In the steady operation condition, the experiments and the numerical simulations are used to investigate the tip leakage flow fields in three low pressure axial flow fans with three kinds of circumferential skewed rotors, including the radial rotor, the forward-skewed rotor and the back- ward-skewed rotor. The three-dimensional viscous flow fields of the fans are computed. In the experiments, the two-dimensional plane particle image velocimetry （PIV） system is used to measure the flow fields in the tip region of three different pitchwise positions of each fan. The results show that the computational results agree well with the experimental data in the flow field of the tip region of each fan. The tip leakage vortex core segments based on method of the eigenmode analysis can display clearly some characteristics of the tip leakage vortex, such as the origination position of tip leak- age vortex, the development of vortex strength, and so on. Compared with the radial rotor, the other two skewed rotors can increase the stability of the tip leakage vortex and the increment in the forward-skewed rotor is more than that in the backward-skewed one. Among the tip leakage vortices of the three rotors, the velocity of the vortex in the forward-skewed rotor is th6 highest in the circumferential direction and the lowest in the axial direction.
In this article, the low pressure axial flow fan with circumferential skewed rotor blade, including the radial blade, the forward-skewed blade and the backward-skewed blade, was studied with experimental methods. The aerodynamic performance of the rotors was measured. At the design condition at outlet of the rotors, detailed flow measurements were performed with a five-hole probe and a Hot-Wire Anemometer （HWA）. The results show that compared to the radial rotor, the forward-skewed rotor demonstrates a wider Stable Operating Range （SOR）, is able to reduce the total pressure loss in the hub region and make main loading of blade accumulating in the mid-span region. There is a wider wake in the upper mid-span region of the forward-skewed rotor. Compared to the radial rotor, in the backward-skewed rotor there is higher total pressure loss near the hub and shroud regions and lower loss in the mid-span region. In addition, the velocity deficit in the wake is lower at mid-span of the backward-skewed rotor than the forward-skewed rotor.
Numerical simulation of three-dimensional flow field and film cooling effectiveness in film-cooled turbine rotor and stationary turbine cascade were carried out by using the k- ε turbulence model, and the predictions of the three-dimensional velocities were compared with the measured results by Laser-Doppler Velocimetry （LDV）. Results reveal the secondary flow near the blade surface in the wake region behind the jet hole. Compared with the stationary cascade, there are the centrifugal force and Coriolis force existing in the flow field of the turbine rotor, and these forces make the three-dimensional flow field change in the turbine rotor, especially for the radial velocity. The effect of rotation on the flow field and the film cooling effectiveness on the pressure side is more apparent than that on the suction side as is shown in the computational and measured results, and the low film cooling effectiveness appears on the pressure surface of the turbine rotor blade compared with that of the stationary cascade.
