8OO S.

MISSURI AVLNUL MARCLLINL, MISSURI 64658 IHNL (66O) 376-3575 IAX (66O) 376-29O9
MFLLC-655-Rev-B12/01
AIlhough fans nusl le seIecled lo neel airfIov requirenenls under naxi-
nun condilions, lhey nay le operaled al reduced fIov a Iarge parl of lhe
line. Reducing airfIov as condilions pernil can relurn sulslanliaI savings
in pover use and reduced noise IeveI.
The purpose of lhis paper is lo sel oul lhe reIalionships lelveen airfIov,
horsepover and noise IeveIs in a vay lhal viII assisl lhe designer of a syslen
lo seIecl lhe nosl effeclive nelhod of providing for airfIov noduIalion.
Tvo nelhods for reducing veIocily are considered:
METHOD I: REDUCE BLADE ANGLE
Ior exanpIe, using aulonalic fan
huls and singIe speed nolors
METHOD II: REDUCE FAN RPM
Ior exanpIe, using varialIe-speed
nolors.
Lach of lhese nelhods, vhen provided vilh suilalIe sensing and conlroI
devices, can provide a fine degree of conlroI as anlienl condilions change.
They vary consideralIy, hovever, in lhe savings lhey relurn.
MDULATINC AIRILW
Page 2
33,000 x E
HP
lNPUT
=
Pt

x C|M x 5.2
Eq. 1:
HOW HOR5EPOWER VARIE5 WITH CFM
When lhe veIocily is reduced (ly eilher Melhod I or Melhod II), lhe CIM is
reduced ly lhe sane proporlion. The veIocily pressure (Iv) is reduced as lhe
square of lhe veIocily and, lherefore, as lhe square of lhe CIM (See Lq. 2).
An approxinale ruIe-of-lhunl slales lhal "The horsepover viII vary as
lhe cule of lhe CIM".
HI
NLW
= HI
LD
(CIM
NLW
/CIM
LD
) (CIM
NLW
/CIM
LD
)
2

= HI
LD
(CIM
NLW
/CIM
LD
)
3
Iron lhe horsepover equalion (Lq. 1) il can le seen lhal lhis vouId onIy
le lrue in a free-air silualion ~ vhere lhe slalic pressure (Is) equaIs zero ~
or if lhe slalic pressure aIso varied as lhe square of lhe CIM.
The slalic pressure does vary vilh lhe CIM lul lo a degree lhal is
delernined ly lhe characlerislics of lhe resislance. If lhe resislance consisls
of a lypicaI finned lule lundIe, lhe degree of varialion viII le as shovn in
Lq. 3. Ior olher resislances, lhe degree of varialion nusl le delernined lefore
lhe exacl reIalionship can le caIcuIaled.
Lq. 4 shovs lhe degree of varialion for lhe lolaI pressure (Iv + Is) for aeriaI
cooIers lased on a range of pressures lypicaI of lhese unils. Referring again
lo Lq. 1 (negIecling any change in efficiency) il can le seen lhal:
Ior aeriaI cooIers:
HI
NLW
= HI
LD
(CIM
NLW
/CIM
LD
) (CIM
NLW
/CIM
LD
)
~1.75 lo 1.8

= HI
LD
(CIM
NLW
/CIM
LD
)
~2.75 lo 2.8
5Y5TEM EFFICIENCY
Fan EffIcIcncy:
Ian efficiency depends in parl on fan pilch. Iilch is defined as lhe
dislance lhe air advances, in an axiaI direclion, per revoIulion of lhe fan
vheeI. In order lo sinpIify caIcuIalions, Moore refers lo pilch in hul dian-
elers. As aII slandard series of Moore fans are aerodynanicaIIy scaIed, lhe
pilch, vhen given in hul dianelers, is a dinenlionIess figure appIicalIe lo
aII series of unils vilh siniIar lIade shape.
The fornuIa for pilch in hul dianelers is given as Lq. 5 on lhe foIIoving
page.
Where:
HP
lNPUT
ls the lnut
horseouer at the fan shaft
Pt = Tota| Pressure ln
lnches H
2
O
= Statlc Pressure (Ps) +
Ve|oclt Pressure (Pt)
C|M = Alr Vo|une ln Cublc
|eet er Mlnute
E = Efflclenc exressed as
a declna|
=
Pt
NEW


C|M
NEW
Pt
OLD
C|M
OLD
Eq 4:
|or tlca| aerla| coo|ers:
Eq 3:
|or flnned tube bund|es
=
Ps
NEW


C|M
NEW
Ps
OLD
C|M
OLD
=
Pt
NEW


C|M
NEW
Pt
OLD
C|M
OLD
Eq 2:
2
1.68
~1.75 to 1.8
Page 3
FAN EFFICIENCY (CONTINUED)
Lfficiency for a fan of a parlicuIar design can le predicled ly an enpiricaI
equalion fron lhe fan dianeler, hul dianeler, lip seaI and pilch. nIy lhe
pilch, vhich appears in an exponenliaI funclion, viII le affecled.
The effecl of a reduclion in pilch can le seen in lhe sIope of lhe soIid Iine in lhe
iIIuslralion al righl. Al or near fuII Ioad, efficiency is very IillIe changed. The
effecl of reduced pilch lecones increasingIy apparenl as veIocily is furlher
reduced.
Melhod I, reducing veIocily ly reducing lIade angIe, resuIls in a change in
efficiency lecause lhe veIocily is reduced vhiIe lhe RIM renains conslanl.
Melhod II, reducing veIocily using a varialIe speed nolor, does nol resuIl in
a lhis change in efficiency since lhe veIocily and RIM are reduced ly lhe sane
proporlion and lhe pilch, lherefore, renains conslanl.
TOTAL EFFICIENCY
Il is nol sufficienl lo consider onIy lhe fan efficiency. The lolaI efficiency
of lhe nolor, conlroIs and fan is vhal nallers ~ lhal is, lhe pover inpul lo lhe
nolor conpared lo lhe pover oulpul ly lhe fan. VarialIe speed nolors and
conlroIs, ly lheir nalure, consune nore energy in operalion lhan do singIe
speed nolors. The lolaI syslen efficiency, lherefore, is sonevhal Iover for
Melhod II al or near fuII Ioad lhan il is for Melhod I. The nolor nanufaclurer
shouId le consuIled lo delernine lhe lolaI efficiency. In order lo delernine lhe
nosl efficienl nelhod for a given appIicalion, lhen, il is necessary lo consider
lhe reIalive anounl of line lhe unil viII le operaling near fuII Ioad conpared
lo lhe line il viII operale al nore reduced Ioad.
OTHER CON5IDERATION5
Aulonalic fans (Melhod I) are nore connonIy used lhan varialIe speed
nolors (Melhod II). They are consideralIy Iess expensive and require sinpIer
conlroIs.
Aulonalic fan lIades nay le sel lo provide reverse fIov lo overcone
conveclion currenls, a usefuI fealure in sone appIicalions.
VarialIe-speed nolors, hovever, are nore efficienl vhen operaling al Iov
Ioads and, as expIained in lhe nexl seclion, provide a grealer reduclion in noise
IeveI.
P
HD
=
V = te|oclt ln feet er nlnute
S = Serles of fan (alr sea|
dlaneter ln lnches)
The axla| adtance of the alr
strean er reto|utlon of the
uhee|, exressed ln hub (alr sea|)
dlaneters
12 V
S (RPM)
P
HD
=
Where:
Eq. 5:
R
E
D
U
C
E
D
T
O
T
A
L
E
F
F
I
C
I
E
N
C
Y
REDUCED VELOCITY
FULL LOAD
METHOD I
METHOD II
VarialIe-speed nolors shouId nol le operaled al lhe resonanl frequen-
cies of lhe fan. The need lo avoid crilicaI speeds can le eIininaled ly
using Moore fans vilh lIades allached lo lhe hul ly a pivol. This
resiIienl nounling reduces slresses caused ly lhe air Ioad and enlireIy
eIininales resonanl frequencies, naIing varialIe-speed nolors nore
allraclive.
Page 4
NOI5E LEVEL REDUCTION
5nund Pnwcr Lcvc! (PWL)
The lolaI sound pover IeveI of lhe fan can le caIcuIaled using Lq. 7. Nole
lhal lhe IWL is delernined ly lhe lip speed and lhe horsepover of lhe fan.
(Horsepover does nol direclIy effecl lhe noise IeveI lul is lhe resuIl of veIocily,
pressure and efficiency vhich do.)
The effecl of lhe lip speed on noise IeveI is nuch grealer lhan lhe effecl of
HI. Bolh Melhod I and Melhod II resuIl in Iover horsepover. Melhod II, ly
reducing lhe RIM, reduces lhe lip speed. Melhod I does nol. Il can le seen lhen
lhal lhe reduclion in noise IeveI resuIling fron Melhod II is sulslanliaIIy
grealer lhan fron Melhod I.
5nund Prcssurc Lcvc! (5PL)
The sound pressure IeveI (SIL) is reIaled lo lhe sound pover IeveI (IWL)
as shovn in Lq. 8. "K" in lhis fornuIa is an expression lhal dislrilules lhe
sound pover in space and depends on lhe fan dianeler and lhe poinl of
neasurenenl. The vaIue of K is nol effecled ly noduIaling lhe airfIov.
Iron Lq. 8 il can le seen lhal lhe SIL of lhe fan viII le reduced ly lhe sane
anounl as lhe IWL. The ground refIeclion (if any) viII aIso le reduced and
can le added lo lhe fan SIL IogarilhnicaIIy.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Noise IeveI caIcuIalions are descriled in delaiI in a paper enlilIed "Noise LeveI
Irediclion for Moore Ians" (TMC-651) vhich is free on requesl. The paper is
aIso incIuded vilh any requesl for soflvare discussed leIov.
FAN 5ELECTION 5OFTWARE
Moore provides free fan seIeclion soflvare consisling of lvo pro-
grans:
Fan RatIng fnr Mnnrc Fans:
Used lo seIecl fan for given perfornance. Cives conpIele fan raling
and noise IeveI al slandard poinls of neasurenenl.
NnIsc Lcvc! PrcdIctInn:
CaIcuIales noise IeveIs al user-defined Iocalions and for nuIlipIe
fans in aeriaI cooIer unils.
Bolh prograns are on one 36OK disI. Requires IBM conpalalIe and
DS. IncIudes TMC-651
PWL = 56 + 30 Log V
T
+ 10 Log HP
Where:
V
T
= |an tl seed ln ft/nln x 10
-3
= X Dla. X RPM / 1000
HP = lnut |an Horseouer
(Not notor horseouer)
PWL ls ln DBA
A|| |ogs are to the base 10
Eq. 7:
SPL
|
= PWL - 10 Log K
Where:
SPL
|
= The Sound Pressure
Lete| of the fan
PWL = The Sound Pouer Lete|
ln dBA as ca|cu|ated
ln Eq. 7
K = A constant - see text
Eq. 8: