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Experimental study of the flow induced by a vehicle fan and the effect of engine blockage in a simplified model

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Abstract

Fans are often tested without downstream blockage and, thus, the performance is considerably different when the fan is mounted in a vehicle as part of a cooling system and where high blockage effect is present downstream. The aim of the present work is to analyze by laser Doppler velocimetry LDV measurements the topology of the flow induced by a fan incorporated in a simplified underhood model reproducing engine blockage and to study the blockage effect of the engine positioning on the flow induced by the fan. The distance between the fan and the engine block affects the mean flow axial velocity U. The vertical velocity component W is greatly influenced by the variation of the distance between the fan and the engine block, both in magnitude and topology.

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Correspondence to M. Khaled.

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Khaled, M., Gad El Rab, M., Hachem, F. et al. Experimental study of the flow induced by a vehicle fan and the effect of engine blockage in a simplified model. Int.J Automot. Technol. 17, 617–627 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12239-016-0061-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12239-016-0061-6

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