Vaneaxial blower system including rotor fan having curved blades

A rotor fan for a vaneaxial blower system having an axis of rotation, the rotor fan comprising:

• a hub;
• a rotor inlet at least partially defined by a rotor shroud surrounding the rotor fan;
• a cone coupled to the hub and extending axially from the hub adjacent the rotor inlet, the cone extending axially beyond the rotor shroud;
• a rotor outlet axially opposite the rotor inlet;
• and
• rotor blades, wherein each rotor blade of the rotor blades has a hub end coupled to the hub, a tip end opposite the hub end, a leading edge extending between the hub end and the tip end, and a trailing edge extending between the hub end and the tip end,
• wherein each rotor blade has a hub width between the trailing edge and the leading edge at the hub end, and a tip width between the trailing edge and the leading edge at the tip end, and wherein the tip width is larger than the hub width,
• wherein the trailing edge of each rotor blade includes a concave portion and a convex portion forming an S-shape, the concave portion extending from the tip end to the convex portion, the convex portion extending from the concave portion to the hub end, and
• wherein an angle beta is defined as a slope of a camber line at a location along a span of a first rotor blade of the rotor blades, the angle beta includes:
• a first range for the leading edge and a second range for the trailing edge at the hub,
• a third range for the leading edge and a fourth range for the trailing edge at the tip end, and
• fifth range for the leading edge and a sixth range for the trailing edge at a midpoint along the span of the first rotor blade, between the hub and the tip end,
• wherein the first range, the second range, the third range, the fourth range, the fifth range, and the sixth range are selected to reduce flow separation along a blade span of each rotor blade, thereby mitigating stall conditions of the vaneaxial blower system.

A method of assembling a vaneaxial blower system having an axis of rotation, the method comprising:

• coupling a rotor fan to a stator such that the stator is positioned downstream from the rotor fan, the rotor fan includes a hub, a rotor inlet, a rotor outlet, rotor blades, and a rotor shroud extending around the hub and the rotor blades,
• wherein the rotor shroud includes a rim and a flared inlet section extending from the rim, the rim and the flared inlet section defining the rotor inlet of the rotor fan;
• and
• positioning the rotor blades around the hub such that the rotor fan rotates around the axis of rotation and directs airflow toward stator blades of the stator, wherein each rotor blade of the rotor blades has a hub end coupled to the hub, a tip end opposite the hub end, a leading edge extending between the hub end and the tip end, and a trailing edge extending between the hub end and the tip end,
• wherein each rotor blade has a hub width between the trailing edge and the leading edge at the hub end, and a tip width between the trailing edge and the leading edge at the tip end, and wherein the tip width is larger than the hub width,
• wherein the trailing edge of each rotor blade includes a concave portion and a convex portion forming an S-shape, the concave portion extending from the tip end to the convex portion, the convex portion extending from the concave portion to the hub end, and
• wherein an angle beta is defined as a slope of a camber line at a location along a span of a first rotor blade of the rotor blades, the angle beta includes:
• a first range for the leading edge and a second range for the trailing edge at the hub,
• a third range for the leading edge and a fourth range for the trailing edge at the tip end, and
• fifth range for the leading edge and a sixth range for the trailing edge at a midpoint along the span of the first rotor blade, between the hub and the tip end,
• wherein the first range, the second range, the third range, the fourth range, the fifth range, and the sixth range are selected to reduce flow separation along a blade span of each rotor blade, thereby mitigating stall conditions of the vaneaxial blower system.