Analyzing the Energy Efficiency of Fan Systems by Using the Dimensional Analysis (DA) Method

Abstract

This work represents a method for investigating the energy efficiency of fan systems used to transport fluids. Applying the methods of dimensional analysis (DA) enables establishing five dimensionless complexes ( π criteria), including some basic parameters having impacts on the consumed energy used for the transportation of a unit quantity of air. The proposed criterion π 1 includes the specific energy consumption e v (specific fan power SFP), and is used for the quantitative evaluation of the energy effectiveness of the fluid transportation. This criterion also includes the main geometric size of the pipe system (network) and the gas properties. The criterion π 3 indicates the impact of the applied method of flow rate regulation on the effective energy use of fan systems. This criterion includes parameters characterizing the selected method of flow rate regulation: speed ( n ) for using the frequency method and the referred length ( L T P ) of the pipe system for using the throttle method. The established (proposed) dimensionless parameters are used to study a concrete fan system. The obtained results concerning the evaluation of the impact of the two most used methods of flow rate regulation (frequency and throttle), as well as the density variation as a result of the temperature change, on the effective energy use are graphically presented: π 1 = f ( π 3 ) .