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article · Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part A Journal of Power and Energy

Investigation into the predicted performance of a cooling fan for an sCO<sub>2</sub> concentrated solar power plant

20241 citationOpen accessStellenbosch University

Abstract

An axial flow fan is designed for dry cooling of a sCO 2 Brayton cycle for a CSP plant, and a scaled model of the fan is manufactured and tested experimentally in an ISO 5801:2017 Type A fan test facility. While the design procedure’s estimate of the total-to-static efficiency at the design flow rate is relatively high, at 74.4%, the experimental fan efficiency was found to be only 50.6%. This paper details an investigation into the causes of fan performance degradation, using both experimental and numerical methods. The investigation finds that the hub configuration, tip clearance size, and scale of the test fan is responsible for the reduced performance. Two alternative hub and casing configurations are identified which improve the fan’s performance significantly.

Research topics

  • Solar Thermal and Photovoltaic Systems
  • Wind and Air Flow Studies
  • Thermodynamic and Exergetic Analyses of Power and Cooling Systems

Sustainable Development Goals

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DOI: 10.1177/09576509241237840

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