Efficiency gain of low-speed axial flow rotors due to forward sweep

Abstract

The paper aims at discovering the relationship between the spanwise gradient of blade circulation and the total efficiency gain due to forward sweep, in the case of low-speed axial flow fans, at the design point. For this purpose, an extensive set of literature data have been processed and evaluated by statistical means. A trend function has been established for quantifying the aforementioned relationship. By such means, it has been pointed out that the efficiency gain due to forward sweep tends to increase with the spanwise gradient of blade circulation. This means that the purposeful incorporation of forward sweep in the design process offers an increased potential for efficiency improvement in the case of rotors of controlled vortex design. The maximum efficiency gain has been observed to be 2% to 3%, due to an in-house developed design method. It has been noted that the efficiency improvement due to forward sweep tends to be minor for free-vortex rotors. Furthermore, the efficiency tends to deteriorate if spanwise decreasing blade circulation occurs in forward-swept rotors. Remarks have been made on the means of simultaneous reduction of loss and noise related to low-speed axial fans, for a prescribed aerodynamic performance.