BASIC MINE VENTILATION

6.0 Understanding Fans

AMC - The Business of Mining

How do they work? What are the different types? What is the difference between primary, booster, auxiliary, secondary, development, etc. fans? Where are fans best installed?

AMC - The Business of Mining

WHAT IS A FAN? Any device that produces a current of air by the movement of broad surfaces can be called a fan Fans fall under the general classification of of turbomachinery and have a rotating impeller at least partially encased in a stationary housing. Fans are similar in many respects to pumps. Both are turbomachines that transfer energy to a flowing fluid. It is easy to distinguish between fans and pumps: pumps handle liquids; fans handle gasses. Broadly speaking, the function of a fan is to propel, displace,or move air or gas, . (Howden Buffalo Inc.Fan Engineering (1999))
AMC - The Business of Mining

Fan parts
Impeller rotates and transfers energy to the air. (wheel, rotor, runner, propeller) Blade the working surface. (vane, paddle) Shroud supports the blades ( cover disc, inlet plate, backplate, rim, flange) Hub attaches to the fan/motor shaft but may support
the blades directly (axial) or indirectly through a shroud (centrifugal). (boss, disc) Housing encloses the impeller and guides the air to and from the impeller. (casing, scroll, panel, ring, volute) Centrifugal housing include side plate and scroll sheets. Axial housing includes the outer and inner cylinder, belt tube

Inlet the opening to the impeller. (eye, suction, suction

eye, inlet cone, inlet bell, inlet nozzle)

Outlet the opening leaving the fan. (discharge,

discharge cone, evase, diffuser) vanes. If they are adjustable they are called variable inlet vanes or simply VIVs. When installed after the impeller they are termed straightening vanes or discharge guide vanes.
AMC - The Business of Mining

Guide Vanes when installed before the impeller are called pre-rotation vanes or inlet guide

Fan types
Four distinctive fan types are classified according to the direction of flow through the impeller. Axial-flow. - Air flows through the impeller parallel to, and at, a constant distance from the axis. The pressure rise is provided by the direct action of the blades. Centrifugal or Radial-flow. - Air enters parallel to the axis of the fan turns through 90 and is discharged radially through the blades. The blade force is tangential causing the air to spin with the blades and the main pressure rise is attributed to this centrifugal force. Mixed flow. - Air enters parallel to the axis of the fan turns through an angle which may range from 30 to 90 The pressure rise is partially by direct blade action and partially by centrifugal action. Cross flow. - Air enters the impeller at one part of the outer periphery flows inward and exits at another part of the outer periphery. Mixed and cross flow fans have very limited application for underground mines and will not be discussed further in this course.
AMC - The Business of Mining

Impeller types Axial

Centrifugal

AMC - The Business of Mining

Performance characteristic (1)

The theoretical pressure-quantity curve of an ideal fan (no losses) is a straight line between zero volume and zero pressure.

Theoretical pressure quantity (P-Q) characteristic

Pressure

Friction losses Useful P-Q curve Shock losses

Quantity
AMC - The Business of Mining

Performance characteristic (2) Normally referred to as the fan curve. Three parameters are desirable on a fan performance characteristic.
it is most common to use volume expressed in cubic metres per second (m3/s). (air volume, inlet volume, quantity, Q). Should mass flow rate be given the volume is calculated by dividing this rate by the air density.

FLOW RATE - although mass flow can be used

PRESSURE - May be given as total pressure

or static pressure and expressed in Pascals (Pa). [see next slide]

INPUT POWER The power (electrical or

otherwise) required to drive the fan and expressed in kilowatts (kW). (power, shaft power, absorbed power)

AMC - The Business of Mining

Fan pressure

Fan Total Pressure (FTP)

The difference between the average total pressure at the fan inlet and the average total pressure at the fan outlet.

Fan Velocity Pressure (FVP)

The average velocity pressure at the fan outlet.

Fan Static Pressure (FSP)

The difference between the fan total pressure (FTP) and the fan velocity pressure (FVP). FSP is therefore the difference between the average static pressure at the fan outlet and the average total pressure at the fan inlet.

AMC - The Business of Mining

Fan efficiency
Efficiency
Expressed in percent (%) and describes the ratio of the fan output power (kW) to fan input power (kW). Fan (motor) input power Is the power to the motor that is required to drive the fan and may include elements of any train considered to be part of the fan. (e.g. belt drive, gear box). Fan output power Is the product of the fan pressure and the fan volume (AP = PQ) (air horsepower, air power) Where AP = air power (watts), P = pressure (Pa = N/m2) and Q = quantity (m3/s). Substituting PQ = N/m2 x m3/s = Nm/s Since 1Nm = 1 Joule and, 1 Joule/second = 1 watt, then AP = watts. If the FTP is used then the efficiency is expressed as the fan total efficiency and if FSP is used the the efficiency is expressed as the fan static efficiency.

AMC - The Business of Mining

Summary of Fan Power

Air power
Is product of the inlet volume flow and the fan pressure.

Fan shaft power

the mechanical power supplied to the fan shaft

Motor input power

Is the power to the motor that is required to drive the fan and may include elements of any train considered to be part of the fan. (e.g. belt drive, gear box). Fan manufacturers talk of efficiency in terms of the Fan shaft power

Fan shaft input efficiency =

Airpower Fan shaft power

and users of fans generally think of efficiency in terms of motor input power.

Motor input efficiency =

Airpower Motor input power

AMC - The Business of Mining

Centrifugal Fans
Impeller blades are manufactured either laminar (flat, constant thickness) or aerofoil shape and generally hollow. Aerofoil blades have generally been regarded as having
greater efficiencies (up to 90%) that those achievable with constant thickness blades, with the advantages of efficiency spread over the characteristic and lower noise generation. However with careful attention to design of blade curvature, inlet eye detail and impeller shrouding, comparable efficiencies can be achieved with constant thickness blades. Not withstanding this aerofoil blades are freely used particularly when blade stresses are high and extra stiffening is required.

Laminar (flat) blades

AMC - The Business of Mining

Aerofoil blades

Centrifugal Fans

AMC - The Business of Mining

Centrifugal fan - Basic description

As the impeller rotates it draws air in through the eye and throws it out in a radial direction through the blades. Can be direct drive (impeller attached to the motor shaft) or indirectly driven by belts, gear box or friction clutch Blades can be either flat or aerofoil, backward straight or curved, forward or

Performance control is achieved by altering the speed, adjusting VIVs, or adding blade extensions When rotated in the wrong direction air will continue to flow into the eye and out through the blades Can be either single or a double inlet

AMC - The Business of Mining

Forward inclined blades

Provide large quantities (Q) of air at low running speeds. Pressure rise limited by blade stresses Generally considered to be the most compact, quietest with the most competitive first cost. Efficiency limited to 60% to 70% at most. Steeply rising power characteristic

Pressure

re Pressu

er Pow

Straight blades

Curved blades
AMC - The Business of Mining

Quantity

Shaft power

Duty point

Backward inclined blades

Higher tip speeds than forward inclined blades High total efficiency Bulkier casing Fewer blades with greater depth Non overloading power characteristic. (i.e. power input does not peak at either free flow or no flow)

Press ure

Pressure

Duty point

r Powe

Straight blades

Curved blades
AMC - The Business of Mining

Quantity

Radial blades
Air performance sits between backward and forward inclined blades Steeply rising power characteristic Relatively low efficiency Good self cleaning properties make them exceptional for handling air with high concentrations of dusts or other larger airborne particles (backward and forward incline blades tend to clog up more quickly)

er Pow

Radial blades
AMC - The Business of Mining

Quantity

Shaft power

Pressu re

Duty point

Pressure

Performance characteristics of centrifugal fans

d

Pressu re
Duty point

rw Fo

d ar

ve ur

ia l d Ra

Backward curved
Pow er

Quantity
AMC - The Business of Mining

Shaft power
d r cu d ve

Pressure

ar rw Fo

Ba rd wa ck cu ed rv

al di Ra

6.0 (a) Centrifugal fans

FAN SLIDE SHOW

AMC - The Business of Mining

Axial flow fans

AMC - The Business of Mining

Axial flow fan Basic description

Can be direct drive (impeller attached to the motor shaft) or indirect drive (belts, gearbox) Tip clearance (distance between the tip of the impeller blades and the fan casing) is typically 0.25% of the impeller diameter. Blades can be either flat (generally steel plate) or aerofoil (generally cast alloy). Aerofoil sections can apply greater force to the air, increasing pressure and maintaining better efficiency over a wider range. Increasing the thickness and curvature, increases stiffness allowing operation at higher speeds. When rotated in the backward direction they will reverse the direction of flow through the fan and deliver 60% to 70% of the forward quantity of air. (A true reversible fan will have alternate blades rotated through 1800 and deliver 85% of the normal setting in either direction) Performance control is achieved by altering speed, adjusting impeller blade pitch angle or adjusting VIVs. Performance is enhanced by installation of inlet cone, inlet or outlet guide vanes, tail fairings, and diffusers (evase).

AMC - The Business of Mining

Drive arrangements for axial fans

Typical arrangement for secondary fans in metal mines

AMC - The Business of Mining

Accessories
Inlet cone (inlet bell) Reduces inlet shock losses Nose dome - Streamlines flow over the impeller hub Guide vanes Downstream reduce swirl and enhance pressure. Particularly important if exhausting into a long high velocity duct as the swirl will exist for long distances significantly increasing pressure drop. Guide vanes Upstream induce a swirl in the opposite direction to the rotation of the impeller. Not often used as they increase noise and are less efficient than downstream guide vanes. However will increase peak pressure of the fan. Tail piece (fairing) Reduce turbulence (shock losses) caused by the motor. Diffuser minimises outlet velocity pressure and maximises fan static pressure

AMC - The Business of Mining

Solidity

AMC - The Business of Mining

6.0 (b) Axial fans

FAN SLIDE SHOW

AMC - The Business of Mining

Performance control Dampers

Can be either inlet or outlet Change the resistance of the system

AMC - The Business of Mining

Performance control

Variable inlet vanes

Installed at the inlet close to the impeller Spin the air in direction of rotation of the impeller Provide a resistance as well as flow modification Alter the performance characteristic of the fan
AMC - The Business of Mining

Performance control

Variable pitch blades Axial fans only Each setting has a different performance characteristic Can be altered while in motion but it is usual to withdraw the fan from service to make an adjustment

AMC - The Business of Mining

On-load pitch adjustment

is possible but extremely expensive and high maintenance

Off-load blade pitch adjustment

requires the fan to be withdrawn from service for an extended period of time blade attachments are often extremely difficult to release after quite short periods of use an expensive and time consuming activity In some cases, a new set of pitch plates will be needed for each duty change many axial flow fan installations are allowed to operate at less than optimal flow rates for long periods of time simply because it is so difficult to change the blade pitch, resulting in a considerable waste of expensive power.
AMC - The Business of Mining

Blade pitch (angle) setting

Adjustment using pitch markings Adjustment using pitch plates

AMC - The Business of Mining

Blade pitch (angle) setting (2)

Adjustment using a protractor Impellers without markings require the use of a protractor to set the appropriate angle. Some manufacturers specify the the blade pitch angle in terms of the tip chord. Those who refurbish fans often incorrectly set these angles as the at the blade root rather than the tip of the blade. Depending upon the twist of the blade this could be as much as 30 resulting with the fan performance less than expectations.
Underside or blade root angle

Airflow Direction

Impeller Hub Boss Tip chord angle Blade tip Rotation Direction

Blade root

AMC - The Business of Mining

Performance control Variable speed

Each change of speed develops a new fan performance characteristic
(see fan laws)

AMC - The Business of Mining

Performance control

Fans in series
Increase pressure (P) Slight increase in quantity (Q)

New curves can be drawn simply by adding the pressure (P) at a constant quantity (Q)

AMC - The Business of Mining

Performance control

Fans in parallel
Increase quantity (Q) New curves can be drawn simply by adding the quantity (Q) at a constant pressure (P) Note: the quantity is NOT doubled simply by adding an extra fan.

AMC - The Business of Mining

Start-up

Single fan - variable speed

On start up a fan goes from standstill to full speed Will follow path 1,2,3,4 if equilibrium is reached instantaneously Will follow path 1, 2, 2, 4 if equilibrium is not established instantaneously (i.e. if the system has a significant volume or it is necessary to blow the bag up) In any case all points are on the negative part of the curve and therefore stable.
AMC - The Business of Mining

Start-up

Single fan Damper control

Dampers set to open when a predetermined pressure is reached (i.e no flow until operating pressure is reached) Fan must follow the parabola over the hump and the fan may become unstable during this stage Miners have found by experience that jog starting fans with long lengths of lay-flat duct reduces excessive power draw and prevents the fan from shaking violently.

AMC - The Business of Mining

Start-up

Single fan with dip in the curve

In this case the curve has a dip as well as a hump

In this case all intersections are on the negative (stable) part of the curve

AMC - The Business of Mining

Start-up

Two fan is series

If started simultaneously they will act in the same manner as a single fan If one fan is started the operating fan sees a higher resistance caused by the non-operating fan. At the start-up of the second fan the system resistance is lowered and the first fan comes down the curve whilst the second fan moves from a free flow (air from the first fan) situation until both fans are at the same speed and contributing to the combined fan curve

AMC - The Business of Mining

Start-up
Two fans in parallel
If started simultaneously they will act in the same manner as a single fan When one fan is started it will run up and settle on on the system. The second fan (no flow) will start and when acceleration is sufficient it will move to the right at the same time that the first fan is moves up its curve until both fans are at the same speed and contributing to the combined fan curve Note that the second fan must move over the hump and could cause serious instability if the curve has a dip as well as a hump
AMC - The Business of Mining

Parallel fans with a dip (1)

Parallel Fans

Static pressutre (Pa)

Apparent operating points

Quantity (m 3/s)
1 Fan 2 Fans 3 Fans System

AMC - The Business of Mining

Parallel fans with a dip (2)

Eck line
Static pressutre (Pa)

P a ra lle l F a n s

Apparent operating points

Q u a n tity (m 3 /s)
1 Fan 2 Fans 3 Fans Sy s tem

In this case it is highly likely that the third fan would become unstable on start-up, to the point that it would not recover. To start fans with this particular type of characteristic requires the use of variable speed drives, VIVs or adjustable pitch in motion blades.
AMC - The Business of Mining

Fan operating duty point

The theoretical operating (duty) point of any fan is determined as the intersection of the Actual P-Q curve and the resistance curve of the system in which it will operate.

Theoretical pressure quantity (P-Q) characteristic

Pressure

Friction losses Useful P-Q curve Shock losses

Quantity
AMC - The Business of Mining

Fan and System Resistance curves

1000

P-Q c u

rve

Pressure (Pa)

500

m e t s Sy
0 0 5

ce n ta s i s re

rv u c

Operating point 12.0 m3/s 700 Pa

10

15

20

Quantity (m3/s)
AMC - The Business of Mining

MULGA HILL FAN COMPANY

QWER 1250-2300-12 990 rpm 1.2kg/m3
3500

Reference P'nW 2345

3000

Fan Static Pressure (Pa)

2500

Manufacturers Code for the fan type usually provides, fan type, hub diameter, impeller diameter, number of blades, fan Speed & air density

Manufacturers reference number

2000

Fan performance sets Fan operating point AP = P x Q

70 60 50 40

1500

1000

500

Pressure sometimes given as Fan Total Pressure

20 80 100 30 120

0 0 700 600 20 40 60

10

140

160

180

200

Fan Shaft Power (kW)

500 400 300 200 100 0 0 20 40 60 10 80 20 100 120 140 160 180 30

70

Impeller blade pitch setting

60

Fan Shaft power at the 50 operating point

40

200

AMC - The Business of Mining Volume (m3/s)

Airpower = 200 x 1500 = 3000 W = 300 kW Fan shaft efficiency = 300 / 325 = 92%

325 kW

AMC - The Business of Mining

Assume duty 100 m3/s 1000 Pa

System Resistance Q (m3/s) P (Pa) 0 0 20 40 40 160 60 360 80 640 100 1000 120 1440 140 1960 160 2560 180 3240 200 4000 220 4840 240 5760 260 6760

Efficiency 77%??

180 kW

AMC - The Business of Mining

Example
80 m3/s 1.0kPa Blades set at 400 350 kW motor What is the maximum flow possible with this fan?

AMC - The Business of Mining

Example
Maximum blade angle 520 Due to wear on blades would be prudent to set at 500
80 1000 System Resistance Q (m3/s) P (Pa) 0 0 20 63 40 250 60 563 80 1000 100 1563 120 2250 140 3063 160 4000 180 5063 200 6250

AMC - The Business of Mining

Relative merits of axial and centrifugal fans Axial fans offer better efficiency over a wider range of duties whereas the centrifugal fans can have a higher efficiency, albeit over a smaller range, on a single performance curve. The performance of a single speed axial fan can be altered simply by adjustment to the impeller blade pitch angle The performance of a single speed centrifugal fan requires the installation of variable inlet vanes. Axial fans are generally considered to be more easily accessible for maintenance Axial fans generally run faster than centrifugal as a consequence are much noisier. Axial fan impellers are generally manufactured from aluminium in an effort to keep weight to a minimum. As a consequence the potential for erosion is greater, particularly if there is water in the shaft

AMC - The Business of Mining

Relative merits of axial and centrifugal fans (2) The light material used in the blades along with the high rotational speed of axial fans make them prone to erosion, and even in good (dry) conditions it is reasonably expected that this erosion will have significantly reduced the fan performance within five years. Centrifugal fan impellers are fabricated from plate and are generally hollow. As a consequence when there is water in the shaft the nose of the blade is prone to pitting allowing water to enter the hollow section. Sufficient water in this section will cause the impeller to become unbalanced, and if allowed to continue it will result in high vibration and eventual failure of the impeller shaft. Centrifugal fans traditionally require the construction of large concrete foundations for the motor and ductwork. The cost of these foundations significantly increases the capital cost of the fan

AMC - The Business of Mining

Relative merits of single and multiple fan installations

Single fan installations are generally less expensive than multiple fan installations. Multiple fan installations have the advantage of airflow redundancy, i.e. a percentage of airflow will always be available whilst a fan is off line for maintenance or component change out. Single fan options do not provide any capacity for redundancy airflow. The purchase of spares (motor, impeller, shafts, bearings, blades etc) is good management and should be included as upfront capital expenditure.

AMC - The Business of Mining

BASIC MINE VENTILATION

6.4 Fan Laws

AMC - The Business of Mining

BASIC MINE VENTILATION

6.5 Fan Performance Testing

AMC - The Business of Mining

BASIC MINE VENTILATION

6.6 Operating Multiple Fans

AMC - The Business of Mining

Acknowledgements
DALY, B.B., 1978 Woods Practical Guide to Fan Engineering (Published by Woods of Colchester 1978) Le ROUX, W., Le Rouxs Notes on Mine Environmental Control Fourth Edition. (The Mine Ventilation Society of South Africa). JORGENSEN, R. 1983 Fan Engineering Eighth Edition (Buffalo Forge Company. Buffalo, New York.) BURROWS, J., 1989 Environmental Engineering in South African Mines (The Mine Ventilation Society of South Africa) DERRINGTON, A.S., 2002 Control of Water Discharge from Mine Ventilation Shafts (Proceedings of Underground Operators Conference 2002, pp317-326 (The Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)
AMC - The Business of Mining