• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.38 no.12
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• pp.1065-1072
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• 2014

The shape of an impeller splitter for a dual-inlet centrifugal blower was optimized to enhance the blower performance. Two design variable, the normalized chord and pitch of a splitter, were used to evaluate the blower performance and internal flow fields based on the three-dimensional flow analysis. The blower performance obtained using this numerical simulation had a maximum error of 4 percent compared to that in an experiment at the design flow condition. The shape optimization of the splitter successfully increased the blower efficiency and pressure by 3.65 and 1.14 percent compared to the reference values. The blower performance was increased by reducing the flow separation near the blade suction surface by optimizing the shape of the splitter, which produced a pressure increase at the outlet of the volute casing.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.326-333
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• 2013

This paper presents the performance enhancement of a double-inlet centrifugal blower by the shape optimization of an inlet duct. Two design variables, a length of anti circulation vane and an angles of inlet guide, are introduced to improve the inlet flow uniformity leading to the blower performance. Three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations are used to analyze the blower performance and the internal flow of the blower. From the shape optimization of the inlet duct of the double-inlet centrifugal blower, the optimal positions of each design variable are determined. Throughout the analysis of sensitivity, it is found that the angle of the inlet guide is more effective than the length of the anti-circulation vane to increase flow uniformity at the outlet of the duct. Efficiency and pressure for the optimal inlet duct shape are successfully increased up to 3.55% and 3.2% compared to those of reference blower at the design flow condition, respectively. Detailed flow field inside the blower is also analyzed and compared.