Using the finite volume CFD software FLUENT, one fan was studied at a given flow rate (1.5m3/min) for three different operational rotating speeds : 2,000, 2,350 and 2,700 rpm. The turbulent air flow analysis predicts the acoustic behavior of the fan.
The best fan operating window, i.e. the one giving the best ratio between noise emissions and cooling performance, can then be determined. The broadband noise acoustic model is used. As the computation is steady state, a simple Multiple Reference Frame model (MRF, also known as stationary rotor approach) is used to represent the fan. This approach is able to capture the effects of the flow non-uniformity at the fan inlet together with their impact on the fan performance. Furthermore, it is not requiring a fan curve as an input to the model. When compared to the available catalog data the simulation results show promising qualitative agreement that may be used for fan design and selection purposes.
