Design of a Three-Dimensional Centrifugal Fan with Controlled Blade Loading Approach

Abstract

The high flow-rate centrifugal fan needs a three-dimensional impeller to achieve a high efficiency. In this paper, the design procedure of a high-efficiency three-dimensional centrifugal fan is presented. First, the main dimensions of the fan were calculated by using the conventional one-dimensional method. Then, the blade loading or the angular momentum distribution along the meridional streamline on the blade surfaces is prescribed. After that, the three-dimensional blade is determined by using the streamline curvature method. With the aid of numerical simulations, the performance of the three-dimensional fan was improved and some of the key influence factors were investigated. The analyses indicate that, as to the high flow-rate centrifugal fan, the Stanitz modified formula is recommended to calculate the separation radius, r b. A proper increase in the separation radius is beneficial for the fan's performance. It is also indicated that a decrease in the angular momentum on the hub leads to an increase in total pressure efficiency, under the condition of a given constant mean angular momentum at the outlet of the blade. In addition, the installation of a fairing on the hub plate can improve the fan's efficiency evidently when the streamline curvature method is adopted to design the three-dimensional impeller.