Detached Eddy Simulation of Unsteady Flow Field and Prediction of Aerodynamic Sound in a Half-Ducted Propeller Fan

Three-dimensional structures and unsteady nature of vortical flow fields in a half ducted propeller fan have been investigated by a detached eddy simulation (DES) based on k-ω two-equation turbulence model. The validity of the numerical simulation performed in the present study was demonstrated by the comparison to LDV measurement results. The simulation shows the tip vortex is so strong that it dominates the flow field near the rotor tip. The tip vortex does not impinge on the pressure surface of the adjacent blade directly, however it interacts with the shroud surface and induces a separation vortex on the shroud. Furthermore, this separation vortex interacts with the pressure surface of the adjacent blade. These flow structures cause high pressure fluctuation on the shroud surface and the blade pressure surface. Besides, sound pressure levels were predicted by Ffowcs William-Hawkings equation based on Lighthill’s acoustic analogy using the unsteady surface pressure data obtained by DES. As a result, the degree of contribution by each flow structure to overall sound has been estimated quantitatively.