Numerical investigation of CSP air cooled condenser fan

Tieghi, Lorenzo; Delibra, Giovanni; Corsini, Alessandro; Spuy, Sybrand J. van der

doi:10.1051/e3sconf/202019711010

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 6 publications

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“…The design and optimization process of the baseline geometry is fully described in [40]. The fan has previously been extensively investigated using actuator line models [41,42] and fully resolved CFD [43][44][45]. The design of the sinusoidal LE is based on the concept of controlling the interaction between the separation on the suction side of the blade and the tip leakage vortex.…”

Section: Design Of Sinusoidal Leading Edge Rotor For a Low-speed High...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Design of Sinusoidal Leading Edge for Low-Speed Axial Fans Operating under Inflow Distortion

Tieghi,

Delibra,

Van der Spuy

et al. 2024

Energies

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Axial fans may be equipped with passive flow control devices to enhance rotor efficiency or minimize noise emissions. In this regard, blade designs influenced by biomimicry, such as rotors with sinusoidal leading edges (LEs), have gained popularity in recent years. However, their design is predominantly driven by a trial-and-error approach, with limited systematic studies on the influence of rotor performance. Furthermore, their effectiveness is typically evaluated under controlled conditions that may significantly differ from operations in real installation layouts. In this work, a systematic review of the design process for sinusoidal LE axial fan rotors is provided, aiming to summarize previous design experiences. Then, a modified sinusoidal LE is designed and fitted to a 7.3 m low-speed axial fan for air-cooled condensers (ACCs). These fans operate at environmental conditions, providing a quasi-zero static pressure rise, often with inflow non-uniformities. A series of RANS computations were run to simulate the performance of the baseline fan and that of the sinusoidal leading edge, considering a real installation setup at Stellenbosh University, where the ACC is constrained between buildings and has a channel running on the ground below the fan inlet. The aim is to explore the nonbalanced inflow condition effects in both rotor geometries and to test the effect of the installation layout on fan performance. The results show that the modification to the rotor allows for a more even distribution of flow in the blade-to-blade passages with respect to the baseline geometry.

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Section: Design Of Sinusoidal Leading Edge Rotor For a Low-speed High...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Design of Sinusoidal Leading Edge for Low-Speed Axial Fans Operating under Inflow Distortion

Tieghi,

Delibra,

Van der Spuy

et al. 2024

Energies

Self Cite

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An Actuator-Disk Model Augmentation for Low-Pressure Axial Fan Simulation

Venter,

Owen,

Muiyser

2024

Journal of Fluids Engineering

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Actuator-disk rotor models are important simulation tools for cost-effective industrial axial fan system analysis. Actuator-disk fan model performance, however, is constrained by the conventional use of 2D airfoil coefficient input data which limits the accuracy of the models to a narrow operating range free from significant secondary radial blade flow effects. Radial blade flow is characteristic of off-design fan operation which is often unavoidable within typical industrial fan system environments, so the enhancement of actuator-disk model performance for these conditions is desired. This paper accordingly presents a new means of robustly determining actuator-disk model coefficient inputs that are suitable for a wide range of fan operating conditions. The proposed Augmented Actuator-disk Method (AADM) capitalizes on new insights on the unique aerodynamic behavior of low-pressure axial fan rotors. The performance of the AADM is evaluated for two different industrial cooling fans and is shown to outperform existing actuator-disk coefficient formulations through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. The AADM is shown to better predict key fan performance metrics, spanwise blade force distributions, and to produce flow fields that are more physically representative (an important feature for industrial heat exchanger studies where the AADM is anticipated to be commonly applied). The AADM has been developed to be easily adopted in generic industrial fan analyses and is expected to serve as a valuable springboard for future actuator-disk fan model developments.

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Leading Edge Bumps for Flow Control in Air-Cooled Condensers

Tieghi

Delibra

Spuy

et al. 2023

IJTPP

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Air-cooled condensers (ACCs) are commonly found in power plants working with concentrated solar power or in steam power plants operated in regions with limited water availability. In ACCs, the flow of air is driven toward the heat exchangers by axial fans that are characterized by large diameters and operate at very high mass flow rates with a near-zero static pressure rise. Given the overall requirements in steam plants, these fans are subjected to inflow distortions, unstable operations, and are characterized by high noise emissions. Previous studies show that leading edge bumps in the tip region of axial fans can effectively reduce the sound pressure levels without affecting the static efficiency. Nevertheless, the effects of this treatment in terms of flow patterns and heat exchange in the whole ACC system were not investigated. In this work, the effect of leading edge bumps on the flow patterns is analyzed. Two RANS simulations were carried out using OpenFOAM on a simplified model of the air-cooled condenser. The fans are simulated using a frozen rotor approach. Turbulence modeling relies on the RNG k-epsilon model. The fan is characterized by a diameter of 7.3 m and a 333 m3/s volumetric flow rate at the design point. The presence of the heat exchanger is modeled using a porous medium. The comparison between the flow fields clearly exerts that the modified blade is responsible for the redistribution of radial velocities in the rotor region. This drastically reduces the losses related to the installation of the fan in a real configuration.

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Numerical investigation of CSP air cooled condenser fan

Cited by 3 publications

References 6 publications

Design of Sinusoidal Leading Edge for Low-Speed Axial Fans Operating under Inflow Distortion

Design of Sinusoidal Leading Edge for Low-Speed Axial Fans Operating under Inflow Distortion

An Actuator-Disk Model Augmentation for Low-Pressure Axial Fan Simulation

Leading Edge Bumps for Flow Control in Air-Cooled Condensers

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