Effects of Tip Clearance and Impeller Eccentricity on the Aerodynamic Performance of Mixed Flow Fan

Abstract

The tip clearance and eccentricity of the impeller will affect the aerodynamic performance of the fan, and the impeller installation and vibration characteristics are relatively highly required if the tip clearance is too small. A reasonable tip clearance and excellent coaxially are necessary to ensure that the impeller does not rub with the shell and has superior aerodynamic performance when the fan is working. In the current study, a mixed flow fan was taken as the object and experimental explorations were performed on the C-type test rig designed according to GB/T1236 2000 Industrial fans-performance testing using standardized airways. By moving the airways to change the tip clearance, it was found that an overlarge tip clearance made the fan efficiency decrease significantly, and the efficiency change gradient was large. However, the gradient of efficiency change became smaller when reaching a certain clearance. Similarly, as the eccentricity became larger, the efficiency also decreased. To explore the influence of the optimal clearance and eccentricity of the fan on the fan’s performance, numerical simulations of the flow field inside the fan were carried out using FLUENT software corresponding to the experimental conditions. The influence of the tip clearance and eccentricity on the aerodynamic performance of the fan was revealed from the energy leakage perspective. Through theoretical and experimental analysis, we try to provide guidance on the design, installation and commissioning of fan tip clearance.