Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The paper deals with the design of forward-inclined blades, where “forward inclination” is intended as the design-dependent amount of forward sweep to be incorporated in non-free-vortex blades to restore quasi-2D flow behaviour within the rotor passages. The aim of the work is to assess the effectiveness of this design modification in a 0.5 hub-to-tip ratio fan with radially stacked blades that induce a roughly constant swirl velocity at the rotor exit. To this end, the original blade has been modified by incorporation of a forward sweep amount that translates into a forward-inclined design, defined in accordance with a method suggested by the authors. Both the original and forward-inclined design were preliminary assessed by CFD and finally verified by experiments. The forward-inclined design demonstrated experimentally to improve the pressure rise and efficiency of the original fan in the whole operation range with ca. 10% gain at design operation.
Source: Energies
DOI: 10.3390/en19020327
Authors: Massimo Masi, Piero Danieli, Sergio Rech
Institution: University of Padua
Language: English
Subfield: Aerospace Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,137
OpenAlex ID: W7119482333