Generally, there are two reasons to measure a centrifugal fan – the user wants to retrofit the fan (or parts) or replace it with a new fan. In either case, accurate measurements are critical to replicating the system currently in place, especially if no drawing is available. If possible, separate or isolate the fan from the system to access key measurement points. If duct work on the inlet or outlet is in the way, this could impact measurement accuracy.
We replaced an industrial exhaust fan originally built by another manufacturer in this brine vapor retrofit installation. The fan is an open radial blade paddlewheel design with a backplate to protect the motor from the material in the air stream. We used AL-6XN® construction material for corrosion resistance and a stuffing box shaft seal to prevent vapor leakage.
In this Calciner Tempering installation, we retrofitted backward-curved blowers to replace our customer’s existing fans for increased efficiency and longer fan life. Using 300 HP customer-supplied motors, we incorporated a flexible coupling drive, unitary base, and pie-split housing for easier maintenance access to the fan wheel and shaft.
For this carbon recycling plant system application, we designed and delivered a drop-in high-pressure blower to replace a competitor’s product. It features a Kynar coated wheel with a stainless steel shaft, rubber-lined housing, custom exterior coating color, a shrouded wheel design, increased wheel width, and an outlet damper to throttle the air as it leaves the fan.
Manufacturing plants often need to retrofit or replace existing fans to keep operations running and increase output. Our team excels at analyzing current fan installations, recommending the best course of action to take, and building the most appropriate fans for the application. That may involve building fans to exactly match existing fan dimensions and performance or modifying fan designs to increase performance.
This particular fan was the second of two custom retrofit fans for a pharmaceutical plant. Originally manufactured by a company that is now out of business these fans failed seven years apart. Our application engineers took measurements of the existing fans on-site to design, build, and slip upgraded duplicates into place.
