The German Research Association for Air and Drying Technology (FLT) visits LSTM.
The bi-annual working group meeting of the FLT takes place at LSTM in early March. The FLT is an association of medium-sized and leading fan manufacturers in Germany. The research association deals with topics such as the aerodynamic and aeroacoustic optimization of fans. Both radial and axial turbomachines are the focus of their joint research. Fans are used to convey air and gas flows and are becoming increasingly important due to the constant expansion of air conditioning systems and heat pumps. This is partly due to the impact of the energy consumption of these machines on climate change, but also for environmental reasons. One of the main environmental concerns is the need to reduce fan noise as much as possible so that animals and people are not disturbed by the constant noise. LSTM is one of the leading German institutes in the field of aerodynamic and aeroacoustic investigation and optimization of fans. LSTM researches new ways to reduce fan noise while maintaining the same level of efficiency for both radial and axial turbomachinery. For this research, the LSTM has experimental test benches for aerodynamic and aeroacoustic characterization of fans. In addition to the experimental capabilities, the physical relationships between the flow around the fan blade and the resulting noise generation are analyzed numerically using high-resolution CFD and CAA methods. The FLT and LSTM have a long history of collaboration in the field of fan optimization. Joint projects have focused on the exploration of novel measurement techniques, the aeroacoustic interaction of fans with heat exchangers, and the application of acoustic metamaterials to fan blades. We are pleased to welcome the members of the FLT at the Institute of Fluid Mechanics in Erlangen and look forward to our continued collaboration.