Experimental Investigation of the Effects of Variation in Guide Vanes Pitch and Curvature on Quality of Discharged Flow

Guide vanes are used for directing flow in the desired path and reducing losses due to change in the flow direction. Guide vanes pitch (ratio of distance between the vanes to the vane chord) and the curvature of the vanes are the main parameters affecting the outlet flow quality. In this experimental study¡ different models with different vane pitches¡ ranging from 15 to 35%¡ and different curvature degrees¡ ranging from 45 to 90º¡ were constructed to investigate the effect of the above parameters. Results show that the most uniform velocity distribution with minimum pressure drop is obtained for a 25% pitch. The results also show that with an increase in the curvature degree¡ the velocity distribution becomes less uniform while the pressure drop increases. It is also observed that the wake of the guide vane reduces as Reynolds number increases from 4×〖10〗^4 to 1.8×〖10〗^5.