Aero-acoustic assessment of

turbomachinery using advanced

turbulence modelling methods

Satish Patange
ANSYS UK Ltd

2014 ANSYS, Inc. September, 2014 1

 Outline
Sound propagation

Acoustics modeling

Applications of rotating machines Fan flow

SRS

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 Acoustics Key features
Magnitude of acoustic waves is very
small compared to aerodynamic
pressure.
Acoustic radiation contains only a tiny
fraction of primary flow energy.
Most unsteadiness in flow is pseudo sound
and does not radiate!

Acoustic problems are unsteady!

Frequency range of interest is quite
large:

Frequency range 20Hz 20kHz
Temporal resolution for acoustics is orders of
magnitude larger than the interesting time
scales in the flow.
Small eddies need to be captured, requires
spatial resolution.
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 Aero acoustics Source Classification
Monopole Dipole Quadrupole
simple source two mopoles two dipoles

m& = m& (t ) psurface = psurface(t)

= (t)
Unsteady mass Unsteady external Unsteady turbulent
injection forces shear stresses
Acoustic ~ U 3M Acoustic ~ U 3M 3 Acoustic ~ U 3M 5
Power Power Power

Monopole and dipole sources dominant at low Mach numbers.

Scaling valid for acoustically compact sources, >> L!
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 Aero acoustics Approaches

Turbomachinery Noise
Discrete + Broadband

Monopole Dipole Quadrupole

Blade Thickness Noise Blade Loading Noise Turbulence Noise
Discrete Discrete + Broadband Broadband

Steady Rotating Forces Unsteady Rotating Forces

(Lowson/Gutin Models)
Discrete Discrete + Broadband

Steady flow, discrete Unsteady flow, discrete + broadband

Secondary flow, discrete + broadband
Vortex shedding, narrowband + broadband
Turbulent BL, broadband

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 Aero acoustics Simulation Basics
Aeroacoustics modeling involves simulation of
two aspects

Sound source
Provides source characteristics and rankings

Sound propagation
Propagation of sound from the source to the receiver
Requires input of source characteristics
Provides
Sound spectrum and receiver
Sound directivity

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 Aero acoustics Simulation Basics
Sound source simulation is done with detailed CFD analysis of
flow around the blades, hub, shroud, etc.
Can be done in two ways
Steady State
Transient

Advantages/Disadvantages
Steady State
Computationally cheap, fast, but not very accurate
Transient
Computationally expensive, slow, but more accurate
After all, sound generation is a highly transient phenomenon

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 Aero acoustics Simulation Basics
Practical usage of Steady State and Transient methods

Final
Design
Design
Possibilities

Design Transient and

Simple hand Steady State
Screening Experimentation
calculations
Methods

Increasing Accuracy and Expense

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 Aero acoustics Simulation Basics
Sound propagation can be calculated in different ways
CAA (Computational Aero Acoustics)
Direct sound computation
Uses the transient turbulence modeling capability in CFD
LES, WMLES, DES, Detached DES and Scale Adaptive
simulation
SSPM (Segregated Source-Propagation Methods)
Propagation is decoupled from source
Source and propagation are treated as mutually independent
Models many be used for computing propagation
Lighthill-Curle Method
Ffowcs-Williams-Hawkings Method
FEM/BEM (Solution of Lighthills equation/Wave equation)
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 Computational Aero Acoustics (CAA)
In fact, wave equation is a special case of Navier-Stokes equations.

CFD solves the Navier-Stokes equations.

In theory, sound generation as well as propagation can be simulated by:
Transient, compressible CFD simulation
With computational domain spanning from sources to receivers!
Monitor static pressure at the receiver locations as function of time
SRS (or URANS if tonal noise)
SAS of a side view mirror 140
130

No further models involved! (ReD = 520 000) 120
110
100
90

SPL [dB]
80
70
60
Sensor 121
50
40
30
Freestream Velocity = 140 km/h
20
Experimental data
10 SAS model
0
10 100 1000
Frequency [Hz]
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 Acoustic analogy
Acoustic analogy assumes acoustics can be decoupled from flow dynamics.
On the basis of Lighthills analogy:
Noise Sources are assumed in a uniform fluid at rest
Acoustic field at observer is described by wave equation
Resolution of acoustic and dynamic flow field are decoupled
Based on two steps:
Simulate transient flow field accurately using CFD to get the acoustic sources
location and intensity
Propagate noise from sources to receiver by solving wave equation
analytically

Acoustic
CFD domain
receiver
Acoustic sources Wave Equation

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 Acoustic Analogy Integral FW-H
The solution contains surface integrals over source surfaces and a
volume integral

Less sensitive to proper placement of permeable source surfaces
than other integral methods (e.g. Kirchhoff)
Volume integral not directly solved too time consuming

Collect all sources inside permeable surface
Noise generated in the fluid volume
(Quadrupole)

Loading noise
(Dipole)
where
Thickness noise
(Monopole)
Williams, J. E. F. and Hawkings, D. L. (1969): Sound generation by turbulence and surfaces in
arbitrary motion. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, Vol. A264, pp. 321-342.
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 FW-H Example: Canon Loudspeaker
Bass-reflex loudspeaker to increase
efficiency of the system at low
frequencies

Low frequencies sound radiated
through the port and added in phase
with the driver front wave
3 million cells, t = 8*10-6 s
moving zone
M.Younsi, G.Kergourlay, V. Morgenthaler, Near Field and
Far Field Prediction of Noise in and around a deforming zone
Loudspeaker: A Numerical and Experimental
Investigation EURONOISE 2012, 1013 June, Prague
Courtesy of Canon

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 Lowson/Gutin Model
Lowson
Noise level @ specific location
Unsteady load replaced by steady load
multiplied by exponential decay function
Fx ( ) Fx 0 h
(semi-empirical):

F ( ) = F Directivity plot of
y y0 1st harmonic

Wave propagation from rotational

symmetric geometries (Bessel
function)
Gutin
Steady loading noise of blades
Solver rotates signal, not geometry
Considers thickness noise (monopoles)
and loading noise (dipoles)
2014 ANSYS, Inc. September, 2014 Steady-state vs. transient for 2-bladed fan 14
 Aero acoustics Approaches
Acoustic Broadband 3rd party
Features & Lowson/ Modal-
CAA analogy noise coupling
Limitations Gutin Analysis
(FWH) modeling (1-way)
Computation
Most Fair Moderate Moderate Least Fair
cost
Account for
Yes No No No No Yes
reflection
Account for
effect of
Yes No No No No No
sound on
flow
Solution Transient
Transient Transient Steady State Steady State Steady State
scheme
Very Good
Accuracy Good
Good Limited Limited Limited

Decreasing computational effort

Increasing accuracy
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 Applications in rotating machines

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 Fan Noise Macro in CFD-Post
Specific to ANSYS CFX
Based on the Lowson Noise Model
Low speed machines : Tip Mach Number < 0.35
High Mach number : Less accurate
Forces acting as punctual force on gravity center
Small blade span
Usage of semi-empirical coefficient to define loading decay

Acoustics Pressure at mth Harmonic

imz 2 = + mz mz Fy ( )
pm = ( i ) cos FX ( ) . J mz (mzM sin )
2..c o .r1 = mz M
Where, = Harmonic Mode; M =Mach Number; z = Blade Number; = Rotational Speed (rad/s)
h = Loading Coefficient (2.0 ~ 2.5)

Fx ( ) Fx 0 h

F ( ) = F
Unsteady Force Components Steady State Force Components : Fx0 & Fy0
y y0
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 Fan / Turbo Noise Macro [1]
Fan / Turbo Noise Calculation Examples

Typical Fan Noise Output Results

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 Broadband Noise Models
Two kinds of models are available in ANSYS Fluent
Broadband models based on averaged quantities
Proudmans formula for turbulence noise
Turbulent boundary layer noise model
Jet noise model (2D axisymmetric only)
Broadband models based on reconstruction of flow field fluctuations
Source terms in Linearized Euler equations (LEE)
Source terms in Lilleys equation
ANSYS CFX
Estimate of noise source strength
Monopole sources
Dipole or rotating dipole sources
Quadrupole sources

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 Sound Source Strength Prediction [1]

Monopole Terms

ANSYS CFD Post

ANSYS CFX-Pre setup
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 Sound Source Strength Prediction [2]

Dipole Terms

ANSYS CFD Post

ANSYS CFX-Pre setup

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 Sound Source Strength Prediction [3]

Quadrupole Terms

ANSYS CFD Post

ANSYS CFX-Pre setup

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 Sound Source Strength Prediction [4]

Design Comparison
Radial
Original Design

Forward: Low Noise at Design Point

radial

Forward

Forward
Optimized Design

Design point

Measurements
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 Case Study #1
Aeroacoustics Modeling of a Centrifugal Fan Using ANSYS CFX

N = 3000 rpm Z = 39 Blades

Near Field & Far Field Noise Prediction
Steady Flow Simulation using SST
Turbulence Model
Unsteady Flow Simulation using Scale
Adaptive Simulation (SAS) Turbulence
Model
Node Count = 2.177 Million
6 Near Field Microphone (Two used to
Capture Noise Spectra)
1 Far Field Microphone
Far Field Noise Modeling using ANSYS
CFX Turbo Noise Macro Based on
Lowson Model

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 Case Study #1
Aeroacoustics Modeling of a Centrifugal Fan Using ANSYS CFX

Near Field Microphones

Far Field Microphones

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 Case Study #1
Aeroacoustics Modeling of a Centrifugal Fan Using ANSYS CFX

Microphone #1 Microphone #4

Near Field Noise Prediction

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 Case Study #1
Aeroacoustics Modeling of a Centrifugal Fan Using ANSYS CFX

70
Experimental data
60 TurboNoise macro
Sound Pressure levels, dB

50 ANSYS CFX Turbo Noise (Based

on Lowson Model)
40

At BPF SPL [dB]

30

TurboNoise 56.8
20

Experiments 55.9
10

0
0 2000 4000 6000 8000
Frequency, Hz

Near Field Noise Prediction

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 Case Study #2
Aeroacoustics Modeling of an Automotive Electric Cooling Fan
Using ANSYS Fluent
Free-standing fan (open to
atmosphere on all sides)
Nine, evenly spaced blades Fan Speed
= 2000 rpm
Single Reference Frame
Single Blade Modeling
Cell Count ~ 10 Million
LES Turbulence Model
FW-H Model For Far-Field Sound
Propagation

2014 ANSYS, Inc. September, 2014 28

 Case Study #2
Aeroacoustics Modeling of an Automotive Electric Cooling Fan
Using ANSYS Fluent
Grid & Temporal Resolution Verification:
Height of First Cell Center on the blade
is roughly equal to the Taylor length Taylor Length Scale : Blade Pressure Side
)
scale (
Grid is fine enough to capture eddies in
the inertial sub-range Low values
occur at
Therefore the grid is good for higher radius
due to higher
conducting a true LES computation flow velocity
Time step required for LES /U
Steady state results indicate that the
timestep for transient LES solution
should be roughly 1E-6 second.

2014 ANSYS, Inc. September, 2014 29

 Case Study #2
Aeroacoustics Modeling of an Automotive Electric Cooling Fan
Using ANSYS Fluent

Source Pressure Spectra

160

140

120

100

SPL (dB)
80

60
pt01 pt02
40
pt03 pt04
20 pt05 pt06

0
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500
Frequency (Hz)

Near Field Sound Spectra

2014 ANSYS, Inc. September, 2014 30

 Case Study #2
Aeroacoustics Modeling of an Automotive Electric Cooling Fan
Using ANSYS Fluent

Flow Structure
60
2000 RPM, 0 degrees, 1 meter Instantaneous Iso-
50 Surface of 2nd Invariant
of Velocity Gradient
40
SPL (dBA)

30
Rotation
20

10

0
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000
Frequency (Hz)

Far Field Sound Spectra

Rotation
Vortices in Near Wall
Region
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 Conclusion
Unsteady simulations are the future for many CFD applications.
A wide spectrum of Scale Resolving models are available in ANSYS CFD :
o LES,
o WMLES,
o (D-)DES,
o EMBEDDED LES,
o SAS.
Such models can be combined with different acoustic approaches,
particularly:
o Direct CAA,
o Acoustic analogy (FW-H).
Question is: Which approach is best suited for which type of flows?

Best ratio of cost vs. performance.

Safest environment for user (limited sensitivity to mesh, time step, ).
User feed-back is always welcome and appreciated!
2014 ANSYS, Inc. September, 2014 32