure-rise characteristic drops at high flowrate region and the stall point shifts to high flowrate region, when the opened area of blade tip increases. From the results of velocity distributions at rotor outlet, the region with high axial velocity moves to radial inwards, the circumferential velocity near blade tip becomes high, and the flow field turns to radial outward, when the opened area increases.

Vortex Features in a Half-ducted Axial Fan with Large Bellmouth (Effect of Tip Clearance)

Abstract In order to clarify the features of tip leakage vortex near blade tip region in a half-ducted axial fan with large bellmouth, the experimental investigation was carried out using a 2-dimensional LDV system. Three sizes of tip clearance (TC) were tested: those sizes were 1mm (0.55% of blade chord length at blade tip), 2mm (1.11% of blade chord length at blade tip) and 4mm (2.22% of blade chord length at blade tip), and those were shown as TC=1mm, TC=2mm and TC=4mm, respectively. Fan characteristic tests and the velocity field measurements were done for each TC. Pressure – flow-rate characteristics and two-dimensional velocity vector maps were shown. The vortex trace and the vortex intensity distribution were also illustrated. As a result, a large difference on the pressure – flow-rate characteristics did not exist for three tip clearance sizes. In case of TC=4mm, the tip leakage vortex was outflow to downstream of rotor was not confirmed at the small and reference flow-rate conditions. Only at the large flow-rate condition, its outflow to downstream of rotor existed. In case of TC=2mm, overall vortex behaviors were almost the same ones in case of TC=4mm. However, the vortex trace inclined toward more tangential direction. In case of TC=1mm, the clear vortex was not observed for all flow-rate conditions.

Experimental Investigation on Separated Flows of Axial Flow Stator and Diagonal Flow Rotor

Experimental investigations were conducted for the internal flows of the axial flow stator and diagonal flow rotor. Corner separation near the hub surface and the suction surface of stator blade are mainly focused on. For the design flow rate, the values of the axial velocity and the total pressure at stator outlet decrease between near the suction surface and near the hub surface by the influence of corner wall. For the flow rate of 80-90% of the design flow rate, the corner separation of the stator between the suction surface and the hub surface is observed, which becomes widely spread for 80% of the design flow rate. At rotor outlet for 81% of the design flow rate, the low axial velocity region grows between near the suction surface of rotor and the casing surface because of the tip leakage flow of the rotor.

Visualization of Transient Three-dimensional Flow Field with Rotating Stall in a Diagonal Flow Fan

An Unsteady flow field with rotating stall cells in a high specific-speed diagonal flow fan has been investigated experimentally. Although a general feature of stall cells has already indicated, i.e., the number of stall cells is one and its propagating speed is approximately 80 percent of rotor speed, little has been known about the flow field when a rotating stall occurs because of its unsteadiness. In order to capture the behavior of the rotating stall cell, measurements of the flow field at the rotor inlet were carried out with a single slant hot-wire. Those data were processed by a so-called “double phase-locked averaging” (DPLA) technique, which enabled to capture the flow field of the cell in the reference co-ordinate system fixed to the rotor. As a result, time-dependent ensemble averages of the three-dimensional velocity components at the rotor inlet have been obtained and the behavior of the rotating stall cell has been illustrated with each velocity component.

Behavior of Rotating Stall Cell in a High Specific-Speed Diagonal Flow Fan

An experimental investigation was carried out to clarify unsteady flow fields with rotating stall cell, especially behavior of stall cell, in a high specific-speed diagonal flow fan. As its specific-speed is very high for a diagonal flow fan, its pressure-flow rate curve tends to indicate unstable characteristics caused by rotating stall similar to axial flow fan. Although for an axial flow fan many researchers have investigated such the flow field, for a diagonal flow fan little study has been done. In this study, velocity fields at rotor inlet in a high specific-speed diagonal flow fan were measured by use of a single slant hot-wire probe. These data were processed by using the ““Double Phase-Locked Averaging“ (DPLA) technique, i. e. phases of both the rotor blade and the stall cell were taken into account. The behaviors of stall cell at rotor inlet were visualized for the meridional, tangential and radial velocity.

Design and Experimental Studies of Radial-Outflow Type Diagonal Flow Fan

In order to apply the design method of diagonal flow fan based on axial flow design to the design of radial-outflow type diagonal flow fan which has lower specific speed of 600-700 [, , m], radial-outflow type diagonal flow fan which specific speed was 670 [, , m] was designed by a quasi three-dimensional design method. Experimental investigations were conducted by fan characteristics test, flow surveys by a five-hole probe and a hot wire probe. Fan characteristics test agreed well with the design values. In the flow survey at rotor outlet, the characteristic region was observed. Two flow phenomena are considered as the cause of the characteristic region, one is tip leakage vortex near rotor tip and another is pressure surface separation on the rotor blade.

Vortices within a Three-Dimensional Separation in an Axial Flow Stator of a Diagonal Flow Fan

Experimental and numerical investigations were conducted for an internal flow in an axial flow stator of a diagonal flow fan. A corner separation near the hub surface and the suction surface of a stator blade was focused on, and further, three-dimensional vortices in separated flow were investigated by the numerical analysis. At low flow rate of 80% of the design flow rate, a corner separation of the stator between the suction surface and the hub surface can be found in both experimental and calculated results. Separation vortices are observed in the limiting streamline patterns both on the blade suction and on the hub surfaces at 80% of the design flow rate in the calculated results. It also can be observed in the streamline pattern that both vortices from the blade suction surface and from the hub surface keep vortex structures up to far locations from these wall surfaces. An attempt to explain the vortices within a three-dimensional separation is introduced by using vortex filaments.