Implementation of Axial Fan curve

2008 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

Agenda
Motivation
Implementation
Example

2008 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

Motivation
Commonly asked questions both by sales
and customers
Is this option available within CFX?
Are there any examples available?
Detailed fan geometry not available
Only fan external dimensions and fan
characteristics curve available
Gives the users a easy way of implementing a
Fan BC at inlet
2008 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

Implementation
For inlet axial fans on Local Cartesian
coordinate; created for each BC
Calculates the trailing edge velocity profile,
based on Euler equation

Electronics Package

2008 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

Electronics Package

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

Implementation
Based on Euler fan
design equation

Reduced equation: No
swirl entering Fan inlet

C 1 0

UC 2
h
g
2008 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

User Inputs
User inputs:
Fan curve: static pressure Vs. Flow rate
Fan rotational speed: in rpm
Tip radius

2008 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

Model assumptions
Geometry:
Circular inlet
Hub tip ratio = 0.4
Hub radius = 0.4* Tip radius user can change it
Flow:
No flow at the inlet below Hub radius
No swirl entering fan
Fan Efficiency = 66% - user can change it

2008 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

Calculations steps:
Read in the standard Fan curve information: static pressure vs.
flow rate
Evaluate System Resistance, i.e., pressure drop between inlet
and outlet
Using System Resistance: read the flow rate from the fan curve
Calculate meridional velocity:

Cmerid

Q
2
( Rtip2 Rhub
)

Calculate: swirl velocity

P
C
(r )

Assume: radial velocity

2008 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

Crad 0
8

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

Calculation steps
Create local coordinate frame at centre the inlet
Evaluate annular region of the flow:
Step function between Rhub and Rtip
Rtip r
r Rhub
.
step

1[ m]
1[m]

SpanLoc step

Rtip
Inlet

Rhub

Flow
region
2008 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

No
flow

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

Calculation steps
Cartesian Velocity specified:

(Crad .x C . y )
U
.SpanLoc
r
(Crad . y C .x)
V
.SpanLoc
r
W Cmerid .SpanLoc

2008 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

10

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

Example: electronics cooling

Outlets

Fan
Populated pcb

2008 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

11

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

Read Fan curve data

2008 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

12

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

CEL & CCL

LIBRARY:
CEL:
EXPRESSIONS:
# Input information from the user
# Calculating the exit profile from the Fan

Fspeed = -2000 [min^-1]

Rtip = 0.035 [m]

Cm = FanQ/FanArea # Meridional Velocity

Crad = 0 [m s^-1] # Radial Velocity
Ctheta = delP/(fanEffn*(U2+1 [m s^-1])*rho) # Swirl Velocity

# Assumed values

HubTipratio = 0.4
FanEffn = 0.66

# Conevrting Cylindrical velocity to Cartesian Velocity components

# and clipping the profiles within radii of Rtip and Rhub

# Geometry calculation

Uspec = ((Crad*x-Ctheta*y)/(r+1e-9[m]))*spanloc
Vspec = ((Crad*y+Ctheta*x)/(r+1e-9 [m]))*spanloc
Wspec = Cm*spanloc

Rhub = HubTipratio*Rtip
FanArea = pi*(Rtip^2-Rhub^2)
spanloc = step((r-Rhub)/1 [m])*step((Rtip-r)/1 [m])

END
END
END

# Calculations

Fanomega = Fspeed*2*pi
rho = massFlowAve(Density)@In
inP = areaAve(p)@In
OutP = areaAve(p)@Out
delP = abs(inP-OutP) # System Resistance
FanQ = Fancurve(delP) # flow rate read from the Fancurve data
U2 = r*fanomega # Blade Velocity
2008 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

13

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

Inlet BC
Create a Local Coordinate
frame for the inlet

2008 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

FLOW:
DOMAIN: Default Domain
BOUNDARY: In
Boundary Type = INLET
Coord Frame = Coord 1
Interface Boundary = Off
Location = Fan
BOUNDARY CONDITIONS:
FLOW REGIME:
Option = Subsonic
END
MASS AND MOMENTUM:
Option = Cartesian Velocity Components
U = Uspec
V = Vspec
W = Wspec
END
TURBULENCE:
Option = Medium Intensity and Eddy Viscosity
Ratio
END
END
END
END
END

14

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

Example: Swirling Inlet Velocity Profile

2008 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

15

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

Example: Electronics Cooling

2008 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

16

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

Conclusion
Useful in first cut simulations without complexities of
meshing the fan geometry
Reduced mesh size compared to modelling the actual
fan
More accurate presentation of the flow as compared
to
plug profile at inlet
r* i.e., tangential velocity component specification at
the inlet

2008 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.

17

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary