Description

This project simulates steady airflow in a 3D axial flow fan stage using ANSYS Fluent software. We perform this CFD project and investigate it by CFD analysis.

The present model is designed in 3-D using the Design modeler. The model consists of a rotating zone and a stationary zone.

The meshing of this present model has been generated by ANSYS Meshing software. The total cell number is 244675.

Fan Stage Methodology

In this project, steady airflow in a 3D geometry of the fan stage is simulated by ANSYS Fluent software.

A fan stage is a common apparatus used for creating steady airflow in industrial applications used in the cooling process of newly painted body parts. The periodic boundary condition simulates the real fan stage at the lowest computational cost.

Two sections are involved Rotor and Stator. The rotor, which has a built-in blade, rotates with constant angular velocity and leads air to enter the stator region with high velocity. Blade within stator alters the flow direction to force it exit stator approximately normal to outlet surface.

Rotor domain rotation is simulated using the MRF module with an angular velocity equal to 1800rpm. The stator domain is fixed.

Moreover, the standard k-epsilon model is used to solve the turbulent fluid flow equations.

Fan Stage Conclusion

After the simulation, two- and three-dimensional results related to pressure, velocity, streamlines, and velocity vectors are obtained. For instance, as seen in streamlines and velocity vectors results, the rotating motion of the fluid due to the rotation of the rotor domain is clear.

Furthermore, based on the data calculated using Fluent, the rotor’s angular velocity of 1800 rad/s results in linear velocity of the max diameter of the rotor equal to 31 m/s.

TSR (Tip Speed Ratio), which is the ratio of angular velocity (=32m/s) to free stream flow velocity in the stator (=8m/s), is equal to 4. The airflow rate at the stator outlet is equal to 16.14 lit/s.