Development of an integrated methodology for the customized design of airfoils in axial fans performance optimization

The performance and reliability of automotive engines are strongly influenced by the efficiency of the cooling system, where turbomachinery components such as axial fans and centrifugal pumps play a vital role. The axial fan, positioned downstream of the radiator, is responsible for drawing external air through the heat exchanger, thereby ensuring effective thermal management for the engine. Achieving high efficiency in this component is paramount, especially given the costantly-growing demand for compact, high-performance vehicles. However, standard blade design practices frequently rely on unoptimized airfoil profiles and deliver inconsistent results. This research a methodology for the aerodynamic optimization of axial fan blades, segmented along the span. Using a Python script coupled with XFOIL, the optimal airfoil profiles are identified from different families of standardized airfoils for each segment along the blade span, targeting minimum drag and predefined lift coefficients. Still exploiting the Python-XFOIL coupling, this methodology is further refined by locally optimizing airfoil geometry, considering variations in camber, thickness and their chordwise placement. 2D CFD simulations in ANSYS Fluent are employed to validate the aerodynamic data obtained from XFOIL and to compare the performance of different airfoils, enabling the selection of the most efficient profiles for each segment. A final improved fan configurations, composed of the best-performing profiles, is assembled and evaluated in 3D CFD analysis with ANSYS CFX.