9.

) Fans Selection
With the calculated flow rate, it is possible to do a fan selection for the main unit and the rest of the air
handler to every zone. From previous section it is noted that around 15,000 cubic feet per minute is
required to be distributed to all zones inside the building. In order to compensate the flow rate required,
a suitable fan has to be selected. 3 major parameters that are used in fan selection is the size of the fan,
type of the fan and the efficiency of the fan.

9.1 Size of the Fan

The size boundary condition for fan selection is the ducting spaces that are located in the attic of the
building. The approximate attic height given from the architectural plan of the building is around 3-4
feet. Therefore fans selected for VAV unit and those in other air handler have to be smaller than the
specified space constraint. A parallel fan arrangement that substitute one large fan to multiple small
fans can be a one of the solutions to solve size problems. This arrangement is usually used whenever the
building has a wide attic area with a limited height

9.2 Type and efficiency of the fan

Generally, fans are divided into centrifugal and radial axis fan. Yet, centrifugal is the most widely used
fan in HVAC system due to its cheaper price and simpler construction. Centrifugal fan can have a
backward curve blade or a forward curve blade depending on its purpose. Backward fan is usually used
for medium flow rate and high static pressure application with maximum efficiency between 75 to 80% [
CITATION Yas06 \l 1033 ]. On the other hand a forward curved blade is usually to deliver a huge amount
of air flow rate with a small static pressure. It has a lower maximum efficiency that range from 60 to
68%. Therefore, a forward curved blade will have a lower rpm than the backward curved blade. For this
project application, forward curved blade will be a more suitable choice considering the small static
pressure of 0.5 inch of water column and a relatively high pressure of 15,000 cubic feet per minute.

9.3 Fan selections

Considering the three constraint mentioned from previous sections, the team did an online research to
find a suitable fans for the application. The first attempt was to select a single fan that operates under
the calculated air flow rate of 15,000 cubic feet per minute. Table 1 below shows the specification of the
largest forward curved blade fan available from Twin City corporation [ CITATION Twi12 \l 1033 ]. From
table 1, it is found that a fan of 36.5 inches in diameter is required for the application. This diameter is
within the size constraint but it is located on the edge of the range. Therefore smaller fans will be
preferable for such conditions. A low efficiency of 53% also indicates that this fan is undersized and will
be unstable during its operation.

Table 1 Specification of a single fan for main handler unit from Twin City Corporation
 Fan Selection TOTAL SYSTEM
Total Flow rate in the Zone (cfm) 15472
Outlet Velocity (fpm) 2000
Total pressure (in-wg) 0.75
Total Static Pressure (in-wg) 0.5
Type of Fan FCV 365
Diameter Size (in) 36.5
rpm 249
Shaft Power (hp) 3.5
Static Power (hp) 1.2
Total Power (hp) 1.8
Total Fan Efficiency (%) 53
Static Fan Efficiency (%) 35
Total Power Main Fans (hp) 7.3

A parallel option is then used to obtain a more desirable result. With the parallel arrangement, the
supply air flow rate is reduced from 15,000 cubic feet per minute to 7,500 cubic feet per minute which
then allow us to select smaller and more efficient fans. Table 2 below depicts the specification for two
parallel fans inside the main unit. Specification for all the fans used in other sub air handler units can be
found in Appendix B.

Table 2 Specification two parallel fans arrangement for main handler unit from Twin City Corporation

Fan Selection TOTAL SYSTEM (2 parallels)

Total Flow rate in the Zone (cfm) 7736
Outlet Velocity (fpm) 1035
Total pressure (in-wg) 0.57
Total Static Pressure (in-wg) 0.5
Type of Fan FCV 330
Diameter Size (in) 33
rpm 226
Shaft Power (hp) 1.1
Static Power (hp) 0.6
Total Power (hp) 0.7
Total Fan Efficiency (%) 63
Static Fan Efficiency (%) 55
Total Power Main Fans (hp) 2.8

From Table 2 above, it can be seen that the efficiency is increased to 63% and is within the acceptable
theoretical range of a forward curved blade fan. The diameter of the fan is also reduced to less than the
attic height constraint of 3 feet. Another notable finding is the parallel arrangement requires less
operating power compare to a single fan unit. A combined power 7.3 horsepower is needed for a single
large fan while only 5.6 horsepower is needed for two smaller fans in parallel. This will provide a good
improvement in terms of power consumption and energy savings.

9.) Appendix B
Fan Selection Fan Zone 1-2-3
Total Flow rate in the Zone (cfm) 4464
Outlet Velocity (fpm) 1294
Total pressure (in-wg) 0.60
Total Static Pressure (in-wg) 0.5
Type of Fan FCV 245
Diameter Size (in) 24.5
rpm 320
Shaft Power (hp) 0.7
Static Power (hp) 0.4
Total Power (hp) 0.42
Total Fan Efficiency (%) 62
Static Fan Efficiency (%) 51
Total Power Main Fans (hp) 0.4

Fan Selection Fan Zone 4-5-6

Total Flowrate in the Zone (cfm) 5518
Outlet Velocity (fpm) 1317
Total pressure (in-wg) 0.61
Total Static Pressure (in-wg) 0.5
Type of Fan FCV 270
Diameter Size (in) 27
rpm 281
Shaft Power (hp) 0.8
Static Power (hp) 0.4
Total Power (hp) 0.53
Total Fan Efficiency (%) 64
Static Fan Efficiency (%) 53
Total Power Main Fans (hp) 0.5

Fan Selection Fan Zone 8-9-10

Total Flowrate in the Zone (cfm) 3700
Outlet Velocity (fpm) 1298
Total pressure (in-wg) 0.61
Total Static Pressure (in-wg) 0.5
Type of Fan FCV 222
Diameter Size (in) 22.25
rpm 353
Shaft Power (hp) 0.6
Static Power (hp) 0.3
Total Power (hp) 0.35
Total Fan Efficiency (%) 61
Static Fan Efficiency (%) 50
Total Power Main Fans (hp) 0.4

Fan Selection Fan Zone 11

Total Flowrate in the Zone (cfm) 1793
Outlet Velocity (fpm) 1142
Total pressure (in-wg) 0.58
Total Static Pressure (in-wg) 0.5
Type of Fan FCV 165
Diameter Size (in) 16.5
rpm 460
Shaft Power (hp) 0.3
Static Power (hp) 0.1
Total Power (hp) 0.16
Total Fan Efficiency (%) 57
Static Fan Efficiency (%) 49
Total Power Main Fans (hp) 0.2