The Drive to Control Fan Speed

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.

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Spark-Resistant Fan Construction

Spark-Resistant Fan Construction for Fan Safety

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.

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Extended Bearing Life with Vibration Monitoring

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.

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Forward Curved/Squirrel Cage Blower Wheel Demo

Squirrel Cage Blower Wheel with Forward Curved Blades

What some may call a squirrel cage blower wheel is also what we call a forward-curved centrifugal fan. Either way, it gets its name based on the many small blades that make up this fan wheel causing it to look like a squirrel cage or hamster wheel! The result is a blower that moves higher volumes of air and gasses at low pressures for various industrial operations.

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Increase Motor Life for Belt-Drive Fan Arrangements

Motor Bearings and High Horsepower Belt-Drive Fans

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.

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Basic Overview: Arrangement 7 Fan

What is an Arrangement 7 Fan?

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.

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