Numerical Study of Aerodynamic Characteristics of Axial Fans with Different Blade Configurations

The influence of blade number on axial fan aerodynamic performance is a critical factor in optimizing fan design for industrial applications. This study presents a comparative analysis of fiveblade and seven-blade axial fan configurations based on the conventional RS 1442047 model specifications. Three-dimensional fan geometries were developed in SOLIDWORKS and subsequently imported into ANSYS for numerical simulation. The governing equations were solved using a pressure-based transient solver employing the SIMPLE algorithm with second-order upwind discretization. Simulations were performed at different inlet air velocities of 2.5, 5, and 7.5 m/s with a constant rotational speed of 4600 rpm. The results demonstrated that static pressure increased proportionally with inlet velocity for both configurations, with the seven-blade fan consistently generating higher static pressure than the five-blade counterpart across all operating conditions. At the maximum tested velocity of 7.5 m/s, the seven-blade fan achieved a maximum static pressure of 53.65 Pa compared to 48.91 Pa for the five-blade design. However, both configurations exceeded the allowable static pressure limit of 24.909 Pa at this velocity, indicating potential operational constraints. The findings suggest that while additional blades enhance pressure generation capability, inlet velocities beyond 5 m/s may compromise long-term fan performance and reliability.