AirPro News

How to Control Fan Speed

Controlling fan speed for optimal efficiency and performance is as easy as having the right equipment and making a few simple calculations. The ability to control fan speed rests on your motor drive. On direct-driven fan applications, the most common way to change speeds is with a variable frequency drive (VFD). On belt-driven fan applications, a VFD is also useful for simple speed changes. In the absence of a VFD, simple sheave ratio modifications should do the trick. And of course, you need to know the input frequency of the motor and a few simple ratios.

If you work with a manufacturer that builds high-quality products, do a great job with the installation, and prioritize regular fan and blower maintenance, your industrial fan could last as long as 50 years. So what does all that mean? We break it down below and in Chet’s latest video.

Two-Plane Dynamic Balancing: How to Balance an Industrial Fan

Before we dive into HOW to balance an industrial fan, we should start with WHY. The answer is that the better we balance the wheel in a two-plane balance setup in the shop, the better it’s going to be when we put it into the complete fan assembly, run it up to full speed and trim balance it. And of course, ultimately, fan balance is essential to fan performance, safety, and maintenance.

Specifying, Testing and Adjusting for Fan Balance Quality Grades

Balance quality grades are among the more than 20,000 standards published by the International Standards Organization (ISO). These standards serve as generally accepted specifications for products, services, and systems, to ensure quality, safety, and efficiency.

Fan Curve Development for Centrifugal Fan Applications

The fan performance curve shows the pressure and flow rate that the fan will produce for any system connected to it. The actual fan performance is dependent upon the detail design of each system. System designers calculate process air requirements, and the fan application engineer selects fans to meet those requirements, which are graphically represented by a fan curve.

Family Culture Wins for Employees, Customers & Company

All companies and jobs are not created equal. When you own the company, when you trust your colleagues, when you know your customers, you may start feeling right at home. The family culture at AirPro Fan and Blower Company is a win for our employee/owners, our customers and beyond.