INTRODUCTI

•Fans and blowersON

provide air for ventilation industrial
and process requirements.

•Fans generate a pressure to move air (or gases) against a

resistance caused by ducts, dampers, or other components in a
fan system.

•Large capacity fan units typically consist of a bladed rotating

impeller enclosed in a stationary casing.

• The rotor system causes the motion of the air/gas and the casing
directs the air flow.

•The fan rotor receives energy from a rotating shaft and transmits
it to the air.
 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
FANS,BLOWER AND
COMPRESSOR
• As per “ASME” depending on the specific ratio and rise in
system pressure. (Note;- specific ratio - the ratio of the discharge pressure
over the suction pressure – is used for defining fans, blowers and compressors.)

Equipment Specific Ratio Pressure rise

(mmWC)

Fan Up to 1.11 1136

Blower 1.11 to 1.20 1136 to 2066

Compressor More than 1.20 More than 2066

 Learning Objectives

• List available fan types

• Know fan characteristics that are required
• Understand tradeoffs when selecting a fan
• Define fan efficiency
Outline
• Fan Types
• Basic Fan Curve
• Applications
• Performance Characteristics
• Fan Selection
• Efficiency, low noise, size, space and cost
considerations
• Mechanical considerations for a given application
including balancing and vibration levels, construction,
arrangements, ruggedness, spark resistance, corrosion
resistance, high temperature resistance, bearings,
motors, drives etc.

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 Basic Fan Types
• Centrifugal
• Backward Inclined Airfoil-blade
• Backward Inclined Flat-blade
• Forward Curved Blade
• Radial Blade
• Radial Tip
• Axial
• Propeller / Panel Fan
• Tubeaxial
• Vaneaxial
• Special Designs
• Power Roof Ventilators
• Tubular Inline Centrifugal
• Mixed Flow
• Plenum/ Plug

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 A. Centrifugal Fans:-
 Rotating impeller increases air velocity.
 Air speed is converted to pressure.
 Efficiency varies from 60-83 %.
 Used for Dirty air stream condition and material handling
application.
 Can produce high pressure and has the capacity for large volumes of
air. Most suited to larger installations such as air conditioning
systems.
 This fans produces High Pressure which ranges from 550 mmwc to
1400 mmwc.

It categorized by blade shapes,

Fig. Centrifugal Fans
1.Radial 2.Forward curved 3.Backward curved
.
 Centrifugal: Radial Blade

• The blades are ‘radial’ to the fan shaft

• Generally the least efficient of the centrifugal fans
• For material handling and moderate to high
pressure industrial applications, rugged
construction
• Low volume at high pressure
• Large wheel diameter for a given volume- higher
cost
• Material handling, self cleaning
• Easy to maintain
• Rising Power overloading characteristic
• Suitable for dirty airstream, high pressure, high
temperature and corrosive applications

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 1.Radial Blade Fan

Characteristic:
 Usually contain 6 to 16 impeller blades.
 High static pressures up to 1400 mm WC can achieve
with low flow rates.
 low/medium airflow rates only.
 Efficiency ranges from 69% - 75%.
 Simple in Design.

Application:
 Suitable for handling heavily contaminated airstreams like
dust laden, saw dust etc .
 These are widely used in corrosive and high- temperature
environments.

Fig. Radial Blade Fans

 Centrifugal: Forward Curved Blade

• Blades are curved forward in the direction

of rotation
• Must be properly applied to avoid
unstable operation
• Less efficient than Airfoil and Backward
Inclined
• Requires the lowest speed of any
centrifugal to move a given amount of air
• Used for low pressure HVAC systems
• Clean air and high temperature
applications
• Typically smallest size selection
• Rising power overloading characteristic

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 2.Forward curved Blade Fan
Characteristic:
 Usually contain 24 to 64 impeller blades.
 Produces low pressure up to 5 in-wg
 large airflow rates against relatively low static pressure.
 Efficiency ranges from 60% - 65%.
 Lighter in construction and less expensive
Application:
 Suitable for clean air environment as, blades easily
accumulate dirt
 Well suited for low pressure HVAC such as packaged air
conditioning equipment
 Not constructed for high pressures or harsh service.

Fig. Forward curved blade

 3.Backward Curved Blade Fan

Characteristic:
 Usually contain 6 to 16 impeller blades.
 Produces high pressure (40 in wg)with high flow rates.
 More efficient than forward curved blade
 efficiency ranges from 79% - 83%.
 High maintenance cost.

Application:
 Only recommended for clean air stream containing no
condensable fumes or vapours.
 A common application is forced-draft.

Fig. Backward Curved Blade Fan

 Centrifugal:Backward Inclined Airfoil-Blade

• Name is derived from the “airfoil” shape of blades

• Developed to provide high efficiency
• Used on large HVAC and clean air industrial systems where
energy savings are of prime importance

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Centrifugal:Backward Inclined or Curved Flat-Blade

• Backward inclined or curved blades are single thickness or “flat”

• Efficiency is only slightly less than airfoil blade
• Similar characteristics as airfoil blade
• Same HVAC applications as airfoil blade
• Also for industrial applications where airfoil blade is not acceptable
because of corrosive or erosive environment

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 Backward Inclined or Curved Flat & Airfoil-Blade

• High volume at moderate

pressure
• Non-overloading power
characteristic
• Stable performance characteristic
• Low noise

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B. Axial
Fans
• Air is pressurized by blades which creating aerodynamic lift.
• Typically provide large air volumes at relatively low pressures
pressure ranges from 250mmwc to 500mmwc.
• Efficiency varies from 45% - 85%.
• Popular with industry as compact, low cost and
light weight.
• Axial fans are frequently used in
exhaust applications where airborne
particulate size is small, such as dust
streams, smoke, and steam.
It categorized as,
1.Propellor Axial Fan
2.Tube Axial Fan
3.Vane Axial Fan Fig. Axial Fan
 1.Propeller Axial Fan
Characteristic:
• Have two or more blades that generate very high
airflow volumes
• Produces low static pressure (20-50)mmwc
• Very low efficiencies of approximately 50 % .
• Light weight and inexpensive.
• Noise levels are higher than tube axial and vane
axial fan. Fan
snot create much air pressure and has limited
in ductwork. Ideal for use at air openings in windows and walls.

Application:
•Air circulation within a space or ventilation through a
wall without attached ductwork.
• Ideally used for make up or replacement air supply

• Propeller Fan does not create much air pressure and has
limited effect in ductwork. Ideal for use at air openings in

windows and walls.

 2.Tube Axial
Fans
Characteristic:
 Tube axial fans have a wheel inside a cylindrical housing
which improves the air flow efficiency.( Integral within the
cylindrical duct)
 Numbers of blades range from 4 to 8 .
 Capable of developing a more useful static pressure
range(250-400 mmWC ).
 Efficient up to 65 %.

Application:
 Frequently used in exhaust applications.
 Also used in some industrial applications such as drying
ovens, paint spray.
Fig. Tube Axial Fan
 3.Vane Axial Fans
Characteristic:
 Vane-axial fans are similar to tube-axial fans with guide vanes that
improves efficiency by directing the flow.
 Typically have 5 to 20 aerofoil type blades with a large hub
diameter.
 Such fans generally used for pressure (up to 500 mmwc).
 They can achieve efficiencies up to 85%.

Application:
 Typically used in high-pressure applications, such as induced draft
service for a boiler exhaust.

Fig. Vane Axial Fan

 BLOWER
 Blowers can achieve much higher pressures than fans, as high as 1.20 Kg/cm2.
 The impeller is typically gear-driven and rotates as fast as 15,000 rpm.
 They are also used to produce negative pressures for industrial vacuum systems.

1. Centrifugal blowers
 Typically operate against pressures of 0.35 to 0.70 Kg/cm2.
 They are most often used in applications that are not prone to clogging .

2. Positive-displacement blowers
 They are especially suitable for applications prone to clogging, since they can produce
enough pressure up to 1.25 Kg/cm2 - to blow clogged materials free.
 Fan Performance Evaluation
Done by System resistance curve(System curve) and Fan curves.
System resistance curve:-
• The system resistance is the sum of static pressure losses in the
system.

• The system resistance is a

function of the configuration of
ducts, pickups, elbows and the
pressure drops across equipme n
t
• It is used to determine
what volume the fan will
produce.
• The system resistance varies wi
the square of the volume ofth
Fig. System curve
Fan
curves:-
• The fan curve is a performance curve for the particular fan under
a specific set of conditions.

• The fan curve is a graphical representation of a number of inter-

related parameters.

• Fan curves are use to define the operating point.

• Understanding this relationship is essential to designing, operating

a fan system and it is the key for optimum selection of fan.

It consist of three curves,

1. SP vs Air Flow rate.
2. BHP vs Air Flow rate.
3. Static efficiency vs Air Flow rate.
Fig. Fan Curve
Operating Point:-
• The intersection of the system curve(SC) and the static pressure curve
defines the operating point.

• When the system resistance changes, the operating point also change

• Once the operating point is fixed, the power required could be found
from fan curve, similarly we can
find the efficiency of fan.

• In this figure,
For fan speed N1.
Point A-
the fan’s actual
operating point
at, flow (Q1)
against press (P1)
Fan
Laws
The fans operate under a predictable set of laws concerning speed,
power and pressure.
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 Power Roof Ventilators
 A variety of backward inclined centrifugal wheels or axial
impeller designs
 Also available in up blast damper design to discharge air away
from the building
 For low pressure exhaust systems of all building types (roof
mounted)

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 Inline Centrifugal Fan
Cylindrical housing is similar to a vaneaxial fan
Wheel is generally an airfoil or backward inclined type
Housing does not fit close to outer diameter of wheel
For low and medium pressure HVAC systems or industrial
applications when an inline housing is geometrically more
convenient than a centrifugal configuration

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 Mixed Flow Fan
 Specific Speed between a centrifugal and axial fan
 Cylindrical housing is similar to a vane axial fan
 High volume advantages of axial fans
 Low sound, high efficiency advantages of tubular centrifugal fans

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PLENUM / PLUG FAN

This is basically a centrifugal

wheel and inlet in a frame
without a scroll or housing. The
‘housing’ is the AHU box. Housed vs plenum fan
Offers tremendous flexibility
for inlet and discharge in a AHU
application
More efficient than a scroll
centrifugal for high flows and
low SP. All SP rise occurs in the
blade passage
Wall clearance rules must be
followed to avoid significant
system effect losses

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