SNU.LG Electronics Partnership Research<?xml:namespace prefix = "o" ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

National researchers have found a method to increase the efficiency of air-conditioners from creatures in the ocean. SNU Professor Haecheon Choi (Depart. Of Mechanical & Aerisoace Engineering) and LG Electronics co-researcher Yong Cheol Sa recently revealed “A low-noise, high-efficiency Fan based on the agility of humpback whales and large scallops has been developed.”

When the fan of an outdoor unit spins, air in sucked in. Just like the wing of an airplane, one side of the fan’s wing is rounded, causing the air flowing past it to move faster than the air beneath the rounded side. If this side is flat and slippery, air cannot flow to the edge of the wing and gets dispersed halfway, creating a complex flow and noise.

Researchers found the answer from the chest fin of a humpback whale and the shell of a scallop. Contrary to its enormous size, humpback whales show surprisingly great agility when hunting for prey due to the chest fin which generates lift just like an airplane wing. At this point the bumps on the fin creates a vortex which prevents the water flowing over it from dispersing early. Researchers recreated the bump structure on the front-side of the fan wings. The inside of the wing is designed like the shell of a scallop. Scallops escape predators by propelling water and using the propulsion to “fly” through the water. Researchers found that the valley folds in the shell reduce friction with water and increase lift. The air conditioner outdoor fan is 2 decibels quieter and uses 10% less electricity as compared to existing models.

This technology was used in the “Multi-V Super 5” 1^st grade Air-Conditioner released by LG Electronics last month. Patents were filed on January this year and a NET certification was received on August.