Prediction of Internal Broadband Noise of a Centrifugal Fan Using Stochastic Turbulent Synthetic Model

The internal broadband noise of a centrifugal fan in a household refrigerator is predicted using hybrid CAA techniques based on stochastic turbulent synthetic model. First, the unsteady flow field around the centrifugal fan is predicted using computational fluid dynamics(CFD) method. Then, the turbulent flow field is synthesized by applying the stochastic turbulent synthetic technique to the predicted flow field. The aerodynamic noise sources of the centrifugal fan are modeled on a basis of the synthesized turbulent field. Finally, the internal broadband noise of the centrifugal fan is predicted using the boundary element method(BEM) and the modeled sources. The predicted noise spectrum is compared with the experimental data. It is found that the predicted result closely follows the experimental data. The proposed method can be used as an effective tool for designing low-noise fans without expensive computational cost required generally for the LES and DNS simulations to resolve the turbulence flow field responsible for the broadband noise.