• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
• /
• v.36 no.6
• /
• pp.371-377
• /
• 2017

The performance of an air conditioner is closely related to the cooling performance of a split-type outdoor unit so that, in most of the relevant preceding studies, the independent performance of an axial fan in an outdoor unit has been studied. However, there is a lack of research on the effects of other components in an outdoor units was rarely investigated. Therefore, in this paper, the effects of the fan orifice among other parts on the flow performance of the outdoor unit was numerically investigated. A virtual fan tester consisting of 18 million grids was developed for highly resolved flow simulation. The unsteady RANS (Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes) equations are numerically solved by using finite-volume CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) techniques. In order to verify the validity of the numerical methods, the predicted P-Q curve of the cooling fan in a full outdoor unit is compared with the measured one. Optimization of orifice shape was carried out for maximum flow performance of the outdoor unit using the validated numerical method.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
• /
• 2004.11a
• /
• pp.253-256
• /
• 2004

Acoustical noise at low frequency range (below 500Hz) of refrigerator result from fans which are inside of the refrigerator. In generally to evaluate and apply to refrigerator it is recommended that acoustical noise and fluidic performance of the fan were measured simultaneously. To do that twin-room type anechoic wind tunnel was needed. But constructing twin room type anechoic wind tunnel was very expensive and estimation of small refrigerator fan performance was not easy. So in this paper we composed anechoic fan tester. A successful noise and performance measurement was performed using the anechoic fan tester. Existing 22 kinds of refrigerator fan were investigated and mapped into one database. Refrigerator duct pressure resistance were measured and reflected into the fan database to find out appropriate fan. Through the application of fan database, the refrigerator became less noise compared to current one and these data shows what is the best way to reduce fan noise.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
• /
• v.37 no.6
• /
• pp.396-403
• /
• 2018

In this paper, a high-performance and low-noise centrifugal fan is developed for cooling automotive seats which provide a driver with pleasant driving environment. First, the flow characteristics of the existing fan unit was analyzed using a fan performance tester and CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulations. The analysis of the predicted flow field indicated vortex flow near the tip of fan hub and stagnation flow on the top of fan hub. Two design points are devised to reduce the vortex flow and the stagnation flow observed in the existing fan unit. First, the cut-off clearance which is the minimum distance between the fan blade and the fan housing is increased to reduce the vortex strength and, as a result, to reduce the overall sound pressure level. Second, the hub shape is more modified to eliminate the stagnation flow. The validity of proposed design is confirmed through the numerical analysis. Finally, a prototype is manufactured with a basis on the numerical analysis result and its improved flow and noise performances are confirmed through the P-Q curves measured by using the Fan Tester and the SPL (Sound Pressure Level) levels measured in the anechoic chamber.