• 유체기계공업학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1999.12a
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• pp.221-226
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• 1999

Three-dimensional flow analysis and numerical optimization methods are presented for the design of an axial-flow fan. Steady, Incompressible, three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Wavier-Stokes equations are used as governing equations, and standard k-$\epsilon$ turbulence model is chosen as a turbulence model. Governing equations are discretized using finite volume method. Steepest descent method, conjugate gradient method and BFGS method are compared to determine the searching directions. Golden section method and quadratic fit-sectioning method are tested for one dimensional search. Objective function is defined as a ratio of generation rate of the turbulent kinetic energy to pressure head. Sweep angle distributions are used as design variables.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2000.06a
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• pp.365-370
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• 2000

A computational study on the effect of sweep angle of axial fan on its noise is performed in the present paper. The forward swept axial fan was designed by numerical optimization method incorporated with three dimensional flow analysis. The objective function was defined by the ratio of generation rate of turbulent kinetic energy to pressure head. And, two variables related with sweep angle distribution are used for design variables. The swept fan has better performance characteristics and noise level. The experimental result shows that spectrums of no-sweet and swept fans have differences in the blade passage frequency, especially in the broadband. And the overall noise level of swept fan is lower 10dB(A) than that of no-sweep fan. For the comparison of flow fields between no-sweep fan and swept fan, CFX-TASCflow computational fluid dynamics software is used. Standard k-${\varepsilon}$ model is used for the turbulence model. Distributions of pressure and turbulent kinetic energy distributions are compared in order to find what happen in the low-noise swept fan.

• 유체기계공업학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2004.12a
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• pp.83-88
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• 2004

In this study, the flow and thermal performance of the heat sink and fan-sink were experimentally studied to predict the operating condition of the fan-sink. The experiments of the flow and thermal resistance of the heat sink with various inlet blockage, which were occurred by the shapes of the axial fans, were conducted for the proof of the effects of the inlet blockages. The greater the inlet blockage of the heat sink, the higher the pressure drop and lower the thermal resistance of the heat sink will be. The operating point of the fan-sink was predicted by the pressure drop curve with the inlet blockage, which was corresponded to the selected fan and the fan performance curve, and verified by the performance test of the fan-sink. The predicted operating point of the fan-sink had good agreement with the result of the performance test of the fan-sink within $0.7\%$ of the volume flow rates. Measured thermal resistance of the fan-sink was equivalent to that of the heat sink with the same inlet blockage of the fan-sink. It was shown that the heat transfer characteristics of the heat sink were influenced by the flow interaction between the selected fan and the heat sink. To improve the thermal resistance of the heat sink, it is necessary to consider appropriate flow patterns of the fan outlet entering into the heat sink.

• Journal of Power System Engineering
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.40-47
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• 2008

The turbulent flow characteristics around a small-size axial fan(SSAF) for a refrigerator are strongly dependent upon the operating points. Four operating points such as $\phi$ =0.1, 0.18, 0.25 and 0.32 were adopted in this study to investigate three-dimensional turbulent flow characteristics around the SSAF by using a fiber-optic type Laser Doppler Anemometer(LDA) system. Downstream mean velocity profiles of the SSAF along the radial distance show that axial and tangential velocity components exist predominantly, except $\phi$ = 0.1, and have a maximum value at $r/R{\fallingdotseq}0.8$, but radial velocity component having a relatively small value only turns flow direction to the outside or the central part of the SSAF. The turbulent intensity shows that the radial component exists most greatly after $r/R{\fallingdotseq}0.5$. Downstream turbulent kinetic energy at $\phi$ = 0.25 and 0.32 together has the largest peak value at $r/R{\fallingdotseq}0.9$.

• 유체기계공업학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2002.12a
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• pp.131-136
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• 2002

A computational analysis using Reynolds stress model in FLUENT is conducted to give a clear understanding of the effect of blade loading on the structure of tip leakage flow in a forward-swept axial-flow fan at design condition ($\phi$=0.25) and off-design condition ($\phi$=0.21 and 0.30). The roll-up of tip leakage flow starts near the minimum static wall pressure position, and the tip leakage vortex developes along the centerline of the pressure trough within the blade passages. Near tip region, a reverse flow induced by tip leakage vortex has a blockage effect on the through-flow. As a result, high momentum region is observed below the tip leakage vortex. As the blade loading increases, the reverse flow region is more inclined toward circumferential direction and the onset position of the rolling-up of tip leakage flow moves upstream. Because the casing boundary layer becomes thicker, and the mixing between the through-flow and the leakage jet with the different flow direction is enforced, the streamwise vorticity decays more fast with blade loading increasing. The computational results show that a distinct tip leakage vortex is observed downstream of the blade trailing edge at $\phi$=0.30, but it is not observed at $\phi$=0.21 and 0.25.

• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.262-270
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• 2011

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.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2002.05a
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• pp.645-650
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• 2002

In this paper, new concept, low noise axial fan was developed. The fan was designed to operate at high-pressure condition inside the refrigerator. This fan - we call it Alpha fan - has small turbo blades at trailing edge of axial fan. These turbo blades make alpha fan operate at high pressure and low noise condition. In order to find out the optimal value of design parameters, 6-sigma method was used. The design parameters are ratio between inner and outer diameter, Height, Install angle and Install position of turbo blade. Optimal value of turbo blade was found out and the noise generated from this fan is reduced about 3dB(A).

• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.136-146
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• 2009

Small axial fans have become widely used as cooling devices in recent years. Because of their increasing importance, studies have been conducted on ways to improve the performance and reduce the noise of such fans. In this report, a small axial fan with a diameter of 85 mm (a type popularity used in personal computer or workstation) was selected for further examination. The influence on aerodynamic performance and noise of such frame design parameters as blade tip clearance results in a decrease of discrete frequency noise and an increase of broad-spectrum noise. As for the most suitable design refinement in terms of fan efficiency, we found that the treatment of outlet corner roundness and altering spoke skew to the direction counter to that of fan rotation was effective.

• Journal of computational fluids engineering
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.109-114
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• 2010

In a fan design, CFD analysis, which is very useful for mechanical design relating to the heat and fluid dynamics, is one of the most popular tools. However, since the CFD analysis is conventionally carried out with the constant fan speed condition, the speed change, induced by the air flow rate and motor characteristics, is hardly modeled. And, consequently, the remarkable difference exist between analysis and experimental results. In this paper, we has proposed a method of setting the varying fan speed as a boundary condition considering air flow rate and motor torque-speed characteristics. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by comparison with experimental results.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.268-276
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• 2005

The aim of this paper is to suggest one efficient method for the various requirements of performance during the process designing and producing an impeller. The study considers that the revisions of a pitch angle of an impeller at an axial turbo fan affect an air flow rates and a static pressure rise. The axial turbo fan specified with the 250 Pa maximum static pressure and 1300 CMH fan air flow rates was tested and analyzed by CFD. The Numerical results show that the air flow rates are calculated to 1,175 CMH, 1,223 CMH, 1,270 CMH, 1,340 CMH and 800 CMH in cases that the pitch angles are $44^{\circ},\;49^{\circ},\;54^{\circ},\;59^{\circ},\;and\;64^{\circ}$ respectively. Also the static pressure rises are shown to 108 Pa, 122Pa, 141 Pa, 188 Pa and 63 Pa at the same cases. The air flow rate is increased linearly according to the changes of the pitch angle from $44^{\circ}\;to\;59^{\circ}$ and the maximum air flow rate passing the impeller is increased to $13\%$ over at the case of $59^{\circ}$ pitch angle compared with the reference case of $54^{\circ}$ pitch angle. The static pressure rise is increased linearly according to the changes of the pitch angle from $44^{\circ}\;to\;54^{\circ}$, too. The static pressure rise at the $59^{\circ}$ pitch angle is increased to $33\%$ over compared with the $54^{\circ}$ pitch angle. The result shows that the revisions of pitch angle make the static pressure rise increase widely. However the air flow rates and the static pressure rise at the $64^{\circ}$ pitch angle are suddenly decreased because of over-changed pitch angle.