B.

E PROJECT : Analysis & Optimisation of Blower

Synopsis

A centrifugal blower is a rotodynamic machine which finds wide applications in varied fields today.
The major application areas are sewage aeration, scavenging large diesel engine cylinders, supplying
air to foundry cupolas, conveying gas to boilers, distribution of illuminating gas from municipal gas
plant, vacuum pumps, exhausters and boosters in coke plant, airplane superchargers etc. Also, the
recent advances in steam turbine, electric motors and high speed gearing have greatly increased
their use and applications.

Blower is a fundamentally high speed machine compared to reciprocating type and essentially
consists of an impeller with vanes mounted on a rotating shaft and enclosed by a casing. Fluid enters
the impeller axially near the shaft and is imparted energy, both kinetic and potential, by the vanes.
As the fluid leaves the impeller at a relatively high velocity, it is collected in a volute or a series of
diffusing passages which transforms kinetic energy into pressure before the fluid is discharged from
the machine.

However, with high capacities, the efficient operation of the blowers has become very essential for
economy. Therefore, it is the requirement of Forbes Marshall, which manufactures centrifugal
blowers for its boilers, to enhance the efficiency of their product. There are many factors that affect
the efficiency of blowers, but the focus of this project is on blade geometry, which is one of the
critical parameters. The blower design is facilitated by the computational fluid dynamics analysis, a
technique that has gained popularity in recent years. Although numerical analysis has been around
for many years, the development in computer hardware and software capabilities has made it
possible to solve various equations in fluid mechanics efficiently and quickly using numerical solvers.
The solution that any such numerical program generates should be validated by comparing it to a set
of experimental data. But once its validity is established, the program can be used for various design
purposes within the limits imposed by the assumptions on which it is based. Unlike experimental
fluid mechanics and model testing, the geometry and flow conditions can be easily varied to obtain
various design goals.

The scope of this Bachelor’s Project includes the initial study of impeller design with the design goal
of efficiency in mind. Subsequently, a CFD model is to be developed using commercial CFD codes
along with validation. Also, it aims at optimising the model for greater efficiency by focusing on the
blade angle parameter.

Project by : Kaustubh C. Pethe (B.E Mechanical, VIIT)

Guided by : Prof Sobale

Sponsored by : Forbes Marshall, Pune