Unsteady Flow Characteristics of an Axial Flow Fan Installed in the Outdoor Unit of Air Conditioner

에어콘 실외기용 축류송풍기의 비정상 유동장 특성 연구

The unsteady nature of vortex structures has been investigated by a large eddy simulation (LES) in an axial flow fan with a shroud covering only the rear region of its rotor tip. The simulation shows that the tip vortex plays a major role in the structure and unsteady behavior of the vortical flow in the fan. The movements of the vortex structures induce high-pressure fluctuations on the rotor blade and in the blade passage. Frequency characteristics of the fluctuating pressure on the rotor blade are analyzed using wavelet transform. The dominant frequency of the real-time pressure selected at the high pressure fluctuation region corresponds well to that of the fluctuating rotor torque and the experimental result of fan noise. It is mainly generated due to the unsteady behavior of the vortical flow, such as the tip vortex and the leading edge separation vortex.