Test Rig Effect on Performance Measurement for Low Loaded Large Diameter Fan for Automotive Application

Petr Nekolny, along with M. Henner, B. Demory, F. Franquelin, Y. Beddadi, and Z. Zhang from Valeo Thermal Systems, presented their study on the "Test Rig Effect on Performance Measurement for Low Loaded Large Diameter Fan for Automotive Application" at the conference. The motivation for the study stemmed from investigating a large diameter fan across two different laboratories – Valeo in France and the University of Siegen in Germany – to verify the repeatability of measurements and ensure that performance curves are homothetic. The presentation highlighted the use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for comparison with experimental data. The conclusion emphasized that while CFD simulations showed similar performance tendencies as observed in the test rigs, and the results were within or close to the precision range of test rig results, there was no clear explanation for the differences in torque measurement at lower volumetric rates (LVR) observed in Siegen and simulation results. The study concluded that these effects could be cumulative and highlighted the difficulty in making fine comparisons between different facilities or between tests and simulations, underscoring the need for caution in conducting correlation studies in different settings.