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Centrifugalfan
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Acentrifugalfanisamechanicaldeviceformovingair
orothergases.Theterms"blower"and"squirrelcage
fan"(becauseitlookslikeahamsterwheel)are
frequentlyusedassynonyms.Thesefansincreasethe
speedofairstreamwiththerotatingimpellers.[1]
Theyusethekineticenergyoftheimpellersorthe
rotatingbladetoincreasethepressureoftheair/gas
streamwhichinturnmovesthemagainsttheresistance
causedbyducts,dampersandothercomponents.
Centrifugalfansaccelerateairradially,changingthe
direction(typicallyby90)oftheairflow.Theyare
sturdy,quiet,reliable,andcapableofoperatingovera
widerangeofconditions.[2]

Atypicalbackwardcurvedcentrifugalfan,
wherethebladescurveawayfromthedirection
theyrotatein

Centrifugalfansareconstantdisplacementdevicesor
constantvolumedevices,meaningthat,ataconstantfanspeed,acentrifugalfanwillpumpaconstant
volumeofairratherthanaconstantmass.Thismeansthattheairvelocityinasystemisfixedeven
thoughmassflowratethroughthefanisnot.
Centrifugalfansarenotpositivedisplacementdevices.Centrifugalfanshavecertainadvantagesand
disadvantageswhencontrastedwithpositivedisplacementblowers.[3][4][5][6][7]
Thecentrifugalfanisoneofthemostwidelyusedfans.Centrifugalfansarebyfarthemostprevalent
typeoffanusedintheHVACindustrytoday.Theyareusuallycheaperthanaxialfansandsimplerin
construction.[8]Itisusedintransportinggasormaterialsandinventilationsystemforbuildings.[9]They
arealsousedcommonlyincentralheating/coolingsystems.Theyarealsowellsuitedforindustrial
processesandairpollutioncontrolsystems.
Ithasafanwheelcomposedofanumberoffanblades,orribs,mountedaroundahub.Asshowninthe
animatedfigure,thehubturnsonadriveshaftthatpassesthroughthefanhousing.Thegasentersfrom
thesideofthefanwheel,turns90degreesandacceleratesduetocentrifugalforceasitflowsoverthe
fanbladesandexitsthefanhousing.[10]

Contents
1History
2Construction
2.1Drivemechanisms
2.1.1Direct
2.1.2Belt
2.1.3Variable
2.2Bearings
2.3Fandampersandvanes
2.4Fanblades
2.4.1Forwardcurved
2.4.2Backwardcurved
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2.4.2Backwardcurved
2.4.3Straightradial
3Principlesofoperation
3.1Velocitytriangle
3.2Differencebetweenfansandblowers
4Ratings
4.1AirMovementandControlAssociation(AMCA)
5Losses
5.1Impellerentry
5.2Leakage
5.3Impeller
5.4Diffuserandvolute
5.5Discfriction
6Seealso
7References

History
ThecentrifugalfanwasinventedbyRussianmilitaryengineerAlexanderSablukovin1832,andfound
itsusagebothintheRussianlightindustry(suchassugarmaking)andabroad.[11]

Construction
Mainpartsofacentrifugalfanare:
1. Fanhousing
2. Impellers
3. Inletandoutletducts
4. Driveshaft
5. Drivemechanism
Othercomponentsusedmayincludebearings,
couplings,impellerlockingdevice,fandischargecasing,
shaftsealplatesetc.[12]

Figure1:Componentsofacentrifugalfan

Drivemechanisms
Thefandrivedeterminesthespeedofthefanwheel(impeller)andtheextenttowhichthisspeedcanbe
varied.Therearethreebasictypesoffandrives.[10]
Direct
Thefanwheelcanbelinkeddirectlytotheshaftofanelectricmotor.Thismeansthatthefanwheel
speedisidenticaltothemotor'srotationalspeed.Withthistypeoffandrivemechanism,thefanspeed
cannotbevariedunlessthemotorspeedisadjustable.Airconditioningwillthenautomaticallyprovide
fasterspeedbecausecolderairismoredense.
Someelectronicsmanufacturershavemadecentrifugalfanswithexternalrotormotors(thestatoris
insidetherotor),andtherotorisdirectlymountedonthefanwheel(impeller).
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Belt
Asetofsheavesismountedonthemotorshaftandthefanwheelshaft,andabelttransmitsthe
mechanicalenergyfromthemotortothefan.
Thefanwheelspeeddependsupontheratioofthediameterofthemotorsheavetothediameterofthe
fanwheelsheaveandcanbeobtainedfromthisequation:[10]
Chaindrivefansarenotcommonduetotheircomplexworkup,highmaintenance,noisiness,andspeed
andflexibilitylimitationswhichpreventsthemfrombeingoperatedathighspeeds,buttheyaremuch
moredurable,requirelessoperatingspace,haveacheaperinitialandinstallationcost,don'tslip,andare
resistanttowardsmanyhostileenvironments.Theycanbejustasefficientasbeltdrive,however,both
willrequiretensioning.

where:

=fanwheelspeed,revolutionsperminute
=motornameplatespeed,revolutionsperminute
=diameterofthemotorsheave
=diameterofthefanwheelsheave

Fanwheelspeedsinbeltdrivenfansarefixedunlessthebelt(s)slip.Beltslippagecanreducethefan
wheelspeedbyseveralhundredrevolutionsperminute(rpm).
Variable
Variabledrivefansmayusehydraulicormagneticcouplings(betweenthefanwheelshaftandthemotor
shaft)thatallowvariablespeed.Thefanspeedcontrolsareoftenintegratedintoautomatedsystemsto
maintainthedesiredfanwheelspeed.[10]
Analternatemethodofvaryingthefanspeedisbyuseofanelectronicvariablespeeddrivewhich
controlsthespeedofthemotordrivingthefan.Thisoffersbetteroverallenergyefficiencythan
mechanicalcouplings,especiallyatgreatlyreducedspeeds.

Bearings
Bearingsareanimportantpartofafan.Sleeveringoilbearingsareusedextensivelyinfans.Some
sleeveringbearingsmaybewatercooled.Watercooledsleevebearingsareoftenusedwhenhotgases
arebeingmovedbythefan.Heatisconductedthroughtheshaftandintotheoilwhichmustbecooledto
preventoverheatingofthebearing.
Sincelowerspeedfanshavebearingsinhardtoreachspots,greasepackedantifrictionbearingsare
used.
Manyturboblowersuseeitheranairbearingoramagneticbearing.[13]

Fandampersandvanes
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Fandampersareusedtocontrolgasflowintoandoutofthecentrifugalfan.Theymaybeinstalledon
theinletsideorontheoutletsideofthefan,orboth.Dampersontheoutletsideimposeaflow
resistancethatisusedtocontrolgasflow.Dampersontheinletside(inletvanes)aredesignedtocontrol
gasflowbychangingtheamountofgasorairadmittedtothefaninlet.
Inletdampers(inletvanes)reducefanenergyusageduetotheirabilitytoaffecttheairflowpatterninto
thefan.[10]

Fanblades
Thefanwheelconsistsofahubonwhicha
numberoffanbladesareattached.Thefan
bladesonthehubcanbearrangedinthree
differentways:forwardcurved,backward
curvedorradial.[10]
Forwardcurved
Figure3:Centrifugalfanblades

Forwardcurvedblades,asinFigure3(a),curve
inthedirectionofthefanwheel'srotation.Theseareespeciallysensitivetoparticulates.Forwardcurved
bladesprovidealownoiselevelandrelativelysmallairflowwithahighincreaseinstaticpressure.[14]
Backwardcurved
Backwardcurvedblades,asinFigure3(b),curveagainstthedirectionofthefanwheel'srotation.
Smallerblowersmayhavebackwardinclinedblades,whicharestraight,notcurved.Largerbackward
inclined/curvedblowershavebladeswhosebackwardcurvaturesmimicthatofanairfoilcrosssection,
butbothdesignsprovidegoodoperatingefficiencywithrelativelyeconomicalconstructiontechniques.
Thesetypesofblowersaredesignedtohandlegasstreamswithlowtomoderateparticulateloadings.
Theycanbeeasilyfittedwithwearprotectionbutcertainbladecurvaturescanbepronetosolidsbuild
up..Backwardcurvedwheelsareoftenlighterthancorrespondingforwardcurvedequivalents,asthey
don'trequiresomanyblades.
Backwardcurvedfanscanhaveahighrangeofspecificspeedsbutaremostoftenusedformedium
specificspeedapplicationshighpressure,mediumflowapplications.
Backwardcurvedfansaremuchmoreenergyefficientthanradialbladefansandso,forhighpower
applicationsmaybeasuitablealternativetothelowercostradialbladedfan.
Straightradial
Radialblowers,asinFigure3(c),havewheelswhosebladesextendstraightoutfromthecenterofthe
hub.Radialbladedwheelsareoftenusedonparticulateladengasstreamsbecausetheyaretheleast
sensitivetosolidbuildupontheblades,buttheyareoftencharacterizedbygreaternoiseoutput.High
speeds,lowvolumes,andhighpressuresarecommonwithradialblowers,andareoftenusedinvacuum
cleaners,pneumaticmaterialconveyingsystems,andsimilarprocesses.

Principlesofoperation
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Thecentrifugalfanusesthecentrifugalpowersuppliedfromtherotationofimpellerstoincreasethe
kineticenergyofair/gases.Whentheimpellersrotate,thegasparticlesneartheimpellersarethrownoff
fromtheimpellers,thenmovesintothefancasing.Asaresult,thekineticenergyofgasismeasuredas
pressurebecauseofthesystemresistanceofferedbythecasingandduct.Thegasisthenguidedtothe
exitviaoutletducts.Afterthegasisthrownoff,thegaspressureinthemiddleregionoftheimpellers
decreases.ThegasfromtheimpellereyerushesintonormalizethisThiscyclerepeatsandthereforethe
gascanbecontinuouslytransferred.

Velocitytriangle
Mainarticle:Velocitytriangle

Table1
Differencesbetweenfansandblowers
Equipment PressureRatio Pressurerise(mmH2O)

Upto1.1
1136
Andiagramcalledavelocitytrianglehelpsus Fans
1.1to1.2
11362066
indeterminingtheflowgeometryattheentry Blowers
andexitofablade.Aminimumnumberofdata
arerequiredtodrawavelocitytriangleatapointonblade.Somecomponentofvelocityvariesat
differentpointonthebladeduetochangesinthedirectionofflow.Henceaninfinitenumberofvelocity
trianglesarepossibleforagivenblade.Inordertodescribetheflowusingonlytwovelocitytriangles
wedefinemeanvaluesofvelocityandtheirdirection.Velocitytriangleofanyturbomachinehasthree
componentsasshown:
UBladevelocity
VrRelativeVelocity
VAbsolutevelocity
Thesevelocitiesarerelatedbythetrianglelawofvectoraddition:

Thisrelativelysimpleequationisusedfrequentlywhiledrawing
thevelocitydiagram.Thevelocitydiagramfortheforward,
backwardfacebladesshownaredrawnusingthislaw.Theangle
istheanglemadebytheabsolutevelocitywiththeaxial
directionandangleistheanglemadebybladewithrespectto
axialdirection.

Differencebetweenfansandblowers

Velocitytriangleforforwardfacing
blade

Thepropertythatdistinguishesacentrifugalfanfromabloweris
thepressureratioitcanachieve.Ingeneral,ablowercanproduce
ahigherpressureratio.AsperAmericanSocietyofMechanicalEngineers(ASME)thespecificratio
theratioofthedischargepressureoverthesuctionpressureisusedfordefiningthefansandblowers
(Table1).

Ratings
RatingsfoundincentrifugalfanperformancetablesandcurvesarebasedonstandardairSCFM.Fan
manufacturersdefinestandardairasclean,dryairwithadensityof0.075poundsmasspercubicfoot
(1.2kg/m),withthebarometricpressureatsealevelof29.92inchesofmercury(101.325kPa)anda
temperatureof70F(21C).Selectingacentrifugalfantooperateatconditionsotherthanstandardair
requiresadjustmenttobothstaticpressureandpower.
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Athigherthanstandardelevation(sealevel)andhigherthanstandardtemperature,airdensityislower
thanstandarddensity.Airdensitycorrectionsneedtobetakenintoaccountforcentrifugalfansthatare
specifiedforcontinuousoperationathighertemperatures.Thecentrifugalfanwilldisplaceaconstant
volumeofairinagivensystemregardlessoftheairdensity.
WhenacentrifugalfanisspecifiedforagivenCFMandstaticpressureatconditionsotherthan
standard,anairdensitycorrectionfactormustbeappliedtoselectthepropersizefantomeetthenew
condition.Since200F(93C)airweighsonly80%of70F(21C)air,thecentrifugalfanwillcreate
lesspressureandrequirelesspower.Togettheactualpressurerequiredat200F(93C),thedesigner
wouldhavetomultiplythepressureatstandardconditionsbyanairdensitycorrectionfactorof1.25
(i.e.,1.0/0.8)togetthesystemtooperatecorrectly.Togettheactualpowerat200F(93C),the
designerwouldhavetodividethepoweratstandardconditionsbytheairdensitycorrectionfactor.

AirMovementandControlAssociation(AMCA)
ThecentrifugalfanperformancetablesprovidethefanRPMand
powerrequirementsforthegivenCFMandstaticpressureat
standardairdensity.Whenthecentrifugalfanperformanceisnot
atstandardconditions,theperformancemustbeconvertedto
standardconditionsbeforeenteringtheperformancetables.
CentrifugalfansratedbytheAirMovementandControl
Association(AMCA)aretestedinlaboratorieswithtestsetups
thatsimulateinstallationsthataretypicalforthattypeoffan.
Usuallytheyaretestedandratedasoneoffourstandard
installationtypesasdesignatedinAMCAStandard210.[15]
Velocitytriangleforbackwardfacing
AMCAStandard210definesuniformmethodsforconducting
blade
laboratorytestsonhousedfanstodetermineairflowrate,
pressure,powerandefficiency,atagivenspeedofrotation.The
purposeofAMCAStandard210istodefineexactproceduresandconditionsoffantestingsothat
ratingsprovidedbyvariousmanufacturersareonthesamebasisandmaybecompared.Forthisreason,
fansmustberatedinstandardizedSCFM.

Losses
Centrifugalfanssufferefficiencylossesinbothstationaryandmovingparts,increasingtheenergyinput
requiredforagivenlevelofairflowperformance.

Impellerentry
Flowattheintakeanditsturningfromaxialtoradialdirectioncauseslossesattheintake.Frictionand
flowseparationcauseimpellerbladelossessincethereischangeinincidenceangle.Theseimpeller
bladelossesarealsoincludedinthecategory.

Leakage
Leakageofsomeairanddisturbanceinthemainflowfieldiscausedduetotheclearanceprovided
betweentherotatingperipheryoftheimpellerandthecasingattheentry.

Impeller
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Passagefrictionandflowseparationcausesimpellerlosseswhicharedependentonrelativevelocity,
rateofdiffusionandbladegeometry.Impellerdynamicbalancingusuallyisdoneonaprecision
balancingmachine,becauseallenergyofvibrationalimbalanceislost(forexample,thiscaneasily
amountto50%ofairflowlossinpoorlymaintainedhomeACunits).

Diffuserandvolute
Frictionandflowseparationalsocauseslossesinthediffuser.Furtherlossesduetoincidenceoccurif
thedeviceisworkingbeyonditsdesignconditions.Flowfromtheimpellerordiffuserexpandsinthe
volute,whichhasalargercrosssectionleadingtotheformationofeddy,whichinturnreducespressure
head.Frictionandflowseparationlossesalsooccurduethevolutepassage.

Discfriction
Viscousdragonthebacksurfaceoftheimpellerdisccausesdiscfrictionlosses.

Seealso
Ductedfan
Mechanicalfan
Standardtemperatureandpressure
Threedimensionallossesandcorrelationin
turbomachinery
Waddlefan
Windturbine

WikimediaCommonshas
mediarelatedtoCentrifugal
fans.

References
1. ElectricalEnergyEquipment:FansandBlowers.UNEP.2006.p.21.
2. LawrenceBerkeleyNationalLaboratoryWashington,DCResourceDynamicsCorporationVienna,VA.
ImprovingFanSystemPerformance
(http://www1.eere.energy.gov/manufacturing/tech_deployment/pdfs/fan_sourcebook.pdf)(PDF).p.21.
Retrieved29February2012.
3. UnitedNationsEnvironmentProgramme."FansandBlowers"
(http://www.retscreen.net/links_eeasia_fans&blowers_chapter.html).2006.p.9.quote:"Thecentrifugal
blowerandthepositivedisplacementbloweraretwomaintypesofblowers"
4. "AdvantagesofRotaryPositiveDisplacementBlowersVersusCentrifugalBlowers"
(http://www.tuthillvacuumblower.com/dam/591.pdf).1996.
5. JuanLoera,P.E."OverviewofBlowerTechnologies"
(http://www.cwea.org/sarbs/pdfs/Blower%20Technologies%20Loera%20061712.pdf).p.10.
6. JimBrown."TheGreatDebate:CentrifugalFanvs.PositiveDisplacementPump"
(http://www.owenequipment.com/article.php?id=6).2008.
7. Vac2Go."Whatsbetter,aPDorFanCombinationUnit?"(http://www.vac2go.com/whatsbetterpdfan
combinationunit/).2013.
8. "AirDistributionSystems"(http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?
c=business.EPA_BUM_CH8_AirDistSystems#SS_8_3_1).EnergyStar.Retrieved29February2012.
9. Singh,O.P.RakeshKhilwaniT.SreenivasuluM.Kannan(May2011)."PARAMETRICSTUDYOF
CENTRIFUGALFANPERFORMANCE:EXPERIMENTSANDNUMERICALSIMULATION"
(http://www.ijaet.org/media/0001/5PARAMETRICSTUDYOFCENTRIFUGALFANPERFORMANCE
EXPERIMENTSANDNUMERICALSIMULATIONCopyrightIJAET.pdf)(PDF).InternationalJournal
ofAdvancesinEngineering&Technology1(2):18.ISSN22311963(https://www.worldcat.org/issn/2231
1963).Retrieved29February2012.
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10. Fantypes(http://www.epa.gov/apti/bces/module5/fans/types/types.htm#types)(U.S.EnvironmentalProtection
Agencywebsitepage)
11. AHistoryofMechanicalFan(http://www.elcomspb.ru/wiki/eltech_history/vent_invent/)(Russian)
12. "TECHNICALSPECIFICATIONOFCENTRIFUGALFANSDESIGN"
(http://www.flaktwoods.com/b02672b3dc6f442d8e7f0319f77799ad).Retrieved29February2012.
13. JuanLoera,P.E."OverviewofBlowerTechnologiesandComparisonofHighSpeedTurboBlowers"
(http://www.cwea.org/sarbs/pdfs/Blower%20Technologies%20Loera%20061712.pdf).p.24.
14. "CentrifugalFans"(http://www.ebmpapst.us/en/products/centrifugal_fans/centrifugal_fans.html).ebmpapst.
ebmpapst.Retrieved17December2014.
15. ANSI/AMCAStandard21099,"LaboratoryMethodsOfTestingFansforAerodynamicPerformanceRating"

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