The primary function of industrial fans and blowers is to allow a large flow of air and gas to various parts of buildings or other structures. Several blades work in a rotational manner that gets connected to a hub and shaft and is driven by a motor or turbine. A blower is another name for an industrial fan but here the resistance to the flow of air depends on the downstream side of the fan. Industrial fans are mostly used for various purposes like cooling and exhausting heat, dust collection, and material handling.
What are Some Common Types of Industrial Fans
Two types of fans are generally used in industries, centrifugal fans, and axial fans.
Centrifugal Fans
- The impeller installed, increases the speed of the air stream entering into the fan.
- In the beginning, the air stream enters the fan impeller in an axial direction but later on, changes the direction because of centrifugal force.
- Centrifugal industrial fans have direct, bell-driven, and variable drive shaft mechanisms.
- Centrifugal fans have forward-curved, radial, backward-curved, and airfoil blade configurations.
- The fans are equipped with dampers, louver, and guide vanes to get the desired flow of air.
- Centrifugal industrial fans are generally used in cement, steel, chemical, and thermal power plants.
- They are used for dust collection, material handling, boiler applications, ventilation, drying and cooling, pollution control, and air recirculation in various industries.
Axial Fans
- In axial industrial fans, the flow of air gets maintained in a linear direction.
- The fan has a propeller that is mounted to a wall or duct to exhaust air from a system.
- Axial industrial fans also have guided vanes that eliminate air twists at the inlet or outlet.
- Axial fans have aerofoil, paddle, and variable pitch blade shapes.
- Aerofoil blade shapes are more commonly used because of their high efficiency and low noise levels.
- The most common type of industrial axial fans is tube axial, propeller, and vane axial fan.
- Axial fans are efficient, require low power inputs, and can operate at high static pressure.
- Axial industrial fans are used in industries that require large volumes of air at relatively low pressures.
- Axial fans are used in the cement, paper, wood, pharmaceutical, and steel industries for handling processes that require drying, ventilation, fume, and hot air exhaust.
Types of Centrifugal Fans
- Airfoil: These are industrial fans with hollow, airfoil-profiled blades. They are used in industries where high efficiency and quiet operation are required. Besides this, they are used in the metal, chemical, paper, and glass industries.
- Backward curve: These fans have single-thickness with curved plate blades that prevent dust particles from building up inside the blade. Also, the robust design of these fans allows them to be used in high-pressure applications.
- Radial blade: These industrial fans have flat blades arranged in a radial pattern. These fans have the high-pressure capability but average efficiency.
- Paddlewheel These fans have an open impeller without shrouds. These fans are used in industries with high dust loading.
- Acid gas blowers: These fans and blowers are used in heavy construction industries.
Types of Axial Fans
- Tube axial fans: These fans have fan wheels located in cylindrical tubes.
- Vane axial fans: These fans have static vanes which give it high-pressure capability.
- Cooling fans: These axial industrial fans have large diameters which ensure large volumes of airflow. They are commonly used in wet mechanical cooling towers, air-cooled heat exchangers, and radiators.
- Mixed flow fans: These fans are a combination of centrifugal and axial fans.
Through this informative article, we believe to have guided you through an overview of the industrial fans and blowers, their uses, function, and types. You can go through the article if you want to install industrial fans and blowers in your industry.
