Experimental Study on the Unsteady Flow Characteristics for the Counter-Rotating Axial Flow Fan

Counter-rotating axial flow fan(CRF) consists of two counter-rotating rotors without stator blades. CRF shows the complex flow characteristics of the three-dimensional, viscous, and unsteady flow fields. For the understanding of the entire core flow in CRF, it is necessary to investigate the three-dimensional unsteady flow field between the rotors. This information is also essential to improve the aerodynamic characteristics and to reduce the aerodynamic noise level and vibration characteristics of the CRF. In this paper, experimental study on the three-dimensional unsteady flow of the CRF is performed at the design point(operating point). Flow fields in the CRF are measured at the cross-sectional planes of the upstream and downstream of each rotor using the $45^{\circ}$ inclined hot-wire. The phase-locked averaged hot-wire technique utilizes the inclined hot-wire, which rotates successively with 120 degree increments about its own axis. Three-dimensional unsteady flow characteristics such as tip vortex, secondary flow and tip leakage flow in the CRF are shown in the form of the axial, radial and tangential velocity vector plot and velocity contour. The phase-locked averaged velocity profiles of the CRF are analyzed by means of the stationary unsteady measurement technique. At the mean radius of the front rotor inlet and the outlet, the phase-locked averaged velocity profiles show more the periodical flow characteristics than those of the hub region. At the tip region of the CRF, the axial velocity is decreased due to the boundary layer effect of the fan casing and the tip vortex flow. The radial and the tangential velocity profiles show the most unstable and unsteady flow characteristics compared with other position of rotors. But, the phase-locked averaged velocity profiles of the downstream of the rear rotor show the aperiodic flow pattern due to the mixture of the front rotor wake period and the rear rotor rotational period.