Aerodynamic Characteristics of a Cooling Fan in a Low-voltage Electric Motor

C3 - Motors

In the present work, flow characteristics of a centrifugal cooling fan in a low-voltage electric motor have been investigated numerically using three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations. The k-ε turbulence model was used for analysis of turbulence through a turbulence model test. The finite volume method and unstructured tetrahedral grids were used in the numerical analysis. The optimal grid system in the computational domain was selected through a grid-dependency test. From the results of the flow analysis, considerable energy loss by flow separation was observed in the flow passage. A parametric study was performed for the aerodynamic performance, and the parameters related to the geometry of the blade and fan casing were selected for the study. It was found that mass flow through the cooling fan can be increased by controlling the flow separation in blade passage and fan casing. And, various types of impeller have been suggested to improve the aerodynamic performance of the cooling fan.