SF-98-28-1 -- Experimental Determination of the Performance of a Four-Way Diffuser with Variable Area PDF

This paper examines how effectively a room air diffuser with a variable outlet area can produce a constant throw with varying flow rate. The diffuser for this study is a four-way diffuser with hinged surfaces providing a variable outlet area on two of its sides. The throws were measured downstream of one of the two fixed area outlets. Throw measurements for five fixed outlet areas were used to determine the outlet area variation with flow rate necessary for constant throw performance. These results were compared with the outlet area variation from measurements with a known spring restoring force on the surfaces to determine the variation of the restoring force needed for a constant throw. In order to provide this restoring force, a lever arm/counterweight mechanism was installed in the diffuser, and the diffuser throw performance was evaluated. In a given flow rate range (75 cfm to 160 cfm) the throw from the lever arm/counterweight diffuser was found to remain more constant than the stationary area or vertical spring throws.

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