How to Ensure Gas-Tight Fans for Industrial Processing

When your industrial process application moves toxic or hazardous gas, you need to ensure gas-tight fans so that there is no leakage.

There are four steps to making sure your gas-tight fans really are gas-tight. The first three involve essential specifications in the custom fan design process, and the final step is a test to identify leaks or confirm that the fan leak points are fully gas-tight.

Three Industrial Fan Leak Points to Secure for Gas-Tight Fans

Connection Points

The first place to prevent leaks is at the connection points on your industrial fan. These need gaskets to keep them gas-tight. Common connection points are between the drive cover plate and the housing, between the inlet cover plate and the housing, the fan access door, the fan inlet, and the fan outlet. The gasket at each connection point is critical for a gas-tight fan.

Shaft Entry and Exit

The second common leak point is the shaft entry to and exit from the housing. To address this area, we use a purgeable shaft seal with a purge line. The purge line applies a single gas like nitrogen to place constant pressure against the gas stream, preventing it from leaking out.

Airstream Welding

Good welds are a sure sign of a robust high-quality industrial fan. They are also the third and final common leak point that you need to consider for gas-tight fans. Specify a continuous internal airstream weld to guard against leaks.

Bubble Leak Pressure Test for Gas-Tight Fans

Finally, to ensure that all of the leak points are actually gas-tight, run a bubble leak pressure test on your system. That simply involves putting some soap into the airstream and running some pressure through it. No bubbles, no leaks. If you see bubbles form at any of the leak points, it’s not a gas-tight fan yet.

Hear it from an Application Engineer

Senior Application Engineer Chet White explains how and what to seal up to ensure gas-tight fans and how to test for leaks in this 1½-minute video.

To determine the right specifications for your centrifugal fan application, reach out and connect with one of our application engineers to discuss the details of your project.

1-715-365-3267

Gas-Tight-Fans Don’t Leak