Open Access

ARTICLE

Numerical Analysis of Rotor Blade Angle Influence on Stall Onset in an Axial Fan

Yongsheng Wang^1,2, Xiangwu Lu¹, Wei Yuan^1,*, Lei Zhang¹

1 Department of Power Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Baoding, 071003, China
2 Zhejiang Rongda Yongneng Compressor Co., Ltd., Hangzhou, 310030, China

* Corresponding Author: Wei Yuan. Email:

Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing 2025, 21(6), 1505-1528. https://doi.org/10.32604/fdmp.2025.061052

Received 15 November 2024; Accepted 14 February 2025; Issue published 30 June 2025

Abstract

This study explores the influence of rotor blade angle on stall inception in an axial fan by means of numerical simulations grounded in the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations and the Realizable k-ε turbulence model. By analyzing the temporal behavior of the outlet static pressure, along with the propagation velocity of stall inception, the research identifies distinct patterns in the development of stall. The results reveal that stall inception originates in the second rotor impeller. At a blade angle of 27°, the stall inception follows a modal wave pattern, while in all other cases, it assumes the form of spike-type stall. The flow field associated with spike stall inception demonstrates a relatively uniform gradient in the radial direction, whereas the modal wave stall case displays a distinctive “L”-shaped propagation feature. At blade angles of −9° and −18°, multiple stall inceptions are observed. These phenomena initiate at the blade’s leading edge, propagate along both axial and radial directions, and transition dynamically between single and multiple inception states.

---

Keywords

---