Date of Award

2002

Publication Type

Master Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.Sc.

Department

Mechanical, Automotive, and Materials Engineering

Keywords

Engineering, Mechanical.

Supervisor

Barron, R.

Rights

info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

Abstract

The University of Windsor/DaimlerChrysler Fan Test Facility was used to measure the pressure rise of the fan and the detailed velocity field downstream of the fan. These measurements were made for six different conditions, comprised of two fan rotating speeds and three flow rates. At each condition, pressure rise and three components of velocity were measured on two downstream planes, at 25 mm and 100 mm below the base of the hub. In order to numerically simulate the wake of an automotive cooling fan, the FLUENT Fan Model was adopted as a boundary condition in the simulation domain. The parameters required by the fan model were generated from the experimental data. The experimental pressure rise and corresponding flow rates were used to derive the relation between the pressure rise and the average fluid velocity magnitude normal to the fan. This polynomial relation was applied in the fan model. In order to develop the relation for the radial and tangential velocity components as function of radial distance, needed in the fan model to simulate the swirl, the measurements taken on 25 mm planes were assumed to be taken at the bottom of the fan blade. Thus at a specific flow condition, the radial and tangential velocity polynomials, to be applied in the fan model, were generated from the experimental radial and tangential velocity data on the 25 mm plane. Two types of simulations were carried out, one using only the pressure rise fan boundary condition and the other using the pressure rise and swirl velocity fan boundary conditions. The effect of applying the radial and tangential velocity boundary conditions has been investigated. Comparisons between the computational pressure rise and the experimental pressure rise was made. Comparisons were also made between the CFD results and the experimental data for the velocity components on the 100 mm downstream plane.Dept. of Mechanical, Automotive, and Materials Engineering. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis2002 .Y35. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 41-04, page: 1186. Adviser: Ronald M. Barron. Thesis (M.A.Sc.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 2002.

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