• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.103-111
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• 2024

Axial-flow fans are used to transport fluids in relatively low-pressure flow regimes, and a variety of design variables are employed. The tip geometry of an axial fan plays a dominant role in its flow and noise performance, and two of the most prominent flow phenomena are the tip vortex and the tip leakage vortex that occur at the tip of the blade. Various studies have been conducted to control these three-dimensional flow structures, and winglet geometries have been developed in the aircraft field to suppress wingtip vortices and increase efficiency. In this study, a numerical and experimental study was conducted to analyze the effect of winglet geometry applied to an axial fan blade for an air conditioner outdoor unit. The unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equation and the FfocwsWilliams and Hawkings (FW-H) equation were numerically solved based on computational fluid dynamics techniques to analyze the three-dimensional flow structure and flow noise numerically, and the validity of the numerical method was verified by comparison with experimental results. The differences in the formation of tip vortex and tip leakage vortex depending on the winglet geometry were compared through a three-dimensional flow field, and the resulting aerodynamic performance was quantitatively compared. In addition, the effect of winglet geometry on flow noise was evaluated by numerically simulating noise based on the predicted flow field. A prototype of the target fan model was built, and flow and noise experiments were conducted to evaluate the actual performance quantitatively.

• International Journal of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.219-227
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• 2016

Numerical simulation based on the Reynolds Averaged Naviere-Stokes (RANS) Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method had been carried out with the commercial code ANSYS CFX. The structured grid and SST $k-{\omega}$ turbulence model had been adopted. The impact of non-condensable gas (NCG) on cavitation performance had been introduced into the Schnerr and Sauer cavitation model. The numerical investigation of cavitating flow of marine propeller E779A was carried out with different advance ratios and cavitation numbers to verify the numerical simulation method. Tip clearance effects on the performance of pumpjet propulsor had been investigated. Results showed that the structure and characteristics of the tip leakage vortex and the efficiency of the propulsor dropped more sharply with the increase of the tip clearance size. Furthermore, the numerical simulation of tip clearance cavitation of pumpjet propulsor had been presented with different rotational speed and tip clearance size. The mechanism of tip clearance cavitation causing a further loss of the efficiency had been studied. The influence of rotational speed and tip clearance size on tip clearance cavitation had been investigated.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.330-337
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• 2004

Analysis of flow phenomena in a centrifugal compressor impeller has been carried out with numerical simulation to understand the physics of flow near stall. Near stall point, tip leakage flow spills ahead of the leading edge of adjacent blade and other leakage flow passes over the clearance of the adjacent blade instead of rolling up into vortex within the passage. The tip leakage flow at the mid chord of impeller blade impinges against the pressure surface of the adjacent blade and then rolls up into vortex within the passage, which blocks the flow passage and generates viscous loss. The spillage of leakage flow ahead of the adjacent blade generates the recirculation of flow entering the impeller, which causes the power transferred into the flow by the impeller to decrease and blocks the flow passage. Near diffuser hub wall, flow recirculation occurs. As operating point goes to stall point, the core of recirculation approaches the impeller exit The length rises to peak point and then drops with mass flow reduction, while the height steadily rises.

• The KSFM Journal of Fluid Machinery
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.58-63
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• 2012

Three dimensional unsteady numerical calculations were performed to investigate unsteadiness of the tip leakage flow in an axial compressor. The first stage of the four-stage low-speed research axial compressor was examined. Since this compressor has a relatively large tip clearance, the unsteadiness of the tip leakage flow is induced. Through the results from the unsteady calculations, the process of the induced unsteady tip leakage flow was investigated. It was shown that the leakage flow that occurred at a rotor blade tip clearance affected the pressure distribution on the pressure side near the tip of the adjacent blade, thus caused the fluctuation of the pressure difference between the pressure side and suction side. Consequently, the unsteady tip leakage flow was induced at the adjacent rotor blade. The unsteady feature of the tip leakage flow was changed as the operating point was moved. The interface between the tip leakage flow and the main flow only affected the trailing edge region at the design point whereas the interface influenced up to the leading edge at the low flow rate point. As the flow rate decreased, additionally, it was seen that the vortex size of the tip leakage flow increased and the relatively large length scale disturbance occurred. On the other hand, using frequency analysis, it was shown that the unsteadiness was not associated with the rotor speed and was about 40% of the blade passing frequency. This feature was explained in the rotor relative frame of reference, and the frequency decreased as the flow rate decreased.

• 유체기계공업학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2006.08a
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• pp.161-164
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• 2006

Three-dimensional flow and aerodynamic loss in the tip-leakage flow region of a high-turning first-stage turbine rotor blade with a squealer tip have been measured with a straight miniature five-hole probe for the tip gap-to-chord ratio, h/e, of 2,0%. This squealer tip has a indent-to-chord ratio, $h_{st}/c$, of 5.5%. The results are compared with those for a plane tip ($h_{st}/c\;=\;0.0%$). The squealer tip tends to reduce the mass flow through the tip gap and to suppress the development of the tip-leakage vortex. Therefore, it delivers lower aerodynamic loss in the near-tip region than the plane tip does. At the mid-span, however, the aerodynamic loss has nearly the same value for the two different tips.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 1998.04a
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• pp.13-13
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• 1998

A simple model of the tip leakage flow models of the rotor downstream flow is developed, based on Lakshminarayana's theoretical concept on the tip clearance flow and the experimental data published in open literature. And new spanwise distribution models of deviation angle and pressure loss coefficient due to the tip leakage flow are formulated for use in association with the streamline curvature method as a through flow analysis. Combining these new models and previous deviation and loss models due to secondary flow, a robust streamline curvature method is established for flow analysis of single-stage, subsonic axial turbines with wide ranges of turning angle, aspect ratio and blading type. At the exit from rotor rows, the flow variables are mixed radially according to a spanwise transport equation. The proposed streamline curvature method is tested against a forced vortex type turbine as well as a free vortex type one. The results show that the spanwise variations of flow angle, axial velocity and loss coefficients at rotor exit are predicted with good accuracy, being comparable to a steady three-dimensional Navier-Stokes analysis. This simple and fast flow analysis is found to be very useful for the turbine design at the initial design phase.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.30 no.11 s.254
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• pp.1074-1083
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• 2006

In the present study, the effect of blade rotation on blade heat transfer is investigated by comparing with the heat transfer results for the stationary blade. The experiments are conducted in a low speed annular cascade with a single stage turbine and the turbine stage is composed of sixteen guide vanes and blades. The chord length and the height of the tested blade are 150 mm and about 125 mm, respectively. The blade has a flat tip and the mean tip clearance is 2.5% of the blade chord. A naphthalene sublimation method is used to measure detailed mass transfer coefficient on the blade. For the experiments, the inlet Reynolds number is $Re_c=1.5{\times}10^5$, which results in the blade rotation speed of 255.8 rpm. Blade rotation induces a relative motion between the blade and the shroud as well as a periodic variation of incoming flow. Therefore, different heat/mass transfer patterns are observed on the rotating blade, especially near the tip and on the tip. The relative motion reduces the tip leakage flow through the tip gap, which results in the reduction of the tip heat transfer. However, the effect of the tip leakage flow on the blade surface is increased because the tip leakage vortex is formed closer to the surface than the stationary case. The overall heat/mass transfer on the shroud is not affected much by the blade rotation.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.30 no.9 s.252
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• pp.913-920
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• 2006

Three-dimensional flow and aerodynamic loss in the tip-leakage flow region of a high-turning first-stage turbine rotor blade with a squealer tip have been measured with a straight miniature five-hole probe for the tip gap-to-chord ratio, h/c, of 2.0%. This squealer tip has a indent-to-chord ratio, $h/{st}/c$, of 5.5%. The results are compared with those for a plane tip $(h_{st}/c=0.0%)$. The squealer tip tends to reduce the mass flow through the tip gap and to suppress the development of the tip-leakage vortex. Therefore, it delivers lower aerodynamic loss in the near-tip region than the plane tip does. At the mid-span, however, the aerodynamic loss has nearly the same value for the two different tips.

• International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.157-164
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• 2015

The present work performs three-dimensional flow calculations based on Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) and Delayed Detached Eddy Simulation (DDES) to investigate the flow field of a transonic rotor (NASA Rotor 37) at near-stall condition. It is found that the DES approach is likely to predict well the complex flow characteristics such as secondary vortex or turbulent flow phenomenon than RANS approach, which is useful to describe the flow mechanism of a transonic compressor. Especially, the DES results show improvement of predicting the flow field in the wake region and the model captures reasonably well separated regions compared to the RANS model. Besides, it is discovered that the three-dimensional vortical flows after the vortex breakdown from the rotor tip region are widely distributed and its vortex structures are clearly present. Near the rotor leading edge, a part of the tip leakage flows in DES solution spill over into next passage of the blade owing to the separation vortex flow and the backflow is clearly seen around the trailing edge of rotor tip. Furthermore, the DES solution shows strong turbulent eddies especially in the rotor hub, rotor tip section and the downstream of rotor trailing edge compared to the RANS solution.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.28 no.9
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• pp.1005-1014
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• 2004

Experiments were done for the three dimensional unsteady flow in a counter-rotating axial flow fan under peak efficiency operating condition. Flow fields in a counter rotating axial flow fan were measured at cross-sectional planes of the upstream and downstream of each rotor. Cross sectional flow patterns were investigated through the acquired data by the 45$^{\circ}$ inclined hot-wire. Flow characteristics such as tip vortex, secondary flow and tip leakage flow were confirmed through axial, radial and tangential velocity vector plot. It has been found that the radial and tangential velocity components disappeared, while the axial velocity component highly increased as soon as the tip vortex was generated. It has been observed that secondary flow and turbulence intensity which were increased by the front rotor were dissipated passing through the rear rotor. As the result the energy loss of the counter rotating axial flow fan decreased at the downstream of rear rotor. Also, it has been verified that tip vortex pattern of the rear rotor was dampened because the tip vortex generated by front rotor was mixed with that of the rear rotor.