Evaluation of the Wear-Resistant Plate Performance on Different Locations Over the Flow Path of a Large-Sized Heavy-Duty Centrifugal Fan

In industrial applications as chemical plants, cement factories, and glassmakers, large-sized centrifugal fans are commonly used for dust-laden flow processing. In many cases, the contamination is due to solid particles which are responsible for fouling and erosion issues. Erosion induces the reduction of mechanical resistance and at the same time, the modification of the geometry and the surface characteristics of the internal flow path. The process works according to the characteristics of the erodent particles, such as dimension and hardness which have to be coupled with the mechanical characteristics of the substrate, like hardness and roughness level. In addition to this, the intensity of the erosion depends on the dynamic characteristics of particles, especially velocity and impact angle. For these reasons, erosion-related issues are difficult to be predicted and reduced. In the attempt of preserving the structural integrity of the internal walls, wear-resistant plates are positioned where the impacting contaminants are supposed to be more detrimental. In the present work, a combined experimental and numerical approach is proposed to evaluate the proper set up of wear-resistance plates over the flow path of a large-sized centrifugal fan. The results show how different regions (rotating and stationary walls) are subjected to different impact behavior and for this reason, the design of the position of the wear-resistant plate is not straightforward. Suggestions related to the reduction of the erosion intensity are reported, highlighting the possibility to design the best compromise between erosion, performance, and costs.