Simulation of particle-laden flows and erosion in an axial fan stage considering the relative position of the blades

Axial fans are vital accessories in aircraft ventilation systems, but, they may experience erosion from particulate flows, causing a decline in effectiveness over time. This study investigated the trajectories of two types of sand particles and erosion in an axial fan stage, considering the relative position of the blades facing the inlet guide vanes. The movement of particles was simulated using an in-house code that implements a Lagrangian approach along with a stochastic particle-eddy interaction model. The flow field was solved separately and the flow data was transferred to the particle trajectory code. The finite element method allowed for the tracking of particles through the computational cells and accurate determination of their impact positions. A semi-empirical erosion correlation was used to evaluate the local erosion rates, mass removal, and geometry deterioration. As a result, the rotor exhibits a high frequency of impacts and significant erosion on the leading edge of the blade, extending to the upper corner of the pressure side and blade tip, as well as the front of the suction side. In the inlet guide vane, the erosion is spread out along the entire pressure side but at lower erosion rates compared to the rotor blade. The erosion patterns obtained at different pitch-wise positions were cumulated to get better representation of erosion patterns. After being exposed to MIL-E5007E sand (0–1000 $\unicode{x03BC}$ m) at the highest concentration for 10 hours, the blade experienced a reduction of a 0.29% in mass, a 0.45% decrease in tip chord, and a 0.23% increase in tip clearance. On the other hand, AC-coarse sand (0–200 μm) resulted in a 0.23% decrease in blade mass, a 0.4% reduction in tip chord, and a 0.16% increase in tip clearance. The data that is available can be used to monitor the lifespan of axial fans of similar design and select appropriate coatings to protect against erosion.