Numerical Experiments for the Optimization of the Flow Path through a Cross-Flow Fan

횡류팬 유로최적화를 위한 수치실험

Cross flow fan system is widely used for various applications, especially for the air-moving device of heaters, air-conditioners, and air-curtains. Although there are efforts for the optimization of cross-flow fan flow path with different methods of approach, it is still being investigated by many researchers through experimentally and/or theoretically, because the flow pattern of the cross flow fan is not stereotyped. This paper presents some results from numerical experiments for the optimization of the flow path through a cross-flow fan to be applied to indoor wall-mounted room heater. Two dimensional analysis has been applied to a specific fan system including inlet and diffuser outlet. Flow characteristics art presented and discussed for two different flow path at three different operating conditions represented by rotational speed(800, 1,000, 1,200 rpm) of the In. According to the simulated results for the specific fan system under consideration, it could be found that the flow pattern resembles each other at different rotational speed (to say from 800 rpm to 1,200 rpm) for a fixed flow path, while the secondary flows mostly absorbs the speed effects. By changing the flow path significant increase in volume flow rate is estimated upto 2.65 at the same rotational speed. According to the present experience, fan flow path design can be performed more efficiently by incorporating this type of numerical experiments combined with the model tests.