Noise generation by vacuum cleaner suction units: Part II. Effect of vaned diffuser on noise characteristics

Abstract

Noise emitted by a vacuum cleaner suction unit has aerodynamic, mechanical and electromagnetic noise origins. The aerodynamically generated noise within the blower mostly prevails in the total emitted noise at design and off-design operations. The vaned diffuser built into the blower has an important effect on the aerodynamically generated noise and its spectra. Therefore, in this part of the paper, the effects of the vaned diffuser on the performance and noise characteristics have been measured and analysed at the design and off-design operation. Analysis of measurement results have shown that the built-in vaned diffuser has numerous disadvantages, including: increase in the rotational noise, increase in the non-rotational turbulent noise, especially at off-design operation, increase in production costs and reduction of the flow rate. Therefore, and due to variable operating conditions of the suction units built into a vacuum cleaner, it could be omitted or replaced by a vaneless one.