Effect of Volute-Tongue Clearance on the Aerodynamic Performance and Noise of Multi-Wing Centrifugal Fan for Air Conditioning

Document Type : Regular Article

Authors

1 Key Laboratory of Fluid Transmission Technology of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310018, China

2 1.Zhejiang Sci-Tech University Key Laboratory of Fluid Transmission Technology of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310018, China

3 Hangzhou Hangyang Turbo Machinery Co., Ltd., Hangzhou, China

Abstract

Multi-wing centrifugal fans are wildly used in the central air-conditioning. The influence of dimensionless clearance of the volute-tongue on aerodynamic performance and noise is studied by numerical simulation and experimental tests in this paper. The complicated internal flow related to unsteady flow in a centrifugal fan with multiple wings is investigated by numerical simulation. Besides, the influence of circumstance on the noise is analyzed. It is testified that the internal flow of centrifugal fans is ameliorated using appropriate volute tongue clearance. Reduced eddy current decreased the local-flow loss near the volute tongue and exit. The experimental results show that the static pressure of model △t/R2=0.12 rose to 7.5 Pa and the aerodynamics noise value reduced to 4 dB compared with that of a reference model. Meanwhile, an obvious reduction of aerodynamics noise by 3.74 dB is obtained for model △t/R2=0.12 installed in the air conditioning unit. The static pressure of centrifugal fan is significantly improved for the model with a cochlear tongue clearance ratio of △t/R2=0.12. It is further demonstrated that the proper dimensionless distance effectively suppresses the aerodynamic noise of forward multi-wing fans.

Keywords

Main Subjects


Bayomia, N. N., A. A. Hafiza and A. M. Osman (2006). Effect of inlet straighteners on centrifugal fan performance. Energy Conversion and Management 47, 3307-3318.##
Conway, S., D. Caraeni and L. Fuchs (2001). Large-eddy simulation of the flow through the blades of a swirl generator. International Journal of Heat and Fluid Flow 21, 664-673.##
Darvish, M., B. Tietjen, D. Beck and S. Frank (2014, June). Tonal noise reduction in a radial fan with forward-curved blades. In Proceedings of the ASME Turbo Expo 2014: Turbine Technical Conference and Exposition. Volume 1A: Aircraft Engine; Fans and Blowers, Düsseldorf, Germany.##
Darvish, M., S. Frank and C. O. Paschereit (2015). Numerical and experimental study on the tonal noise generation of a radial fan. Journal of Turbomachinery 137(10), 101005.##
Heo, S., C. Cheong and T. H. Kim (2011). Development of low-noise centrifugal fans for a refrigerator using inclined S-shaped trailing edge. International Journal of Refrigeration-Revue International Du Froid 34(8), 2076-2091.##
Hayashi, I. and S. Kaneko (2014). Pressure pulsations in piping system excited by a centrifugal turbomachinery taking the damping characteristics into consideration. Journal of Fluids and Structures (45), 216-234.##
Khelladi, S., S. Kouidri, F. Bakir and R. Rey (2008). Predicting tonal noise from a high rotational speed centrifugal fan. Journal of Sound and Vibration 313(1-2), 113-133.##
Kolmogorov, A. N (1991). The Local Structure of Turbulence in Incompressible Viscous Fluid for Very Large Reynolds Numbers. Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical 434(1890), 9-13.##
Kim, S. J., H. J. Sung, S. Wallin and A. V. Johanssin (2019). Design of the centrifugal fan of a belt-driven starter generator with reduced flow noise. International Journal of Heat and Fluid 76, 72-84.##
Lee, S., H. J. Kim, and A. Runchal (2004). Large-eddy simulation of unsteady flows in turbomachinery. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part A Journal of Power & Energy 218, 463-475.##
Lun, Y. X., L. M. Lin, H. J. He, X. X. Ye, Z. C. Zhu and Y. K. Wei (2019a). Effects of vortex structure on performance characteristics of a multiblade fan with inclined tongue. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part A Journal of Power and Energy 233(8), 1007-1021.##
Lun, Y. X., X. X. Ye, L. M. Lin, C. L. Ying and Y. K. Wei (2019b). Unsteady characteristics of forward multi-wing centrifugal fan at small flow rate. Processes 7(10), 691.##
Liu, Q., D. Qi and H. Tang (2007). Computation of aerodynamic noise of centrifugal fan using large eddy simulation approach, acoustic analogy and vortex sound theory. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part A-Journal of Power and Energy 221(11), 1321-1332.##
Li, C. X., S. L. Wang and Y. K. Jia (2011). The performance of a centrifugal fan with enlarged impeller. Energy Conversion and Management 52, (8-9), 2902-2910.##
Lee, S., S. Heo and C. Cheong (2010). Prediction and reduction of internal blade-passing frequency noise of the centrifugal fan in a refrigerator. International Journal of Refrigeration-Revue International Du Froid 33(6), 1129-1141.##
Mao, Y. J., Z. W. Hu and C. Xu and G. Ghorbaniasl (2018). Vector aeroacoustics for a uniform mean flow: acoustic velocity and vortical velocity. AIAA Journal 56(7), 2782-2793.##
Pavesi, G., G. Cavazzini and G. Ardizzon (2008). Time-frequency characterization of the unsteady phenomena in a centrifugal pump. International Journal of Heat Fluid Flow 29(5), 1527-1540.##
Sipp, D. and L. Jacquin (2008). A Criterion of Centrifugal Instabilities in Rotating Systems. Springer Berlin Heidelberg.##
Tajadura, R. B., V. S. Suarez, J. P. H. Cruz and C. S. Morros (2006). Numerical calculation of pressure fluctuations in the volute of a centrifugal fan. Journal of Fluids Engineering 128, 359-369.##
Velarde Suarez, S., R. Ballesteros Tajadura, C. Santolaria Morros and B. Pereiras García (2008). Reduction of the aerodynamic tonal noise of a forward-curved centrifugal fan by modification of the volute tongue geometry. Applied Acoustics 69(3), 225-232.##
Kolář, V. and J. Šístek (2015). Corotational and compressibility aspects leading to a modification of the vortex-identification Q-criterion. AIAA Journal 53, 2406-2410.##
Xu, C., Y. J. Mao and Z. W. Hu and G. Ghorbaniasl (2018). Vector aeroacoustics for a uniform mean flow: acoustic intensity and acoustic power. AIAA Journal 56(7), 2794-2805.##
Younsi, M., F. Bakir, S. Kouidri and R. Rey (2007). Numerical and experimental study of unsteady flow in a centrifugal fan. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part A-Journal of Power and Energy 221(A7), 1025-1036.##
Yang, H., P. Yu, J. Xu, C. Ying and Y. Wei (2019). Experimental investigations on the performance and noise characteristics of a forward-curved fan with the stepped tongue. Measurement & Control 22, 1480-1488.##
Volume 16, Issue 7
July 2023
Pages 1483-1498
  • Received: 13 August 2022
  • Revised: 12 March 2023
  • Accepted: 26 March 2023
  • Available online: 06 May 2023