The influence of periodic structures on sound propagation through heat exchangers
* Presenting author
Abstract:
The demand for air conditioning and cooling applications worldwide continues to grow. This trend is due to the rising temperatures caused by climate change, as well as the need for air filters due to the Corona pandemic. In most of the devices, which are located in close proximity to people, a combination of heat exchanger and axial fan is used. In order for these air conditioners to gain acceptance among people, they must be as quiet as possible. The axial fan is a dominant sound source in this context. It has already been shown that the heat exchanger interacts with the flow field of the axial fan, causing a disturbed inflow and thus amplifying the sound generation mechanisms at the axial fan. The interaction of the heat exchanger with the sound field, on the other hand, was only slightly investigated. Due to periodically arranged coolant tubes inside the heat exchanger, a reduction of the sound pressure level can occur at specific frequencies. This offers the possibility to design the heat exchanger according to the sound spectrum of the axial fan and thus to reduce the overall sound pressure level of the entire air conditioning system.