Experimental study on the noise reduction of an industrial forward-curved blades centrifugal fan

Many previous researches have concentrated on the noise of backward-curved (BC) blades and forward-curved (FC) multi-blade centrifugal fans. In this paper, an experimental study has been carried out to study the noise reduction of an industrial FC blades centrifugal fan. First of all, the performance and noise characteristics of the FC centrifugal fan were tested to compare the similarities and differences from those of BC blades and FC multi-blade centrifugal fans. And then, some different volute geometric configurations were carried out in order to study the effects of inclined volute tongue, impeller blade-tongue clearance, hub-volute clearance and their coupling effect to the performance and noise of the FC blades centrifugal fan. The aim of many different experimental tests is to validate whether the effects of different modifications to fan performance and noise are additive and to find a good impeller-volute matching to reduce the centrifugal fan noise without reducing performance. The experimental results show that a good coupled modification not only could reduce the fan noise but also could advance the fan performance and extend the operating range.     

基于蜗舌改型的空调用离心风机流动分析及降噪研究

本文采用计算流体动力学和声类比相结合的混合方法对空调用离心风机进行流场以及声场的计算,同时进行风机风量和噪声的实验测量,验证所采用的数值计算模型和计算方法的有效性.针对原型非常规蜗壳,提取蜗壳中间截面型线进行直蜗舌的蜗壳设计,在此基础上设计了三种倾斜蜗舌的蜗壳.根据数值计算结果,对最优倾斜蜗舌进行了实验验证。经实验测试,风机在各个工况点风量均有提升,在最大风量点风量提升6.0%,噪声降低1.4 dB(A).数值分析风机内部流动特征及噪声特性,发现在蜗舌附近流动区域内湍流强度和涡量明显减小,在叶片通过频率处声功率谱密度以及噪声峰值明显下降,这也表明风机的旋转噪声得到了有效控制。     

Numerical and experimental investigations of the unsteady aerodynamics and aero-acoustics characteristics of a backward curved blade centrifugal fan

A numerical study of the aerodynamic and aeroacoustic behaviors of a backward curved blade centrifugal fan was conducted under two important flow conditions: BEP and 1.3 × BEP. Three-dimensional numerical simulations of the complete unsteady flow field for the whole impeller-volute configuration were used to determine the aeroacoustic sources. To locate the unsteady flow and perturbations, the near field wall pressure fluctuations at different strategic points on the volute were computed using the URANS approach. Thus the intensities and positions of the aeroacoustic sources were identified by analyzing frequency spectra. The aeroacoustic sources caused by fluctuations in the interactions of the flows leaving the impeller and volute were close to the volute tongue, and the most effective noise sources related to the flow rate were near the impeller shrouds. In addition, the unsteady flow variables provided by CFD calculations were used as inputs in the Ffowcs Williams-Hawkings equation to estimate the noise tones of the fan. The aeroacoustic calculation results showed that the volute noise was much larger than the blade noise, and the noise mainly propagated from the outlet duct of the fan. Moreover, to account for the noise propagation, three calculation methods were used by applying different solid boundaries. Compared with the other methods, the FEM method, which accounted for the complex solid boundaries, produced good agreement and showed that the complex solid boundaries cannot be neglected in aeroacoustic predictions. The calculation results showed good agreement with the experimental results.     

A simple acoustic model to characterize the internal low frequency sound field in centrifugal pumps

Conventional centrifugal pumps with volute casing generate fluid-dynamic noise particularly at the so-called blade-passing frequency, which is attributed to the interaction of the flow exiting the pump impeller with the volute tongue. Following previous work by the authors to characterize the effect of that blade–tongue interaction on the tonal sound produced, this paper presents a simple acoustic model for centrifugal pumps that considers ideal sound sources of arbitrary position and properties. The model is to be implemented in a software code that applies it systematically to a pump previously tested at laboratory, until identifying the set of ideal sources that best reproduce the pressure fluctuation measurements. In this model, the ideal sources are assumed to radiate plane sound waves along the impeller channels, volute, and outlet diffuser. The volute was considered to be composed by a succession of slices, each of them equivalent to a linear 3-port acoustic system with individual sound transmission and reflection coefficients. A series of tests was conducted to check the validity of the acoustic model, by applying an external acoustic load onto the pump outlet duct and measuring the noise reflected. The resulting reflection coefficient was in good agreement with the predictions of the acoustic model. Finally, the model was used to investigate the pump internal sound field at the blade-passing frequency when operating at 70% of nominal flow rate. It was concluded that the sound field can be characterized reasonably by a dipole-like source located at the tongue region.     

Relationship between volute pressure fluctuation pattern and tonal noise generation in a squirrel-cage fan

In this work, the pressure fluctuation pattern in the volute of a squirrel-cage fan is analyzed. Also studied is how this pattern is modified when a slight geometry change is introduced in the volute tongue. The study has been carried out on a commercial machine, used in automotive air conditioning units. A three-dimensional and unsteady numerical simulation of the flow in the complete machine has been carried out using the commercial code FLUENT. In this way, the pressure fluctuations in some locations near the volute wall have been obtained. The results of this numerical simulation have been compared to the sound pressure level spectra radiated by the fan, measured in a ducted test installation at the laboratory. The tendencies of the sound pressure levels measured at the blade passing frequency show a good correlation with the amplitudes of pressure fluctuations obtained numerically near the volute wall.     

多翼离心风机的三维数值分析

本文对一前弯多翼离心风机的内流场进行了三维数值分析。结果显示蜗壳内部的最大压力沿着轴线方向分布在不同的圆周位置,叶轮内部蜗舌上游区域存在着进口旋涡,蜗舌附近存在着明显的从叶片出口到进口的逆向回流,蜗舌间隙中存在着间隙涡,本文同时给出了一些典型位置上的速度和静压沿轴向的分布曲线,为验证本计算方法的可靠性,计算的流量和压力特性曲线和实验结果进行了比较,吻合良好。     

周向非均匀人流/出流条件下无叶扩压器敏感性分析

不稳定流动是高速离心压缩机内部流动的本质特征,其诱发机制往往受到关键结构参数与边界处流动条件的影响.本文以带有无叶扩压器的离心压缩机为研究对象,基于线性的全局稳定性理论,同时考虑涡黏性与分子黏性的作用,建立了基于无叶扩压器r-θ平面的二维稳定性分析方法,获得了流动失稳的直接全局模态;然后基于伴随方法获得了对应最不稳定特征值的伴随全局模态,结合直接与伴随模态构建了流场特征值的结构敏感性。最后考虑了射流-尾流流动结构,以及蜗壳非对称几何结构的影响,分别对周向非均匀入流/出流条件下的无叶扩压器流动进行了稳定性与敏感性分析。分析结果表明机匣侧出口回流对无叶扩压器全局稳定性具有关键作用;在无蜗壳时,射流-尾流结构对于全局稳定性的影响主要体现在失速团个数,而对失稳机理的影响较小;蜗壳的非对称结构导致流场重新分布,在距离蜗舌顺时针90°~135°位置出口壁面回流与入口回流相互作用,是诱发失稳扰动产生的主要因素。     

Experiments on the unsteady flow field and noise generation in a centrifugal pump impeller

This paper reports on an experimental investigation of large-scale flowfield instabilities in a pump rotor and the process of noise generation by these instabilities. Measurements of the fluctuating components of velocity and surface pressure were made with hot-wire probes and surface mounted pressure transducers on a seven bladed back swept centrifugal water pump impeller operating with air as the working fluid. The impeller was operated without a volute or scroll diffuser, thereby eliminating any sound generation from pressure fluctuations on the volute cutoff. Thus the study focused on flow field and noise components other than the blade passage frequency (and its harmonics). The primary goal of the study was to provide fundamental information on the unsteady flow processes, particularly those associated with the noise generation in the device. It was further anticipated that detailed flow measurements would be useful for the validation of future computational simulations.The measured data at the discharge show a jet-wake type of flow pattern which results in a strong vorticity field. The flow with high velocity found on the pressure side of the impeller tends to move to the low-pressure region present at the suction side of the passage as a form of roll-up around the blade trailing edge. This motion causes an unsteady flow separation at the suction side of the blade and consequently disturbs the flow in the adjacent passage. By interacting with the impeller blades near the trailing edges, this instability flow causes a periodic pressure fluctuation on the blade surface and generates noise by a trailing edge generation mechanism. The spectrum of surface pressure measured at the trailing edge of each blade reveals a cluster of peaks which were identified with azimuthal mode numbers. The correlation between the acoustic farfield pressure and the surface pressure on the impeller blade has proven that the azimuthal modes synchronized with the number of impeller blades generate noise much more efficiently than the other modes. The paper also clarifies the correlation between unsteady flowfield measurements, in both impeller and laboratory co-ordinates, with the radiated noise properties. Thus some light is shed on the noise generation mechanisms of this particular device.     

A numerical optimization on the vibroacoustics of a centrifugal fan volute

A numerical optimization is presented to reduce the vibration and noise of a centrifugal fan volute. Minimal vibration was considered as the aim of the optimization, and the calculation of sound field induced by the vibration of the volute was only based on the final results of the optimization. After the three-dimensional unsteady flow simulation of a centrifugal fan, the parametric finite element model of the volute was created using the pressure fluctuations at blade passing frequency on the volute as external excitation forces. To validate the finite element model of the volute, natural frequencies and amplitudes of the normal velocities of the volute at blade passing frequency were measured. A good agreement was found between the numerical and the experimental results. Then, random method and first-order optimization method were applied in the optimization process. The numerical optimization of the volute was carried out using the local thickness of the volute as design variables and the quadratic sum of the nodal velocities as an objective function. Numerical optimization results show that the volute vibration is reduced by the optimization method. Finally, vibroacoustics of the volute before and after the optimization were calculated by direct boundary element method. The results show that the radiated power of the vibroacoustics of the volute is reduced significantly as well as the vibration of the volute after the optimization.This numerical optimization process provides a useful reference for vibroacoustic reduction of centrifugal compressors and centrifugal fans whose fluids should be kept strictly in a system without leakage.     

不同叶轮形式下离心泵噪声特性对比研究

针对具有无短叶片和有短叶片两种叶轮形式的离心泵,对设计状态下离心泵内部流场进行了全三维、非定常数值模拟,对比分析了其非定常流场特性和噪声辐射特性。流场分析表明:叶轮叶片和蜗舌的相互作用造成了叶片表面强烈的压力脉动,对长短叶片的叶轮形式,在局部增加长叶片表面压力脉动的同时,短叶片表面的压力脉动保持较低水平;同时能够有效降低泵体进口压力脉动,但出口压力脉动有所增强。以叶轮叶片表面作为声源辐射面,对比分析了两种叶轮的偶极子噪声辐射特性,结果表明:长短叶片结构通过改变声能在频域上的分布,从而能有效降低总声压级。      

斜蜗舌对贯流风机内流的影响及降噪机制研究

本文提出采用一种新型的不等距蜗舌(这里统称为斜蜗舌)在提高风机的外特性性能的同时,相对降低噪声.通过试验与数值模拟,比较直叶片式,斜叶片式贯流风机分别用直蜗舌和斜蜗舌时内流、外特性及噪声频谱.采用三维Navier-Stokes方程和κ-ε两方程湍流模型对内部流场进行数值分析,发现与采用常规蜗舌的贯流风机不同的是斜蜗舌贯流风机偏心涡位置随着蜗舌间隙的变化而发生改变.本文旨在探讨斜蜗舌对贯流风机内流的影响及降噪的机制.     

空调风机叶道内旋涡流动分析及进气口偏心的影响

本文采用CFD方法,详细分析了空调用多翼离心风机叶道中的气流分布以及进气口偏心的影响。研究表明,风机叶道内存在大范围的气流分离现象。在后盘附近,存在分离现象的叶道约占2/3,主要分布在蜗壳内侧;而在“前盘”附近,几乎所有叶道都存在分离现象。在“前盘”附近,蜗舌下方的叶道中气流几乎停滞,蜗舌下游叶道为回流和尾缘旋涡所充满,至临近蜗壳出口侧,前缘旋涡逐步形成、发展并融合尾缘旋涡,最后衰减、消失。风机进气口向蜗壳内侧偏置适当距离, “前盘”附近叶道旋涡分布范围明显减小。     

基于两级通流模式的贯流风扇气动噪声模型

贯流风扇独特的流动形态导致主流并非发生于部分流道,根据其内流特点,本文提出了两级通流模式。在离心风扇及轴流风扇气动噪声模型基础之上,同时考虑风扇的具体几何尺寸,运行情况,及蜗壳的存在对噪声传播的影响,提出了贯流风扇叶轮气动噪声的预估模型。试验结果验证了该模型的可靠性,在低转速1100r/min以下时可以较好地预测贯流风扇的气动噪声总声压级,在较高转速时,存在一定的误差。     

A numerical study on the flow and sound fields of centrifugal impeller located near a wedge

Centrifugal fans are widely used and the noise generated by these machines causes one of the serious problems. In general, the centrifugal fan noise is often dominated by tones at blade passage frequency and its higher harmonics. This is a consequence of the strong interaction between the flow discharged from the impeller and the cut-off in the casing. However, only a few researches have been carried out on predicting the noise because of the difficulty in obtaining detailed information about the flow field and considering the scattering effect of the casing. The objective of this study is to understand the generation mechanism of sound and to develop a prediction method for the unsteady flow field and the acoustic pressure field of the centrifugal impeller. A discrete vortex method is used to model the centrifugal impeller and a wedge and to calculate the flow field. The force of each element on the blade is calculated by the unsteady Bernoulli equation. Lowson's method is used to predict the acoustic source. In order to consider the scattering and diffraction effects of the casing, Kirchhoff-Helmholtz boundary element method (BEM) is developed. The source of Kirchhoff-Helmholtz BEM is newly developed, so the sound field of the centrifugal fan can be obtained. A centrifugal impeller and wedge are used in the numerical calculation and the results are compared with the experimental data. Reasonable results are obtained not only for the peak frequencies but also for the amplitudes of the tonal sound. The radiated acoustic field shows the diffraction and scattering effect of the wedge.     

贯流风机变斜式叶轮和常规直叶轮的对比研究

本文对贯流风机变斜式叶轮和常规直叶轮进行了三维数值模拟和实验研究。结果表明贯流风机内部偏心涡的位置沿轴向具有明显的三维分布特征,两者偏心涡的圆周位置沿轴向不断变化,而直叶轮偏心涡的径向位置沿轴向的分布几乎没有变化。变斜式叶轮中偏心涡的位置更加靠近叶轮内圆周和风机的蜗舌。采用变斜式叶轮可以降低叶片通过频率噪声并改善音质。为验证本计算方法的可靠性,计算的流量和压力特性曲线和实验结果进行了比较,吻合良好。     

Effect of inlet duct contour and lack thereof on the noise generated of an axial flow fan

This study concerns the unsteady flows in turbomachines in general, and the aeroacoustics of fans in particular. The principal objective of this paper is the determination of the influence of the upstream environment on the acoustic and aerodynamic behavior of axial fans. After analysis of the various sources of noise present in turbomachines, interest is focused on the influence of the disturbances of the velocity field at the suction. Accordingly, the effect of the presence of a contoured duct and a lack thereof at the inlet of an axial flow fan is analyzed . The results show the strong involvement of the upstream turbulence level in the generation of the noise, and in particular, of broadband noise.     

Experimental study of the noise emission of personal computer cooling fans

A controlled experimental study of the noise emission of a typical model of computer cooling fan, under different operating conditions, was done. The sound-power levels and directivities of 80-mm-diameter Panaflo computer fans mounted in a test plenum were determined from measurements of sound-pressure level over a hemi-spherical surface above a reflecting plane. The design and testing of the test plenum is discussed. Results of tests performed on one fan unit to gain an understanding of the fan’s noise-radiation characteristics and how they vary with operating conditions are presented. The results show that the noise emission of the Panaflo fan is directly related to the voltage and inversely related to the air-flow rate. It was found that the noise level measured at one particular position corresponds well to the average of those measured at 10 points on the hemisphere. The variability of the noise radiation from these Panaflo fans was determined by testing three other fans; variations of resulting total A-weighted power levels were within 1 dB.     

大小叶片贯流风机内流特性分析与实验研究

为降低空调用贯流风机的噪声,改善音质,通过采用直叶片贯流风轮达到斜扭叶片贯流风轮的音质和低噪声特性,从而降低贯流风轮的制造成本,本文设计了大小叶片交错组合的新型非等距贯流风机,并采用滑动网格对其内流特性进行了非定常数值模拟,同时对其气动噪声特性进行了实验研究.大小叶片贯流风机的偏心涡基本稳定在叶轮中心与蜗舌相连的切线上,位于叶轮内圆周附近.风轮非定常运转时,偏心涡的涡核位置在直径为2mm的圆所围成的区域内变化.大小叶片交错组合的贯流风轮改变了叶轮与蜗舌的间距,有效地降低叶片通过频率噪声并改善了音质.采用大小叶片交错组合的贯流风轮能够达到斜扭叶片贯流风机的降噪效果.     

Correction of fan noise for effects of forward flight

When acoustic measurements are made on a static engine test stand, the data must be corrected for the effects of forward flight to predict correctly the noise characteristics of the engine in flight. A ray tracing approach is used here to relate the static test case to the flight case. The assumptions of isentropic irrotational flow into the fan inlet and a cylindrical shear layer at the fan exhaust lead to slightly different methods for correcting inlet noise and exhaust noise. The forward flight correction method generally involves both an angle and an amplitude correction. The amplitude correction factors for inlet and exhaust noise are the same as that for a dipole and can be as much as 6 dB for a flight Mach number of 0·3. The angle correction for the inlet noise differs from that of the exhaust noise, and both differ from the generally used correction to retarded angle.     

Technology for the next gravitational wave detectors

This paper reviews some of the key enabling technologies for advanced and future laser interferometer gravitational wave detectors, which must combine test masses with the lowest possible optical and acoustic losses, with high stability lasers and various techniques for suppressing noise. Sect. 1 of this paper presents a review of the acoustic properties of test masses. Sect. 2 reviews the technology of the amorphous dielectric coatings which are currently universally used for the mirrors in advanced laser interferometers, but for which lower acoustic loss would be very advantageous. In sect. 3 a new generation of crystalline optical coatings that offer a substantial reduction in thermal noise is reviewed. The optical properties of test masses are reviewed in sect. 4, with special focus on the properties of silicon, an important candidate material for future detectors. Sect. 5 of this paper presents the very low noise, high stability laser technology that underpins all advanced and next generation laser interferometers.