Back to Basics: Explaining Centrifugal Fan Airflow

There’s more to a centrifugal fan than blade structure (versus axial) and function (to move process air and other materials as part of a larger system). Centrifugal fan airflow is at the core of how it works.

Centrifugal Fan Airflow and How the Centrifugal Fan Works

Here’s how centrifugal fan airflow works:

  • An induced draft centrifugal fan pulls the air, fluid, gas, and any particulate through the system into the inlet. The blades rotate to move the air to discharge through the outlet at a 90° angle.
  • Similarly, a forced draft centrifugal blower sucks the air and/or other materials into the inlet and rotates to push it out the outlet at a 90° angle and blow the clean or material-laden air, gas or liquid through the system.

That’s very different from an axial fan, seen most often in commercial and residential applications. An axial fan, which is what many people imagine when they think of a fan but is not the kind we make, pulls the air straight in one side and pushes it out the other.

Hear it from an Application Engineer

Senior Application Engineer Chet White demonstrates how centrifugal fan airflow works in this very succinct 40-second video.

When you need to specify a centrifugal fan or blower for your industrial process application, or if you need centrifugal fan or blower maintenance, repair or retrofit, reach out and connect with one of our application engineers to discuss the details of your project.

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