Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation is basically a summary, with some interpretation, of published research by the author. The scope is limited to the fields of turbo-machinery, computational fluid dynamics and solar chimney power plants. The main contribution in the field of turbo-machinery in general is in the development of a through-flow method that automatically satisfies mass conservation. Concerning fan design, the contributions are the realization of the importance of the exit kinetic energy in the determination of the efficiency of rotor-only axial flow fans, and the quantification of the effect of off-axis inflow into cooling system fans on their performance. In the field of centrifugal fans and compressors an original, unifying model for the prediction of slip factor was developed. To investigate accident scenarios in closed cycle gas turbine nuclear reactors, all possible operational modes of multi-stage axial compressor operation caused by flow and rotation direction were investigated experimentally and computationally. Spanning the fields of turbo-machinery and solar chimneys, the basic theory of solar chimney turbines was developed, showing that high turbine efficiency was possible. In the field of solar chimneys, an original thermodynamic approach was developed to predict the main relationships that govern solar chimney performance, and to solve the through-flow equations for non-ideal systems with losses. Equations for the accurate determination of all the thermodynamic variables in a solar chimney as dependent on chimney height, wall friction, additional losses, internal drag and area change were derived and solved. Coefficients of wall friction, bracing wheel loss and exit kinetic energy were determined experimentally, and empirical equations were developed to predict the loss coefficient of the collector to turbine transition section and and the turbine inlet flow angle. A simple power law approach allowed the calculation of the optimal turbine pressure drop in solar chimney power plants. A comparison of two sets of equations used to calculate the heat fluxes into, inside and leaving the solar collector, resulted in similar air temperature rises in the collector, and similar produced power. It turned out however that the optimal flow for minimal turbine pressure drop was dependent on the heat transfer models. Investigation of the performance of various solar chimney turbo-generator layouts using analytical models and optimisation techniques showed that the optimal number of turbines varies with plant size, but the individual turbine size, the number of blades and even the efficiency remains close to constant. It was found that the cost of a turbogenerator system, however, varies significantly with size. A joint paper with several German universities and institutions did a comparative cost analysis of solar chimney power plants / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie verhandeling is basies ’n opsomming, met interpretasie, van gepubliseerde navorsing deur die outeur. Die omvang is beperk tot die gebiede van turbomasjinerie, berekeningsvloeidinamika en sonskoorsteenkragstasies. Die hoof bydrae op die gebied van turbomasjinerie in die algemeen is in die ontwikkeling van ’n deurvloeimetode wat outomaties massabehoud bevredig. Wat waaierontwerp betref is die bydrae die besef van die belangrikheid van die uitlaat kinetiese energie in die bepaling van waaierbenuttingsgraad, en die kwantifisering van die effek van af-as invloei in verkoelingswaaiers op hulle gedrag. Op die gebied van sentrifugaalwaaiers en -kompressors is ’n oorspronklike, samevattende model vir die voorspelling van glipfaktor ontwikkel. Om ongeluk-scenario’s in geslote kringloop gasturbine kenreaktors te ondersoek is al die moontlike werksmodusse veroorsaak deur vloei en rotasie rigting van ’n multistadium aksiaalkompressor eksperimenteel en numeries ondersoek. As brug tussen turbomasjinerie en sonskoorstene is die basiese teorie van sonskoorsteenturbines ontwikkel met die aanduiding dat hoë turbine benuttingsgraad moontlik is. Op die gebied van sonskoorstene is ’n oorspronklike termodinamies benadering ontwikkel om die hoofverwantskappe te voorspel wat sonskoorsteen gedrag bepaal, en om die deurvloei vergelykings op te los vir nie-ideale stelsels met verliese. Vergelykings vir die akkurate bepaling van al die termodinamiese veranderlikes in ’n sonskoorsteen soos afhanklik van skoorsteenhoogte, wandwrywing, bykomstige verliese, interne sleur en oppervlakte verandering is afgelei en opgelos. Koëffisiënte vir wandwrywing, verstywingswiel-verlies en uitlaat kinetiese energie is eksperimenteel bepaal, en empiriese vergelykings is ontwikkel om die verlieskoëffisiënt van die kollektor-tot-skoorsteen oorgang en die turbine inlaatvloeihoek te bepaal. ’n Eenvoudige magswet benadering het dit mootlik gemaak om die optimum turbine-drukval in sonskoorsteen aanlegte te bepaal. ’n Verglyking van twee stelle vergelykings om warmtevloede in, binne en uit die sonkollektor te bereken het gelei na soortgelyke temperatuurstygings en gelewerde drywing. Die optimale vloei vir maksimum drywing was egter afhanklik van die warmteoordrag modelle. Ondersoek van die gedrag van verskeie turbo-generator uitlegte, deur gebruik van analitiese modelle en optimeringstegnieke het getoon dat die optimale aantal turbines wissel met aanleg grootte, maar die individuele turbine grootte, die aantal lemme en selfs die benuttingsgraad bly feitlik konstant. Daar is egter gevind dat die koste van ’n turbogenerator stelsel beduidend wissel met grootte. ’n Gesamentlike artikel met verskeie Duitse universiteite en instansies het ’n vergelykende koste analise van sonskoorstene gedoen.

In this work, the time varying stresses in a Howden axial flow fan are obtained by finite element analyses. Dynamic substructuring is used to obtain accurate values of the stresses in the threads of the blade shaft, the component which connects the blade with the hub. Three different global models are used to compare the influence of neglecting the fan shaft and the stiffness influence of the centrifugal force. The relative displacements, which are obtained from the global models, have been used as boundary condition in the detailed models. The detailed models are used to obtain the Von Mises stresses in the root of the threads of the blade shaft. Finally the results of the three global models are compared with experimental measured data provided by Howden. The experimental data results in the highest Von Mises stresses. The model with the fan shaft and the stiffness influence of the centrifugal force gives values for the Von Mises stresses which are approximately twenty percent lower. The model without the fan shaft results in the lowest stresses which are approximately forty percent lower than the stresses obtained using the measured data.

Thesis (MScEng (Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The purpose of this project is to investigate the method and accuracy of simulating axial ow fans with three-dimensional axisymmetric CFD models. Two models are evaluated and compared with experimental fan data. Veri cation data is obtained from a prototype fan tested in a facility conforming to the BS 848 standards. The ow eld over the blade surfaces is investigated further with a visualization experiment comprising of a stroboscope and wool tufts. Good correlation is found at medium to high ow rates and recommendations are made for simulation at lower ow rates as well as test guidelines at the fan test facility. The results and knowledge gained will be used to amend currently used actuator disc theory for axial ow fan simulation. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie projek is om die metode en akkuraatheid om aksiaalvloeiwaaiers met drie-dimensionele BVM modelle te simuleer, te ondersoek. Twee modelle word geëvalueer en met eksperimentele waaiertoetse vergelyk. Veri- kasie data is verkry vanaf 'n prototipe waaier wat in 'n fasiliteit getoets is en wat aan die BS 848 standaarde voldoen. Die vloeiveld oor die lemoppervlaktes word ondersoek met 'n visualisering eksperiment wat uit 'n stroboskoop en wolletjies bestaan. Goeie korrelasie word gevind vir medium tot hoë massavloeie en aanbevelings word gemaak vir die simulasie by laer massavloeie met riglyne vir toetswerk in die toets-fasiliteit. Die resultate en kennis opgedoen sal gebruik word in die verbetering van huidige aksieskyfteorie vir numeriese aksiaalvloeiwaaier simulasies.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Axial flow fan arrays form part of air-cooled steam condensers in direct drycooled power plants. This dissertation investigates the performance of axial flow fans when located at the perimeter of a fan array. The perimeter (or edge) fans may experience a reduction in air flow through the fan due to the prevalence of distorted inlet conditions upstream of the fan. The reduction in air flow leads to a reduction in the heat transfer capability of the steam condenser and a consequent reduction in the electricity output of the power plant. Due to the physical size of an air-cooled condenser, full-scale experiments are often impractical and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is used to model its performance under various conditions. To limit the size of the CFD model the axial flow fans in the CFD analysis are represented by means of simplified methods. Three different simplified methods are presented and applied to a CFD model of a single axial flow fan, namely the pressure jump method (PJM), actuator disc method (ADM) and extended actuator disc method (EADM). The results are compared to experimental values. The comparison highlights the limitations of the models: The ADM fails to model fan performance correctly at low flow rates, while the PJM ignores the variation in fan blade properties at different locations within the fan rotor. The EADM is presented as an improvement on both the other two models. A multiple fan test facility is constructed, consisting of three 630 mm diameter fans extracting air from a common inlet chamber. The inlet chamber is constructed in such a way that one of the three fans act as the perimeter (edge) fan. The floor of the inlet chamber can be adjusted to increase or reduce the inlet flow distortion experienced by the edge fan. Six different fan configurations are tested in the position of the edge fan and an empirical method is derived by which the volumetric effectiveness of an edge fan can be predicted. The experimental results are compared to CFD results for the same facility using the three different simplified simulation methods investigated previously. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements are also performed upstream of the edge fan and the velocity profiles at the inlet of the fan are compared to the profiles obtained numerically. The comparisons show that the EADM predicts the performance of the edge fan more accurately than the ADM en PJM. The effect of adding a walkway and removing the bell mouth upstream of the edge fan was investigated using the EADM. The results are used to show the location of the loss mechanisms upstream of the edge fan. The addition of a walkway moves the location of the pressure loss away from the edge fan bell mouth towards the edge of the walkway. Consequently the distortion directly upstream of the edge fan is reduced and its volumetric effectiveness increased. The effect of removing the edge fan’s bell mouth is similar to the effect of adding a walkway upstream of the edge fan. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Aksiaalwaaiermatrikse vorm deel van lugverkoelde kondensors in direk droëverkoelde kragstasies. Hierdie verhandeling ondersoek die werkverrigting van aksiaalwaaiers wat geleë is op die rand van ‘n groot waaiermatriks. Die randwaaiers kan ’n vermindering in deurvloei ondervind as gevolg van versteurde inlaattoestande stroom-op vanaf die waaier. Die vermindering in lugvloei lei tot ’n vermindering in die warmetoordagvermoë van die stoomkondensor en ’n gepaardgaande afname in die elektrisiteitslewering van die kragstasie. As gevolg van die fisiese grootte van die lugverkoelde kondensor is volskaalse eksperimente gewoonlik onprakties en word berekeningsvloeimeganika (BVM) gebruik om die werking van die aanleg onder verskeie toestande te modelleer. Ten einde die grootte van die BVM model te beperk, word die aksiaalwaaiers in so ‘n BVM analiese voorgestel met behulp van vereenvoudigde metodes. Drie verskillende vereenvoudigde metodes word aangebied en toegepas op ‘n BVM model van ‘n enkelwaaier, naamlik die druksprongmetode, die aksieskyfmetode en die verlengde aksieskyfmetode. Die resultate word vergelyk met eksperimentele waardes. Die vergelyking benadruk die beperkings van die modelle: Die aksieskyfmetode kan nie die werking van die waaier akkuraat voorspel by lae vloeie nie en die druksprongmetode ignoreer die variasie in lemeienskappe op verskillende liggings binne-in die waaierrotor. Die verlengde aksieskyfmetode word voorgestel as ‘n verbetering op die ander twee metodes. ‘n Veelvuldige waaiertoetsfasiliteit is saamgestel, bestaande uit drie 630 mm deursnee waaiers wat lug uit ’n gemeenskaplike inlaatkamer suig. Die inlaatkamer is so saamgestel dat een van die waaiers in die fasiliteit ‘n randwaaier verteenwoordig. Die vloerhoogte van die inlaatkamer kan aangepas word om die inlaatversteuring wat deur die raandwaaier ondervind word te vermeerder of te verminder. Ses verskillende waaierkonfigurasies is getoets in die randwaaierposisie. ‘n Empiriese metode waarmee die volumetriese effektiwiteit van ‘n randwaaier voorspel kan word is afgelei. Die eksperimentele resultate word vergelyk met ooreenstemmende BVM resultate vir dieselfde fasiliteit deur gebruik te maak van die drie verskillende vereenvoudigde metodes wat vroeër ondersoek is. Partikelbeeld snelheidsmetings word ook stroom-op vanaf die randwaaier uitgevoer en die snelheidsprofiele by die inlaat van die waaier word vergelyk met profiele wat numeries bereken word. Die vergelykings wys dat die verlengde aksieskyfmetode die werkverrigting van ’n aksiaalwaaier meer akkuraat voorspel as die aksieskyf- of druksprongmetodes. Die effek van die installering van ‘n loopvlak en die verwydering van die randwaaier se inlaatmondstuk word ondersoek met behulp van BVM deur gebruik te maak van die verlengde aksieskyfmetode. Die resultate word spesifiek gebruik om die ligging van die verliesmeganismes stroom-op vanaf die randwaaier aan te dui. Die resultate wys dat die installering van ‘n loopvlak die ligging van die drukverlies wegneem vanaf die rand van die waaierinlaat na die rand van die loopvlak. Dit verminder die inlaatversteuring stroom-op vanaf die randwaaier en die volumetriese effektiwiteit word verhoog. Die verwydering van die randwaaier se inlaatmondstuk het ‘n soortgelyke effek as die installering van ‘n loopvlak stroom-op vanaf die randwaaier.

Free fall is one of the important phases of the operation performed by the Special Forces paratroopers. Also civilian parachutists are performing free fall as a sport by doing aerobatic maneuvers when they reach the terminal velocity during falling before opening their parachutes. Vertical wind tunnels are used for training the parachutists and paratroopers. It is safe, cheap and more convenient when compared to jumping out of an airplane. This thesis consists of aerodynamic design of closed circuit, double return vertical wind tunnel with a flight section that can accommodate four paratroopers, aerodynamic design of a rotor straightener configuration axial flow fan and running CFD analysis of the axial flow fan for different operating conditions by FLUENT software.

Reversible axial flow fans are used as emergency ventilation fans to discharge the smoke generated on the probable fires occurring in the underground transportation systems and mines as quickly as possible, without causing any harm to people exposed to it. The fans which are placed in different configurations according to the location of fire must be able to work bi-directionally, namely reversible. Due to this fact, the blade profiles of the fan must possess the same aerodynamic performance while working on either discharge or suction condition of the fan, dictated by direction of the rotation. This manuscript consists of the computation of the aerodynamic performances of symmetrical blade profiles of fully reversible axial fans by computational fluid mechanics (CFD) methods, developing a methodology for the design of reversible axial fans and analysis of the designed fan with CFD methods. The aerodynamic performances of the blade cascades are evaluated using FLUENT 6.0 software for different Reynolds numbers, solidities and angle of attacks of the cascade. The results of these computations are embedded into the developed methodology. Performance analysis of the reversible axial flow fan, which is designed with the developed methodology, is done with CFD techniques.

No description available.

In this study, a variable pitch axial flow fan is designed and analysed for Ankara Wind Tunnel (AWT). In order to determine the loss caharacteristics of AWT, an algorithm is developed and the results are validated. Also some pressure and velocity measurements are made at the fan section to find the losses experimentally. After completion of the fan design, analyses are made at different volumetric flowrates and blade angles including the design point and the performance characteristics of the fan are obtained and thereafter the operating range of the tunnel is deterimened.

Nous avons abordé dans ce travail deux aspects particuliers de la mécanique des fluides appliquées à la conception des matériels de lutte contre l’incendie. Le premier concerne la ventilation lors du traitement des compartiments. Nous avons montré qu’une grille alvéolaire, placée devant l’hélice du ventilateur, nous permet de façonner le jet et de lui donner une forme ovalisée. Cette forme est plus adéquate à l’entrant du compartiment et permet un gain important de la performance de ces ventilateurs. Le deuxième aspect de ce travail a été de concevoir un système de dosage d’émulseur dans un réseau d’eau sous pression. Nous avons pour cela défini un doseur de type venturi, équipé d’une ogive conique au niveau du col. Cette ogive, dont la position est définie par le rapport entre la pression d’entrée et la pression de sortie. Nous avons montré, à partir du théorème de Bernoulli, que ce système permet de maintenir une aspiration au niveau du col, quelle que soit la pression ou le débit le traversant. / In this work we have analysed two topics of fluid mechanics, applied to the design of fire fighting equipment. The first one is the performance of ventilation during the movement of air in a compartment that contains a fire. We have shown that specific blade angle designed within the gril and placed in front of the fan propeller, allows us to manipulate the jet of air giving it an oval shape. This shape is more efficient and allows a significant gain in the air movement performance within the compartment for these fans. The second aspect of this work was to define an emulsifier dosing system in a pressurized water system. We define a venturi dosing system with a movable cone piece. The position of this conical piece is Controlled by the pressure ratio between the inlet and the outlet. Based on Bernoulli's theorem, we have demontrated that this system maintains a level of suction at the Inlet regardless of the pressure or flow passing through it.

Le bruit tonal d’interaction rotor-stator, généré par l’impact des sillages issus des pales d’un rotorsur la grille d’aubes d’un stator redresseur, contribue de manière déterminante au bruit d’origineaérodynamique des turbomachines axiales carénées, qui équipent une large part des systèmes de propulsionaéronautique et de conditionnement d’air. La prédiction du bruit par l’utilisation de simulationsnumériques demeure onéreuse, notamment dans les premières phases de conception lorsque de nombreusesconfigurations doivent être testées. Dans cette optique, l’approche analytique choisie dans cettethèse apporte une alternative tout à fait appropriée. Les modèles analytiques basés sur une fonctionde réponse aéroacoustique de profil isolé ne permettent pas de reproduire l’effet de grille engendrépar le nombre important d’aubes de stator. Inversement, de fortes approximations sont nécessairespour décliner les fonctions de réponse de grilles d’aubes existantes dans des configurations tridimensionnelles.Le formalisme proposé, basé sur la méthode de raccordement modal, permet d’introduiresimplement l’effet de grille dans une géométrie annulaire d’étage rotor-stator. Un modèle de réponse degrille rectilinéaire bidimensionnel est tout d’abord présenté pour la transmission d’ondes acoustiques àtravers le stator ainsi que pour la génération de bruit par l’impact de rafales hydrodynamiques. Dansce cadre, une analyse linéaire et non visqueuse est considérée, pour laquelle les modes acoustique ettourbillonnaire d’un gaz sont couplés par le biais des frontières rigides. Les perturbations de vitessesliées aux sillages sont modélisées comme des rafales convectées. Leur impact sur la grille de statorgénère des ondes acoustiques se propageant en amont, en aval ainsi que dans les espaces inter-aubesdu stator, vu comme un réseau périodique de guides d’ondes. Les sections de bords d’attaque et defuite des aubes sont considérées comme des interfaces sur lesquelles la continuité des fluctuations depression, de vitesse axiale et de vorticité est vérifiée. Un système d’équations est ainsi obtenu, puisrésolu par des projections sur les bases modales du conduit et des inversions matricielles. Le champacoustique rayonné est ainsi déterminé uniformément dans tout le domaine. Les résultats issus de cesmodélisations sont comparés à ceux des fonctions de réponse de grilles d’aubes rectilinéaires issues dela littérature, montrant un très bon accord avec les modèles basés sur la technique de Wiener-Hopf. Leformalisme est par la suite étendu aux grilles annulaires par l’ajout de fonctions de Bessel comme fonctionsde forme radiale exprimant les effets tridimensionnels. Finalement, une procédure est présentéepour rendre compte de l’hétérogénéité des aubes de stator, caractéristique des nouvelles architecturesde turbomachines. Cette méthodologie est basée sur l’emploi conjoint du principe du dipôle de bordd’attaque et de la fonction de réponse aéracoustique de la grille de stator à l’aide de la technique deraccordement modal. Le principe de dipôle de bord identifie le chargement instationnaire des aubesinduit par l’impact de rafales hydrodynamiques, calculé par le formalisme d’Amiet, avec la trace duchamp de pression acoustique produit par un dipôle placé au voisinage du bord de l’aube. Les prédictionsissues de ce modèle, appliqué dans un cadre bidimensionnel, sont ensuite comparées à des mesuresobtenues pendant la campagne d’essais du projet SEMAFOR. / The rotor-stator wake-interaction tonal noise, generated by the impingement of rotor wakes onoutlet guide vanes, plays a crucial role in the aerodynamic noise of axial-flow ducted fan stages. Thelatter are widely used in most aeronautic propulsion and air-conditioning systems. The noise predictionby means of numerical simulations remains expensive, especially at the preliminary design stage whennumerous configurations must be tested. In this respect, the analytical approach chosen in this thesisprovides a well suited alternative. The analytical modeling based on an isolated-airfoil response functioncan not reproduce the cascade effect introduced by the large number of stator vanes. Conversely, drasticapproximations are required to extend the current cascade response functions to three-dimensionalconfigurations. The proposed modeling based on the mode-matching technique simply introduces thecascade effect in an annular rotor-stator stage. A rectilinear cascade response function is firstly presentedto account for the acoustic transmission through the stator along with the wake-interaction noise.In this context, a linearized and non-viscous analysis is carried out, in which the acoustic and vorticalmodes of a gas are coupled at rigid physical boundaries. The velocity perturbations issued from thewakes are written as a sum of convected gusts. Their impingement on the cascade of vanes generatesacoustic waves propagating upstream, downstream of the cascade, as well as inside the inter-vane channelsof the stator, seen as a periodic array of bifurcated waveguides. The duct cross sections at theleading-edge and the trailing-edge of the vanes are seen as interfaces on which the continuity of thefluctuating pressure, axial velocity and vorticity is fulfilled. A system of linear equations is obtained,then solved by means of modal projections and matrix inversions. The acoustic field is then uniformlycalculated in the whole domain. Comparisons with rectilinear cascade response functions show a verygood agreement with predictions based on the Wiener-Hopf technique. The configuration of an annularcascade is addressed by introducing the Bessel functions as radial shape functions, expressing threedimensionaleffects. Finally, a procedure is presented to account for the heterogeneity of the statorvanes, typical of modern fan architectures. This approach is based on the combinaison of the leadingedgedipole principle and the cascade response function derived from the mode-matching technique.The edge-dipole principle identifies Amiet’s solution for the unsteady loading and the radiation of adipole approached very close to the edge of a half plane. The predictions provided by this modeling,applied in a two-dimensional configuration, are finaly compared to measurements performed in the testcampaign of the SEMAFOR project.