Optimizing an Automotive Blower for Efficiency
Expectations in terms of energy efficiency, thermal and acoustic comfort are increasingly important in the automotive industry. The radial fan that is commonly used for the thermal management of the interior is particularly important because ventilation performance contributes to the well being of passengers. Performance targets are all the more challenging to meet as new aerodynamic resistances appear with the addition of heat exchangers, shutters, filters and ducts that are multiplied to improve thermal comfort.
In the design strategy presented in this paper, the coupling between an accurate numerical simulation of the blower and an inverse design method is investigated. The strength of the method relies in the ability to quickly predict performances of the proposed geometries and to guide the improvements. The objectives of improving the efficiency, reducing the losses and flow unsteadiness should be reached with a small number of iterations, in a short time frame.
In this paper you will:
- Understand why blower design should be frequently reconsidered, both for the wheel and the volute in order to optimize each design
- Learn about the design objectives to improve efficiency, reduce the losses and flow unsteadiness
- Discover how coupling the inverse design method and numerical analysis avoids the long development processes
commonly observed by engineers using a “trial and error” modification approach
