CFD Analysis And Process Optimization For Engine Cooling Fans

The engine cooling fan which performance directly affects the operation of the engine isa primary component of the engine cooling system. The traditional process of fan design takesa long time and high cost due to the demand for a large number of experimental data. CFDsimulation approach which is economic both in time and expenses, and which is able toprovide comprehensive information of flow is a new and growing method for fluidengineering. Therefore, CFD technology is more and more available for the design of enginecooling fans along with the rapid development of CFD theory and the improvement ofcomputer performance.This paper explains the research of the aerodynamic performance test of engine coolingfans, and describes the fan aerodynamic performance indexes including rate of flow, staticpressure, dynamic pressure, power and pressure efficiency. Also, the components of the fanaerodynamic performance test stand and its test and analysis principle are introduced. After atest, aerodynamic performance parameters of an engine cooling fan are drawn into a curve inorder to analyze.A numerical simulation experiment on an engine cooling fan of the modelF597-42-64-10was performed with the use of FLUENT, which obtains the flow fieldstreamline, the velocity vector and pressure distribution, and which works out theaerodynamic performance indexes involving rate of flow, static pressure and power.Compared with the test results, the simulation ones have a deviation within10%in a stablecondition, which verifies the rationality and practicability of the model of the numericalsimulation.Finally, in order to realize the automation of simulation process, a series of batchprogram are written using the corresponding software (HyperMesh, FLUENT, Excel)programming language and their macro functions which improve the efficiency of CFDsimulation process. The optimization of simulation process which reduces mistakes and thework intensity of an operator is able to shorten one day or two in the cycle of the simulationanalysis of a fan.