Introduction
Ebm-papst Mulfingen was founded in 1963 by Gerhard Sturm, still actively heading the company, and Heinz Ziehl. Everything started with the externalrotor motor, rediscovered then as an ideal drive for small fans. As the pillar and basic principle of our innovative and wide product range, the externalrotor motor made Ebm the world market leader.
In 1992, Ebm took over PAPST Motoren GmbH & Co.KG, following this up in 1997 by acquiring MVL Motoren Ventilatoren Landshut GmbH. The Ebm, Papast and MVL companies took the joint brand name Ebmpapst in 2003. Ebm-papst produces high-quality fans and motors for many markets, such as heating and air-conditioning, ventilation, refrigeration,
automotive, IT/telecom and drive technology.
Advantage of TURBOdesign1
Searching for new tools to make the design process faster and more efficient, an extensive benchmark of available design tools was conducted at Ebmpapst. TURBOdesign1 was shaped to be the most suitable tool for developing new fan blades, a promising gain of time and a better understanding of aerodynamics.
Figure 1: Comparison of shroud blade pressure predicted by TURBOdesign1 and calculated with CFD
With TURBOdesign1, only a few geometrical parameters are needed. The main input is the blade loading, which directly controls the aerodynamic flow field. In particular, TURBOdesign1’s prediction results are very accurate, as well as controlling the potential flow field.
The direct control of the potential flow field allows designers to control all the main sources of losses, like the secondary flows and the tip clearance flow, that affect axial and centrifugal fans.
Conclusion
TURBOdesign1 can be a valuable tool in designing fans. Its geometrical parameters are reasonable in realising the usual design specifications, with blade loading being an important parameter for aerodynamic and aeroacoustic optimisation.