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Lecture 1
Axial Fans:
Aerodynamic Design

Th. Carolus

UNIVERSITT SIEGEN

Institut fr Fluid- und Thermodynamik

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1.1 Axial Cascade Blade Element (BE)

1.2 Actual vs. Ideal Flow
1.3 Frames of References
1.4 Co-ordinate System and Components of Velocity
1.5 Velocity triangles on BE (turbine)
1.6 EULERs Equation of Turbomachinery (Angular Momentum Analysis)
1.7 Blade Element Design
1.8 Performance Analysis via Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
1.9 Prototyping and Scaling Up

UNIVERSITT SIEGEN

Institut fr Fluid- und Thermodynamik

1.1 Axial Cascade Blade Element (BE)

Rotor diameter:
Hub diameter:
Radial extension of BE:
Number of blades:

Da = 2ra
Di = 2ri
r
z

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Chord length:
Circumferential spacing
Blade angle at leading edge (LE)
Blade angle at leading edge (LE)

1.2 Actual vs. Ideal Flow

Actual:
3D
unsteady

3A

l
t

s1
s2

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Ideal:
1D
steady

1.3 Frames of References

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G
u
G
w
stationary (absolute)
frame of reference

rotating frame
of reference

G
u = velocity of rotating system (relative system)

G
w = velocity of a particle in relative system
Oberserver in the absolute frame of reference sees absolute
particle velocity

G G G
c = u +w

(1-1)
Velocity triangle

1.4 Co-ordinate System and Components of Velocity

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Velocity c and relevant components:

G
axial component cz
G
circumferential (= tangential) component cu
G
radial component cr
G G G
G
c = cz + cu + cr
(1-2)
G
G
G
In addition useful: Meridional component: cm = cz + cr
(1-3)

in z- direction
in - dircetion
in r- direction

1.5 Velocity triangles on BE (turbine)

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1.6 EULERs Equation of Turbomachinery (Angular Momentum Analysis)

control
volume

Fu
Mshaft

r
Fu

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Apply to angular momentum conservation to CV blade element (BE)

( r c ) +

G G

 
( r c )(c n )dA = M 

t 


 

V

shaft

external
torques

angular momentum

unsteady term

(1-4)

With incremental mass flow through BE

 = cm A = cm 2 r
m

(1-5)

one gets the incremental torque at shaft

 ( r2cu 2 )
m
 

= Mshaft

change of angular momentum

from entrance to exit
of blade channel

Note:
Incremental tangential force is
Fu =


cu 2 m

 

(1-6)

Fu

change of momentum
from entrance to exit
of blade channel

With the incremental power

PBE = Mshaft

(1-7)

and

u = r

(1-8)

one eventually obtains the specific work

PBE
= u2cu 2

m

SEGNERs
waterwheel
analyzed by
L. EULER

(1-9a)

or, if cu1 0

Y = u2cu 2 u1cu1
EULER equation of
turbomachinery (1754)

(1-9b)

LEONHARD EULER
1707 - 1783

1.7 Blade Element Design

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1st way to get circumferential force on BE

Recall circumferential force on BE from angular momentum analysis

Fu = cu 2 m

(1-6)

Now, CV enclosing only one blade and thus

 = cm A = c m t r
m
yields

CV

Fu = cu 2 cmt r

(1-10)

2nd way to get circumferential force on BE

Flow induced forces on one blade
lift
drag

w 2
l r
2
2
w
D = cD l r
2

L = cL

For design conditions usually D << L,

i. e. the drag-lift ratio is

D L sin

(1-11)

and

F L
Fu = sin ( ) F

Fu = sin ( ) cL

w 2
l r
2

(1-12)

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w , ????

For cascades with small flow deflection,

i. e. for blades with small camber, replace
up- and downstream velocities by their
vector-mean:
G 1 G G
w (w1 + w2 )
2

(1-13)

Hence, from velocity triangles we get

w

and the vector-mean flow angle

Combining Eqs. (1-10) and (1-12, -13) yields

cL

l
2cu 2cm
=
t w sin ( )

Inserting in this equation

the blade spacing

t=

2 r
z

(1-14)

the solidity

lz
2 r

from selected
airfoil

= f(velocity triangles, cL , cD )

(1-15)

(1-16)

aerodynamic
design point

1.8 Performance Analysis via Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)

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Computational domain and numerical grid

Typical CFD results (I)

Streamlines

Pressure distribution

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Typical CFD results (II)

Spanwise blade loading (pressure distribution)

Typical CFD results (III)

Performance Curves
0.6

Design
CFD

0.5

Experiment fac

fa, fa [-]

0.4

0.3

Design

0.2

Experiment fa
0.1

CFD
0

0.05

0.1

0.15
[-]

0.2

0.25

0.3

1.9 Prototyping and Scaling Up

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Prototyping
CNC-Milling Machine

Experimental model test

Full scale

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Short presentation of the University of Siegen Fan Design Code ....

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