The activities encompassed by this proposal consist in the development and exploitation of a methodological approach, suitable for the optimisation of the fan and duct geometries in an electrical machine, with the aim to improve both the aerodynamic and acoustical performance of the system.

The global activity consisted in a first baseline CFD calculation, a screening of different fan designs and finally an optimised fan design in terms of fluid dynamic performance and noise reduction.

The advanced character of the forecast approach is linked to the following aspects:

a) the implementation of the most advanced algorithms and procedures for CFD simulation;

b) the exploitation of Design Of Experiment algorithms during the initial screening phase and for the preliminary selection of the most relevant parameters;

c) the development of a simulation process flow controlled by Multi-Objective Optimisation algorithms, which will allow a complete exploration of the influence of the parameters affecting the system performances, and Response Surfaces algorithms, which will allow the interpolation of the database of virtual (and experimental) data and the definition of an expert system;

d) the ranking of the analysed models, with respect to their key performances, and the selection of the optimal candidate(s), considering the multiple selected objectives, by means of the mostly advanced Multi Criteria Decision methods.

Thus the present proposal is meant to develop a fully integrated software platform based on the most advanced functionalities of the following tools:

1. ANSYS-CFX, whose functionalities and capabilities are worldwide recognized for their completeness and robustness;
2. modeFRONTIER, one of the most advanced software tool for the optimization and the process integration available on the market.