AirPro designed this very unique forced draft blower for a “closed loop nitrogen system” in a chemical cooling application. This direct drive blower features a 316 stainless steel shrouded radial pressure blower wheel inside a pie split housing. AirPro had to meet specific customer requirements and space considerations for this design.
Author: AirPro
Ben Cooper and Dominion Carolina Sales, representing AirPro in industrial process equipment solutions in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia for two decades and counting.
We designed a high-pressure blower for this continuous-duty automotive application. It features a welded aluminum fan wheel and vibration isolators with an upblast configuration and a direct-drive Arrangement 4 motor.
Most of the fans we build are driven by electric motors, and this requires the fan wheel and/or shaft to connect with the motor shaft in some way. There are two broad classifications we use to describe this connection – 1) belt drive and 2) direct drive.
This installation features a high-pressure ID fan design with a shrouded and oversized impeller for an industrial dryer.
The Basics
The most basic answer to the question, “What does a centrifugal fan do?”, is that it moves gas (air), drawing it into the inlet, turning it 90 degrees, and blowing it through the outlet to exit the fan. It moves a higher static pressure than an axial fan, which moves air and gas straight, in one direction. Without air movement inside buildings – whether a room (like in Chet’s example in the video), a house, or an industrial manufacturing facility – things would get dicey. If you were to be trapped in a small room with no ventilation, only breathing in your own exhaled air, you could only survive for so long. Imagine what would happen in a manufacturing facility where there are many other gases and particles at play! If that is all the information on centrifugal fans you were looking for, feel free to stop reading now. For a little more on how they work, carry on.
Our work at AirPro is not always about designing new fans; we often build replacement parts for all fan brands and send field service support teams to oversee installation and ensure the fans are ready for operation. We recently helped a minerals facility when their fan was damaged during operation. Our application engineers recommended replacement of the fan wheel and inlet cone and then our manufacturing team expedited production to provide the fastest delivery possible.
Our top manufacturer’s representative agencies like Air Quality Engineers (AQE) work closely with our application engineers to deliver reliable, high-quality centrifugal fans to customers for their industrial process applications.
Cargo Ship Application
We designed this induced draft (ID) fan to control emissions from cargo ships while in port.
What is a Balanced Fan? Think “Finishing the Job.”
A balanced fan must stay below specific vibration limits for safe operation while running at full speed. Excessive vibration will decrease the life of your fan and can lead to catastrophic failure.
With a focus on robust construction, we built a process fan on a combustion blower for an industrial heater application. This installation called for a backward curved blower with a direct-drive motor and an outlet damper with an electric actuator and positioner. We designed it with fewer parts to reduce maintenance in the industrial environment.
Fan Selection Considerations
We all know fans move air, but in industrial applications, they also move particles, parts, and even products. Both Mass Flow Rate (movement of materials) and Volumetric Flow Rate (movement of air) are important to know when calculating fan specifications and performance.
Why and How to Vary Speed in an Industrial Centrifugal Fan
A variable-speed fan is just what it sounds like. In this case, we’re talking about an industrial centrifugal fan that is capable of operating at more than one speed. That means it can run above or below the constant motor speed specified. There are several reasons why you would need a variable-speed fan, several ways to do it, and a few things to be careful to avoid when operating at varied speeds.