Optimization of flow performance by designing orifice shape of outdoor unit of air-conditioner

The performance of an air conditioner is closely related to the cooling performance of a split-type outdoor unit so that, in most of the relevant preceding studies, the independent performance of an axial fan in an outdoor unit has been studied. However, there is a lack of research on the effects of other components in an outdoor units was rarely investigated. Therefore, in this paper, the effects of the fan orifice among other parts on the flow performance of the outdoor unit was numerically investigated. A virtual fan tester consisting of 18 million grids was developed for highly resolved flow simulation. The unsteady RANS (Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes) equations are numerically solved by using finite-volume CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) techniques. In order to verify the validity of the numerical methods, the predicted P-Q curve of the cooling fan in a full outdoor unit is compared with the measured one. Optimization of orifice shape was carried out for maximum flow performance of the outdoor unit using the validated numerical method.