Mechanical Engineering Journal (Apr 2020)

Experimental study on two-dimensional cross-flow impeller with a minimal splitter plate instead of casings

  • Hiroaki MIHARA,
  • Tetsuya OKAMOTO,
  • Keisuke SUZUKI,
  • Takashi NOGUCHI,
  • Katsuya HIRATA

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1299/mej.19-00432
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 7, no. 3
pp. 19-00432 – 19-00432

Abstract

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In the present study, the authors investigate the simplest model of cross-flow impellers, in order to provide the fundamental flow features of cross-flow impellers. The model is a two-dimensional cross-flow impeller with a very-high aspect ratio, and rotates in stationary fluid. More strictly, we occasionally place a splitter plate with minimal influence instead of casings for more precise observations and measurements. Instantaneous measurements of flow-velocity vectors on the mid-span plane are conducted using a CCD camera and a double-pulse YAG laser with a particle-image-velocimetry technique, in addition to conventional flow visualisations and hot-wire-velocimetry measurements. As a result, the authors show the revolutional motion of such an eccentric vortex as a large-scale re-circulating flow structure inside the cross-flow impeller, and reveal the detail of flow features at Reynolds number Re = 300-2500. Furthermore, the authors show the relations between Re and out-flow rate from the impeller.

Keywords