How Soler & Palau Developed Faster Axial Fan Design Using TURBOdesign1

Soler & Palau Ventilation Group, one of the world’s leading fan manufacturers with over 50 years of experience, offers a range of ventilation solutions within the fan industry. The company focuses its long-term growth to one simple philosophy – develop an air-moving product that effectively and efficiently meets customer needs, supported by unparalleled engineering, distribution and service.

The pressure forcing the industry to reduce energy consumption and the need to develop and implement new technology is increasing all the time. Soler & Palau developed a new fan design using TURBOdesign Suite, a powerful 3D inverse design technology that streamlines the optimization process. TURBOdesign1 was used to deliver higher efficiency that complied with Europe’s Ecodesign Directive requirements.

Challenge

Soler & Palau’s project focused on developing axial fans that would be equipped with efficient brushless electronically commutated (EC) motors. Their aerodynamic performance would match the efficiency needs of the market. The time-to-market for the development of these fans was a factor in this competitive industry. The company wanted to complete the design and development of the new axial fans in less time than its planned design cycle.

 “For us, the main benefit from TURBOdesign1 is that it will help in reducing design times, not only in the aerodynamic design stage but also in the noise and structural validation stage.” - Guillem Bordas, Project Manager at Soler & Palau

Solution

Soler & Palau design engineers worked with ADT engineers to use TURBOdesign1 to quickly develop the fan blades. The focus was to obtain an optimized blade shape for the 450 mm diameter fan that matched the corresponding aerodynamic performance required.

Soler & Palau design engineers complemented the TURBOdesign1 study by doing some in-house direct simulations (aerodynamic and structural) and extensive testing for aerodynamics, noise and vibrations in addition to adjusting the motor, lifetime and structural tests to round out and complement the fan range.

The designs generated by TURBOdesign1 held up to the testing; proving to be what Soler & Palau needed to achieve its new fan design goals. The software’s menu lets users specify the way they want the blade to work and indirectly might help users address problems related to structural forces and noise.