Fan Acoustics using Altair ultraFluidX

With the ever-increasing cooling requirements across industries, from cooling your engines to electronic equipment, fan noise has become one of the important factors that drives design decisions in product development. The need for quieter machines has not only been a performance issue but also forms part of the customer experience and branding.

Physical testing in anechoic chambers are expensive from both time and cost perspective, delaying product development timelines prohibitively in an ever competitive and price sensitive environment. In such a scenario, simulation-based analysis could both provide accurate and quick prediction of aero-acoustic noise levels at different locations over frequency ranges and give additional insights into noise propagation through the flow medium. Unlike physical testing, simulation-based tools can provide not only overall noise levels but also detailed insights into noise sources and propagation path.

Only a fully resolved CFD-acoustics model with true rotating geometry can capture the transient aero-acoustic phenomenon…