Prediction of the broadband noise of a low-speed axial fan by CFD similations

An extensive research program has been conducted for several years by CETIAT with scientific and industrial partners to predict one of the major broadband noise sources of low-speed axial fans, namely the blade trailing-edge noise. In the first part of the paper, comparisons of measured and predicted fan sound power spectra due to this mechanism are presented and discussed. The second part of the paper is devoted to the prediction of the wall-pressure fluctuation spectra on the blades of the test fan, which are the main input data of the trailing-edge noise model used. The prediction is made with an empirical model using results of RANS simulations of the flow in the blade boundary layer.