Velocity measurements near an automotive cooling fan.

Due to the increased competition for engine compartment space in automobile design, an increased emphasis has been placed on automotive cooling fan performance. The goal of this study was to design and execute an experiment to measure all three components of the phase-averaged velocity field on planes upstream of an automotive cooling fan. The measurements were conducted with the use of a single component, backward-scatter, fibre optic Laser Doppler Anemometer (LDA). The fan was located in a fan test facility, designed so that the fan speed and flow rate could accurately and independently be controlled. The facility was also designed so that the boundary conditions were symmetrical and the flow upstream and downstream could be characterized as being unbounded. The results of this experimental study are to be used for validating a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model of a fan that has been developed independently and has the same design and flow conditions. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)Dept. of Mechanical, Automotive, and Materials Engineering. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis2001 .B765. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 40-03, page: 0770. Adviser: G. W. Rankin. Thesis (M.A.Sc.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 2001