A Numerical Investigation on the Influence of the Circular Ring on the Aerodynamic Noise Generated by a Cooling Fan

The influence of the width of the circular ring of a car cooling fan on the aerodynamic noise is investigated numerically through the determination of the overall sound pressure level(OASPL).The results demonstrate that when the circular rings cover near 2/3 of the width of the blade tips of the rotor in the axis direction,the rotor has the lowest OASPL and the related total pressure efficiency and flow mass rate are better than the corresponding values obtained for a reference rotor without a circular ring.With increasing the width of the circular ring in the axis direction,the tip vortex around the trailing edge of the blade tip becomes smaller and finally disappears.Meanwhile,a separated flow field arises gradually and then grows in size around the middle of the junction of the blade tips with the ring.When the circular rings cover nearly 2/3 s of the width of the blade tips of the fan in the axis direction,the extension of the separated flow around the blade’s tip attains a minimum.

Heat stress alleviation for dairy cows housed in an open-sided barn by cooling fan and perforated air ducting(PAD)system

Curtain-sided barns with circulation fans above stall are commonly used to house dairy cows in China.Many farms equipped with circulation fans are unable to provide appropriate cooling,especially for the naturally ventilated shed,which can result in decreasing feed intake and milk production.For alleviating heat stress and improving animal comfort,a system consisting of an air cooler and a 30 m perforated air duct(PAD)was integrated to evenly distribute cooling air.The air was cooled by underground water and delivered to targeted zones above stall bed.The system was evaluated in an open sided dairy barn in Tianjin,China.For the stalls equipped with PAD system,air velocity reached above 1.1 m/s at 0.5 m height plane of the stall space,and was more uniformly distributed.Compared to the stalls equipped with circulation fans,the PAD system lowered air temperature by 1.5℃,and increased relative humidity by 8.1%.On average,Temperature Humidity Index(THI)and Equivalent Temperature Index(ETI)were decreased by 0.5 and 0.6,respectively.After a 15 days’operation of the system,rectal temperatures of the treated dairy cows were significantly lowered.The results also showed that the cows under PADs had a higher milk production.These findings suggest the PAD can be an effective cooling alternative for naturally ventilated dairy barns to alleviate heat stress.

Diagnosis and Design Improvement of the Internal Flow Field in an Automotive Cooling Fan Based on Boundary Vorticity Dynamics, Part Ⅰ: Blade Profile Scaling and Rotation

To optimize the aerodynamic performance of the automobile cooling fan(ACF), the internal flow field of the original fan was numerically simulated. According to the theory of boundary vorticity dynamics(BVD), the distribution laws of the boundary vorticity flux(BVF) on the blade surface and the circumferential vorticity(CV) at the wake plane of the fan were analyzed, and the underlying various negative factors, such as vortex shedding, separated flow and complicated secondary flow, on the fan blade surface and its dynamic source were diagnosed. Combined with the velocity triangle theory, the mathematical relationship between the BVF diagnosis and the geometrical characteristics of the blade profile(hereinafter referred to as profile) is used to guide the design improvement of the blade. The analysis found that at the same speed, the extension and rotation of the profile could match a smaller input torque at the same flow rate and pressure rise, thereby improving the efficiency of the fan. The test results confirmed the above conclusion. The peak efficiency of the improved fan has been increased by 2.3%, and the aerodynamic performance in the low-flow-rate has been improved. The conclusion of the study shows the applicability of the BVD theory in the diagnosis and design improvement of ACF internal flow.

Thermodynamic performance assessment of vacuum membrane-based dehumidification and air carrying energy radiant air-conditioning system(VMD-ACERS)

Temperature and humidity independent control(THIC)air-conditioning system is a promising technology.In this work,a novel temperature and humidity independent control(THIC)system is proposed,namely VMD-ACERS,which integrates vacuum membrane-based dehumidification and air carrying energy radiant air-conditioning system.This work establishes a novel coefficient of performance(COP)model of VMD-ACERS.The main parameters affecting the COP of conventional fan coil unit cooling system(FCUCS)and VMD-ACERS are investigated.The performance of FCUCS and VMD-ACERS are compared,and the energy-saving potential of VMD-ACERS is proved.Results indicate that,for FCUCS,the importance ranking of parameters is basically stable.However,for VMD-ACERS,the importance ranking will be affected by FCU and refrigerant.The most important parameters of VMD-ACERS are condensation temperature and permeate side pressure.On the contrary,superheating,subcooling are relatively less important parameters.For VMD-ACERS,it is not necessary to pursue the membrane with very high selectivity,because the selectivity of membrane would also be a less important parameter when it reaches 500.The COP of VMD-ACERS is higher than that of FCUCS when the permeate side pressure is higher than 8 k Pa.The VMD-ACERS solves two technical problems about power-saving and thermal comfort of conventional THIC,and can extend the application of THIC air-conditioning system.