It is not always easy to know which fan is needed for a particular application. An industrial fan is a fan that is installed in an industrial application or as ventilation in an industrial environment.
So, the word industrial fan does not describe one single type of fan, but rather an installation location or function.
What is an industrial fan?
In this article, we at FläktComp Sweden try to define and explain what an industrial fan is (in our eyes).
An industrial fan is built according to the requirements of the application, this means that there is not a specific product but an entire segment, which means that both a centrifugal- and an axial-fan can be called industrial fans.
There are a number of demands that the fan should meet regardless of application and design. Below you find a collection of four of the most important ones.
Robust
An industrial fan needs to be robust in its design. This means a fan that can withstand the environment and load required for the process. In many cases, a fan adapted for commercial or private properties would not last over time in an industrial environment.
Reliable
A fan that does a job also needs to be reliable. Therefore, a fan within the industrial sector needs to have a long time between service and defined service intervals. To make sure that any service always be planned in good time before any unforeseen downtime occurs.
Long lasting
Many times the fan is exposed to process media or other challenges in the environment, therefore it is important that the materials are adapted to this.
To maximize the life of an industrial fan, for example, the fan cover should be hot-dip galvanized after manufacture and not be made from a pre-galvanized sheet that is riveted/screwed together. Such a construction creates a greater risk of corrosion problems over time.
The inside of the fan is at least as important as the impeller and needs to be adapted to the characteristics of the flow. Perhaps it is particles in the air stream that require a harder material, or it´s a fan for high temperatures or high pressures that requires more than standard material.
High efficiency
By far the biggest cost of a fan over its lifetime is the energy cost. Therefore, efficiency is one of the most important factors when choosing an industrial fan. A few percent higher efficiency can mean many thousands of Euro´s in reduced electricity bills per year. When the expected lifetime of the fan is 20-25 years, there will quickly be very large savings in relation to the purchase cost of the fan.
Before we go deeper into each fan type, let´s summarize typical applications for an industrial fan in each design below.
Centrifugal fan for industrial applications
A centrifugal fan is a flexible fan type that performs well in a variety of applications. Typical applications are process air, flue gas purification, material transport and general ventilation.
Axial fan for industrial applications
An axial fan is a type that is best for high flows at lower pressure and typical industrial applications are wood dryers, mine ventilation and general ventilation.
A type of axial fan that is well suited for simple industrial ventilation is the wall fan.
No matter what type of fan your fan is, we adapt it for e.g. high temperatures or operation in areas with explosive atmospheres.
A natural next step in our deepening and description of what is important in terms of construction for an industrial fan in each version.
Design of an industrial centrifugal fan
An industrial fan in centrifugal design is usually a fan with relatively tough performance requirements. Therefore, it is important that the fan is correctly designed for the specific application.
Examples of adaptations that are made are reinforcement of the fan cover at high pressures, installation of a shaft seal in case of leakage requirements, special material in the fan wheel at high temperatures or abrasive media or in a decontaminable version for easy internal cleaning of the fan.
Our standard equipment includes a robust inspection hatch for easy access to the impeller.
Design of an industrial axial fan
To ensure that an axial industrial fan both lasts and performs over time, we work with details.
For example, the fan housing flange is formed from the sweep and not as a separately welded-on flange.
We use thicker material on the fan cover and above all the right material for the process, e.g. carbon steel or stainless steel.
Our impeller blades are profiled and made from non-recycled saltwater resistant aluminum.
The blades have a steel-reinforced core that is cast in using vacuum casting in sand, which gives the blades increased strength.
The fan impeller must of course be both statically and dynamically balanced. The fan should always be equipped with vibration feet to minimize transmitting vibrations to any duct systems.
The industrial fan is equipped with an external junction box for easy connection and disconnection in the system. If desired, we equip the fan with real-time monitoring or other sensors.
The motors fitted to our fans always come from a well-known quality motor supplier and have been adapted to the application requirements.
Every fan we deliver passes our strict requirements.
If we sum up the properties above, we get an industrial fan that lasts over time, with high continuous performance, reliability and efficiency.
An industrial fan from FläktComp is a work colleague you can trust.
