A numerical investigation of incompressible turbomachinery and the comparison of two CFD packages are presented within this paper. A ducted single rotor fan is simulated with OpenFOAM and ANSYS FLUENT by applying methods as comparable as possible. The characteristic maps and flow fields are analyzed and the results from the CFD codes are compared to examine differences regarding accuracy and efficiency. Additionally the influence of the turbulence model is determined. It is found that the CFD programs show a good agreement especially at the machines design point.
The information about the flow field of this fan is used for the modelling of a high-performance and energy-efficient ducted contra-rotating fan (CRF). Comparing the CRF simulation results to those of the single rotor fan, a doubling of the total pressure rise and a significant reduction of the swirl in the wake flow can be noticed.
