If you’ve ever seen, heard or felt a pressurized industrial fan pulsing, you’ve probably also seen how damaging the resulting vibrations can be. Surgeless fan design moderates volume to avoid that costly scenario.
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.
People always want to know about process fans, but it’s really all about process air. The term “process air” means air movement needed in an existing or new process to produce something else such as paper or chemicals. It’s a required element at some point in many industrial production operations.
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.
When comparing forced draft versus induced draft industrial fans, the primary difference boils down to push versus pull. Forced-draft fans focus the pressure and volume at the outlet of the fan to push air through a system, creating positive air pressure. Industrial induced draft fans operate by focusing the pressure and volume at the inlet of the fan to pull air through a system.
Spark-resistant fan construction is essential in many industrial fan and blower applications. These include applications where the fan is handling explosive materials or where the fan is installed in hazardous environments. For example, dust collection applications commonly require some level of spark resistant construction due to the explosive nature of dust.
Adding vibration monitoring can lead to extended bearing life, and ensure your bearings reach their L10 potential. Vibration velocity measures in inches per second (IPS) how the equipment in question is being fatigued from vibration, ultimately influencing its longevity. The standard IOM (Installation, Operations, and Maintenance) manual recommends keeping vibrations under .124 inches per second for industrial fans operating in the installed state.
The radial blade fan wheel in an industrial pressure blower helps move material-laden air at medium to high static pressures and stays clean in the process. That includes everything from light particles to heavier materials that can be sticky or abrasive, without compromising the fan wheel integrity.
Over our years designing, developing and delivering custom centrifugal fans and blowers for industrial applications, we have learned that no detail is too small in the specification process. This holds true when we talk about motor bearings too. There’s a specific nuance to consider when selecting motors for high horsepower belt-driven fans.
The key indicator for determining fan motor size is fan brake horsepower (BHP), which represents the force needed to brake, or stop, the motor. This is the minimum amount of power needed to operate the fan.
The Arrangement 7 fan is center-hung with the impeller mounted between two bearings and an integral inlet box to direct the air into the fan from above or from the side. This fan arrangement is optimal for use when your application requires large fan impellers and/or when you want to go the extra mile for increased fan life.
Fan arrangements define the way a motor drives the fan, and how the motor mounts to the fan, based on AMCA standards. The Arrangement 7 Fan offers a maintenance-friendly and reliable design for fans with larger impellers, as the impeller is center-hung between two bearings. The entire fan assembly is assembled on a common base and can be either belt or direct drive.
Fan arrangements define the way a motor drives the fan, and how the motor mounts to the fan, based on AMCA standards. They can also be application-specific, as with the Arrangement 4V Top Mount Fan.
When designing and installing your industrial fan, it is essential to consider the full system and long term needs, including surrounding ductwork and fan maintenance.
