Design optimization of low-speed axial flow fan blade with three-dimensional RANS analysis

This work presents a numerical optimization procedure for a low-speed axial flow fan blade with polynomial response Surface approximation model. Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations with SST turbulence model are discretized by finite volume approximations and solved on hexahedral grids for flow analyses. The blade profile as well as stacking line is modified to enhance blade total efficiency, i.e., the objective function. The design variables of blade lean, maximum thickness and location of maximum thickness are selected, and a design of experiments technique produces design points where flow analyses are performed to obtain values of the objective function. A gradient-based search algorithm is used to find the optimal design in the design space from the constructed response surface model for the objective Function. As a main result, the efficiency is increased effectively by the present optimization procedure. And, it is also shown that the modification of blade lean is more effective to improve the efficiency rather than modifying blade profile.