Blower Assembly Scroll Duct Airflow Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current centrifugal blowers in HVAC systems consume significant electrical energy, leading to reduced fuel economy and inadequate airflow during extreme conditions, necessitating a more efficient and compact design that minimizes energy consumption and noise while maintaining customer comfort.
Innovation Solution
A blower assembly with a housing and fan wheel featuring concentric annular rings and blades forming a scroll duct that expands both axially and radially, optimizing airflow and reducing recirculation, coupled with inlet features to minimize noise and vibration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the blower capacity is increased to meet customer comfort level during extreme driving conditions, then the airflow performance is improved, but the package size and complexity tend to increase
Solution Approach 1:
The fan wheel is segmented into multiple functional components: hub, inner ring, outer ring, and outer blades. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently for its specific function while maintaining overall compactness. The inner ring creates a scroll duct that separates recirculating airflow from productive airflow, enabling improved airflow capacity without proportionally increasing overall size.
Solution Approach 2:
The scroll duct is designed to expand in both axial and radial directions from the scroll cutoff toward the fluid outlet, with the radial expansion rate being greater than the axial expansion rate. This multi-dimensional expansion strategy allows the duct to efficiently guide airflow while maintaining a compact overall package size, resolving the contradiction between airflow capacity and device dimensions.
2Productivity
If the blower operates at high load conditions to provide adequate airflow, then the customer comfort level is improved, but the electrical energy consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful recirculating airflow (which reduces efficiency and increases energy consumption) into a beneficial design feature by creating a dedicated scroll duct for it. The inner ring defines a scroll duct that receives recirculating airflow and directs it toward the fluid outlet, separating it from the productive airflow path. This conversion of harmful recirculation into a controlled flow path improves overall system efficiency and reduces electrical energy consumption while maintaining adequate airflow delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The scroll duct is designed with specific geometric parameters: it expands in both axial and radial directions from the scroll cutoff, with the radial expansion rate being greater than the axial expansion rate. These parameter optimizations ensure efficient flow guidance and pressure recovery, improving airflow delivery while minimizing the power required to drive the blower.
3Device complexity
If the fan wheel design is simplified to reduce cost and complexity, then the manufacturing cost is reduced, but the airflow efficiency and noise performance may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functional elements are merged into a single integrated fan wheel structure: the hub, inner ring, outer ring, and outer blades form one piece. The inner ring simultaneously serves as a structural element and as the boundary of the scroll duct. This merging approach maintains airflow efficiency and noise performance while simplifying manufacturing compared to having separate components for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner ring serves multiple functions: it provides structural support for the outer blades, defines the scroll duct boundary for recirculating airflow, and contributes to the overall aerodynamic performance. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed, simplifying the design while maintaining airflow efficiency and noise performance.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design enhances airflow efficiency, reduces energy consumption, and minimizes noise and vibration, improving overall vehicle performance and customer comfort without increasing package size or complexity.
Implementation Method 1
The fan wheel includes one or more curved blades, which draw the air into the fan wheel axially along an axis of rotation and discharge the air radially outwardly therefrom
Implementation Method 2
an inner surface of the housing and an outer peripheral surface of the fan wheel form a scroll duct to receive a flow of fluid therein
Data Source
AI summary
A blower assembly for use in a vehicle is disclosed, wherein the blower assembly includes a housing and a fan wheel disposed in the housing. A scroll duct formed in the housing axially and radially expands from a scroll cutoff towards an air outlet. The fan wheel includes a hub, concentrically arranged inner and outer annular rings, and an array of spaced apart blades extending between the hub and the annular rings.