Blade retrofit design to reduce the noise of an axial flow fan by mitigating the tip leakage vortex

In the context of controlling axial fan aerodynamic noise, one effective approach involves the redesign of the blade. In the present study, a novel blade design was formulated for a specific model of axial flow fan, targeting the mitigation of the tip leakage vortex (TLV) and subsequent reduction of noise levels. The assessed noise-reduction blades have perforations drilled from the leading edge (LE) to the pressure surface (PS) of the blades. By impeding the tip leakage flow (TLF), these perforations effectively weaken the TLV. The three-dimensional non-constant flow field within the channel is computed employing the shear stress transport (SST) turbulence model. The aerodynamic noise prediction, which is based on the Lighthill’s acoustic analogy theory, shows that the designed blades can effectively reduce the aerodynamic noise of the axial fan. Specifically, enhancing the ratio of inlet area to outlet area of the ventilation holes leads to an improved noise reduction effect. Notably, for ratios of 0.44 and 1.06, the designed blades exhibit noise reductions of up to 3.3 dB(A) and 3.9 dB(A), respectively. Meanwhile, the static efficiency of these two fans is reduced by 0.50% and 0.26%, respectively. The study thus provides good theoretical support for the design of axial flow fans in the context of noise reduction.