Half-spiral housing with segmented radius for compact fan integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Radial fan half-spiral housings in roof-mounted climate-control systems face limited installation space with existing logarithmic spiral designs, requiring a reduction in installation height without compromising efficiency and noise performance.
Innovation Solution
A half-spiral housing design with a pressure chamber subdivided into beginning, central, and blow-out portions, where the averaged radius varies, reaching a maximum in the blow-out portion, and is reduced in the central portion to minimize height, while maintaining flow efficiency through axial widening and optimized geometry.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a logarithmic spiral radius is used for the pressure chamber, then the housing achieves a smooth flow path and good pressure conversion, but the installation height becomes fixed and large
Solution Approach 1:
The pressure chamber is divided into three distinct sections along the circumferential direction: a beginning portion with larger radius, a central portion with reduced radius, and a blow-out portion with maximum radius. This segmentation allows each section to serve different functions - the central portion reduces height while the blow-out portion maintains flow efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
Different radial dimensions are applied to different circumferential portions of the pressure chamber. The central portion has a reduced radius to minimize height, while the blow-out portion has a maximum radius to ensure efficient flow and pressure conversion, creating local optimization throughout the structure
2Length of stationary object
If the half-spiral housing radius is reduced in the central portion, then the maximum height is locally reduced for compact integration, but the flow cross-sectional surface area is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The housing transitions from a purely radial dimension to include axial dimension variations. By widening the pressure chamber axially in the central portion, the design compensates for the radial reduction, maintaining flow area through a different spatial dimension
Solution Approach 2:
The design changes geometric parameters dynamically across different portions: radial distance is reduced in the central portion while axial distance is increased, creating a variable cross-section that maintains overall flow area despite radial compression
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 achieves a compact, efficient, and low-noise radial fan housing that can be integrated into tight spaces, such as bus evaporator units, by balancing radial space reduction with flow cross-sectional surface area and pressure conversion efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
This enables the pressure conversion of the dynamic pressure into static pressure within the spiral pressure chamber to be continually maintained over the circumference
Data Source
AI summary
A radial fan half-spiral housing has a pressure chamber extending in the circumferential direction about an axial intake opening (5) to a radial blow-out opening (31). The pressure chamber, as viewed in the circumferential direction, is subdivided into at least one beginning portion (7), one central portion (8), and one blow-out portion. The intake opening (5) determines a central axis of rotation for a fan wheel. An averaged half-spiral housing radius, as viewed about the axis of rotation (11), varies in the beginning portion (7), the center portion (8), and the blow-out portion (9). It reaches a maximum in the blow-out portion (9). The center portion (8) of the half-spiral housing radius is reduced in a region determining a maximum height H(δ,z) of the half-spiral housing (1) compared to a logarithmic spiral radius (rlog).