ME 4351 Thermal-Fluid Systems Lab Spring, 2006

Blower Performance
Objective:
The objective for this lab exercise is to evaluate the performance characteristics of an air blower.

Test Procedure:
The performance of an air blower will be quantified in terms of pressure jump or head, flow rate, electrical power requirement, and overall efficiency of the blower and motor combination. Data will be obtained at two fan speeds. The fan laws will be applied to reduce the two sets of head, power, and efficiency data to single nondimensional relationships. Finally, a curve fit to the nondimensional data will be used to predict the fan performance at a third, untested fan speed.

Data Requirements:
Note the ambient temperature, pressure and density. Measure the blower casing diameter. Two data tables will be constructed from data obtained at two blower speeds. For the first data table, set the blower speed at the maximum speed which does not over-range the Watt meter. Explore the effects of blower speed and flow rate to determine the maximum power requirement and adjust the blower speed accordingly. Use the hand held tachometer to measure the impeller speed. With a constant blower speed, use the valve at the end of the flow loop to obtain data at zero flow rate (valve closed) and max flow rate (valve fully open) and 4 to 6 intermediate flow rates. At each flow rate, record the flow rate as indicated by the laminar flow element, the pressure jump across the blower, and the blower motor power requirement. Reset the blower speed to a controller frequency 10 % 20 % lower than that for the first data set. Repeat the data collection process outlined above.

Calculated Results:
Transfer the data tables to two worksheets in an Excel workbook. Add additional columns representing the capacity coefficient, head coefficient, electrical power coefficient, and overall efficiency. Combine the results at the two blower speeds in plots of blower head, motor power requirement, and efficiency vs flow rate. Form similar plots head coefficient, power coefficient, and efficiency vs. capacity coefficient. Perform a curve fit of the head coefficient and power coefficient curves. Based on the curve fits, create a third table representing the blower performance at 120% of the maximum test blower speed. The predicted performance should include head, power, and efficiency vs. flow rate.

ME 4351 Thermal-Fluid Systems Lab Spring, 2006

Blower Performance
Report Requirements:
In a short report format, provide: a) a summary which includes a short description of the test and the essential results, b) a discussion which includes a more complete, but still brief, description of the test and results including the calibration plots, c) attach a schematic of the experimental apparatus d) attach the Excel spreadsheet calculations.