Fan Systems I Transcript

Fan Systems I Introduction to Fan Performance
Energy University Course Transcript

Slide 1
Welcome to Fan Systems I: Introduction to Fan Performance
Slide 2
This course was produced including content from the U S Department of Energy publication Improving Fan System
Performance: A Sourcebook for Industry and with the support of Air Movement and Control Association International.
Slide 3
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course. Click the Notes tab to read a transcript of the narration.
Slide 4
At the completion of this course you will be able to
 Review the factors that should be considered when fans are selected
 Interpret a fan performance curve and
 Explain the best efficiency point on a performance curve
Slide 5
This course is part of a series. In the next course, we will look at the different fan types available.
Slide 6
Fans are machines for moving air and air-borne materials, and are widely used in industrial and commercial
applications. From shop ventilation to material handling to boiler applications, fans are critical for process support and
human health. In the manufacturing sector, fans use billions of kilowatt-hours of energy each year – a significant
percentage of all the energy used by motors. Similarly, in the commercial sector, the electricity needed to operate fan
motors composes a large portion of the energy costs for space conditioning.
Slide 7
In manufacturing, fan reliability is critical to plant operation. For example, where fans serve material handling
applications, fan failure will immediately create a process stoppage. In industrial ventilation applications, fan failure
will often force a process to be shut down (although there is often enough time to bring the process to an orderly
stoppage). Even in heating and cooling applications, fan operation is essential to maintain a productive work
environment. Fan failure leads to conditions in which worker productivity and product quality declines. This is
especially true for some production applications in which air cleanliness is critical to minimizing production defects
(for example, plastics injection molding and electronic component manufacturing).
Slide 8
Because fan operation has such a significant impact on plant production, the importance of fan reliability often
causes system designers to design fan systems conservatively. Concerned about being responsible for under-
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performing systems, designers tend to compensate for uncertainties in the design process by adding capacity to
fans. Unfortunately, oversizing fan systems creates problems that can increase system operating costs while
paradoxically decreasing fan reliability.
Slide 9
Fans that are oversized for their service requirements do not operate at their best efficiency points. In severe cases,
these fans may operate in an unstable manner because of the point of operation on the fan airflow-pressure curve.
Oversized fans generate excess flow energy, resulting in high airflow noise and increased stress on the fan and the
system. Consequently, oversized fans not only cost more to purchase and to operate, they create avoidable system
performance problems.
Slide 10
A fan does not function in isolation. It is part of a system of supply and demand. The use of a “system approach” will
typically yield a quieter, more efficient, and more reliable system.
In this course, we will focus on systems using air pressures of less than 1 bar, just over 1,000 centimeters of water
column. In US units we are speaking of less than approximately 15 PSIG, around 415 inches of water column. For
higher-pressure applications, please see our courses on compressed air.
Slide 11
Fan selection is a complex process that is based on calculating the airflow and pressure requirements of a system,
then finding a fan of the right design and materials to meet these requirements. Temperatures, airstream properties,
and system layout all contribute to the decision. These factors are usually not constant. They tend to vary over a
period of time. This uncertainty is combined with the possibility that fan efficiency may decline due to fouling effects
from accumulation of particulate matter or the possibility of capacity expansion.
Slide 12
Designers tend to protect against being responsible for inadequate system performance by “overspecifying” which
increases the specified size of a fan/motor assembly. In effect, they choose “one size up”. Other considerations, such
as cost, efficiency, operating life, maintenance, speed, material type and space constraints further complicate fan
selection.
Slide 13
Fans are usually selected from a range of models and sizes, rather than designed specifically for a particular
application. Often, a fan type is chosen for nontechnical reasons, such as price, delivery, availability, or designer or
operator familiarity with a fan model. However, an oversized fan/motor assembly creates a different set of operating
problems, including inefficient fan operation, excess airflow noise, poor reliability, and pipe/duct vibrations.
Slide 14
If noise levels, energy costs, maintenance requirements, system reliability, or fan performance are worse than
expected, then the issue of whether the appropriate fan type and size was initially selected should be revisited.
If you are familiar with the problems and costs associated with poor fan selection, you will be able to aim for improved
fan system performance through better fan selection and improved operating and maintenance practices.
There are a number of considerations to keep in mind when selecting a fan. Let‟s first talk about noise.
Slide 15
In industrial ventilation applications, noise can be a significant concern. High acoustic levels promote worker fatigue.
The noise generated by a fan depends on the fan type, airflow rate, and pressure. Inefficient fan operation is often
indicated by a comparatively high noise level for a particular fan type.
If high fan noise levels are unavoidable, then ways to attenuate the acoustic energy should be considered. Noise
reduction can be accomplished by several methods such as insulating the duct. The fan can be mounted on a soft
material, such as rubber or suitable spring isolator as required to limit the amount of transmitted vibration energy.
Sound dampening material or baffles can also be installed to absorb noise energy.
Let‟s move on to talk about rotational speed.
Slide 16
The speed of rotation of the fan relates directly to its performance in terms of airflow, pressure and power consumed.
Different designs of fans generate different levels of airflow for the speed. An accurate understanding of the system
requirements is needed to select a fan with the correct rotational speed.
Now let‟s talk about airstream.
Slide 17
Moisture and particulate content are important considerations in selecting fan type. Contaminant build-up on fan
blades can cause severe performance degradation and fan imbalance.
Depending on the design of the fan blades, the fan may be susceptible to contaminant build-up and therefore only
suitable for use in clean environments. Other designs operate so that airflow across the blade surfaces minimizes
build-up. These fans are used in “dirty” airstreams and in material handling applications.
Slide 18
Corrosive airstreams require materials that can withstand corrosive attack, such as alloys, fiberglass-reinforced
plastic or resistant coatings. Leakage into ambient spaces may be a concern, requiring the fan to be equipped with a
shaft seal to prevent or limit leakage from around the region where the drive shaft penetrates the fan housing.
Motors may be required to be sealed to protect them from particulates. In flammable environments, spark-resistant
materials may be needed, along with proper grounding to minimize sparking from static discharge.
Next, let‟s look at temperature range.
Slide 19
To a large degree, temperature range determines fan type and material selection. In high-temperature environments,
many materials lose mechanical strength. The stresses on rotating components increase as the fan‟s operating
speed increases. Consequently, for high-temperature applications, the fan type that requires the lowest operating
speed for a particular service is often recommended.
There may also be variations in operating conditions. Let‟s look at that now.
Slide 20
Applications that have widely fluctuating operating requirements should not be served by fans that have unstable
operating regions near any of the expected operating conditions. This may rule out certain designs of fan unless
additional devices are included in the design.
Slide 21
Another consideration is space constraints. Cost of floor space often motivates designers and architects to fit fan
systems within a tight space envelope. This can lead to using small-radius elbows and small ducts, and very compact
fan assemblies. Doing this can save space but increase operating costs and make maintenance access more
difficult. These factors should be taken into account to assess the trade-off between space and total cost of
ownership.
Slide 22
Let‟s see how fan performance is defined and drawn graphically. This will help us understand the different fan types
which we will cover in part II of this series.
Slide 23
A fan performance curve is a graphic representation of the performance of a fan. Usually, it covers the entire range
from free delivery (no obstruction to airflow) to no delivery which is an airtight system with no air flowing. One, or
more, of the following characteristics may be plotted against volume airflow (Q).
Fan Static Pressure Ps – which is pressure caused by compression

Fan Total Pressure Pt – which is caused by compression and motion
Fan Power H – which is the power absorbed by the fan from the motor.
You may also see Fan static efficiency, denoted as ηs, or Fan total efficiency, denoted as ηt
The fan efficiency is the ratio between power transferred to the airflow and the power used by the fan. Static
efficiency takes into account compression effects only. Total efficiency also takes into account kinetic energy.
Slide 24
In SI units, pressure in fan systems is usually measured in millimetres or centimetres of water column (written as mm
w or cm w). This pressure measurement is based on the idea that a column of water of a specific height and
temperature will exert a certain pressure per unit cross-section.
In US customary units, inches of water (in w) are generally used. In both measurement systems, you may see a „g‟
added after the w to indicate that it is gauge pressure. Gauge pressure means pressure relative to atmospheric
pressure. The other measurement, absolute pressure, is the pressure relative to an absolute vacuum.
Airflow in SI units is usually expressed as cubic metres per hour or CMH, although you may also see litres per hour
(LPH). In US units cubic feet per minute or CFM is commonly used.
Air density (ρ), fan size (D), and fan rotational speed (N) are usually constant for the entire curve and must be
stated.
Slide 25
Here we can see two fan curves, one in metric units and one in US units. What this shows is that when pressure or
resistance to airflow is high, the airflow is low. When the pressure or resistance to airflow is low, airflow is high.
The line shows you the relationship between pressure and airflow for this fan, at a particular speed. This relationship
is not linear, and as shown on this curve, the line can slope so that in some regions, airflow can increase with
pressure.
If you need a fan that can operate under pressure of 80 mm wg to produce airflow of 22 CMH per minute, this fan
will not work for you. Similarly if you need a fan to operate under pressure of 3 in wg to produce airflow of 14 CFM,
this will not be a suitable fan. You will need to choose a different fan, or operate this fan at a different speed, which
will have a different curve.
Let‟s move on to talk about system curve.
Slide 26
An air system may consist simply of a fan with ducting connected to either the inlet or the outlet or to both. A more
complicated system may include:
 a fan
 ductwork
 air control dampers, which are plates or other obstructions in the airflow to provide control
 cooling and heating coils
 filters
 sound attenuation
Slide 27
Every system has a combined resistance to airflow that is usually different from every other system, and is
dependent upon the individual components of that particular system. The determination of the "pressure loss" or
"resistance to airflow," for the individual components can be obtained from the component manufacturers. The
determination of pressure losses for ductwork design is well documented in standard handbooks.
Slide 28
At a fixed airflow through a given air system a corresponding pressure loss, or resistance to this airflow, will exist. If
the airflow is changed, the resulting pressure loss, or resistance to airflow, will also change. The system curve of a
"fixed system" plots the resistance to flow versus volume airflow. Here we have illustrated three different systems (A,
B, and C).
For a fixed system, an increase or decrease in airflow results in an increase or decrease in the system resistance
along the given system curve only. Also, as the components in the system change, the system curve changes. Here,
system A is designed for a specific volume of airflow.
Slide 29
The point of intersection of the system curve and the fan performance curve determines the actual airflow. Here we
see that System Curve A has been plotted with a fan performance curve that intersects with the system design point.
This fan and this system will be well matched and work well together.
If we take this fan out and insert it in system B, a different operating point on the fan curve is at the intersection. The
fan will produce less airflow in system B.
System A and system B may actually have the same components. The difference in the system resistance can be
caused by changing the position of dampers or using mixing boxes. This is how airflow is controlled in many systems.
Slide 30
Increasing or decreasing the fan rotational speed will also alter the airflow through a system. There are simple
mechanical laws for this relationship, called the fan laws, or affinity laws.
Flow is proportional to the rotational speed. This means that with half the rotational speed, you get half the flow.
Pressure is proportional to the speed, squared. So with half the speed, you get a quarter of the pressure.
Power is proportional to the shaft speed, cubed. Half the shaft speed, uses one-eighth of the power
Slide 31
These relationships are easily expressed to evaluate the effect of changing speed.
Airflow1 is the current airflow, obtained at Speed1. Airflow2 is the new airflow obtained at Speed2.
It follows that for pressure the relationship looks like this…
And for power it looks like this…
Slide 32
You may also see these formulas with airflow represented by a Q, speed by N, pressure by P and power by H.
Slide 33
Let‟s look at an example using these calculations and see how reducing speed has a larger effect on pressure and
power than you might expect.
For this example the units of flow, power, pressure or speed don‟t matter.
Imagine a hypothetical fan running at a speed of 10. The fan is achieving a flow rate of 8, a pressure of 40, and is
consuming 240 units of power.
What is the effect of halving the speed?
Well, we know that flow is proportional to speed, and here‟s the equation that expresses that. When we apply this
expression to the example values, we see that the airflow is halved, and the result is 4. So, half the speed, half the
flow. Simple so far. Now let‟s look at pressure. Here‟s the equation.
When we put in our example numbers, we have to remember that the speed terms are squared.This calculates to a
quarter, and the result is 10. So, half the speed gives just quarter the pressure.
Now let‟s do power. Here‟s the equation.
When we put in our values, now the speed terms are cubed. A half times a half times a half is an eighth, and the
result is 30.
So with half the speed, we use just one eighth of the power!
Slide 34
The relationship of speed reduction to power reduction is shown on this chart and data table.
Note that these theoretical savings are not always achieved in practice, because the motor may be less efficient at
part load and the components that provide the speed reduction themselves consume energy. We will discuss this
further and provide some tools for efficiency calculation in part III of this series.
Slide 35
The effect of increasing the speed can be plotted on a second fan curve. Here we see the first curve showing the
pressures and airflows achieved with a speed of N. The second curve shows the pressures and airflows achieved
when N is increased by 10%, to 1.1 * N. Since the components did not change, system curve A remains the same.
With the increased airflow, the system resistance is also increased to the point of intersection with the new fan curve.
Let‟s move on to look at the best fan efficiency point.
Slide 36
Fan efficiency is the ratio of the power imparted to the airstream to the power delivered by the motor. Like all
efficiencies, this is effectively power output divided by power input.
For a fan, the power of the airflow is the product of the pressure and the flow, corrected for units consistency. The
equation for total efficiency is as shown in metric units and shown here for US customary units.
Notice that both of these equations are based on the power absorbed by the fan, in other words, the power output
from the motor. This is not necessarily the same as the power drawn by the motor. Motors have their own efficiency
factors, so they will draw more power than they put out.
Slide 37
An important aspect of a fan performance curve is the best efficiency point or BEP. This is where a fan operates
most cost-effectively in terms of both energy efficiency and maintenance considerations.
Operating a fan near its BEP improves its performance and reduces wear, allowing longer intervals between repairs.
Moving a fan‟s operating point away from its BEP increases bearing loads and noise.
Let‟s move on to take a brief look at the region of instability.
Slide 38
In general, fan curves arc downward from the zero flow condition. In other words, when there is less backpressure on
the fan, there is more airflow. Most fans have an operating region in which their fan performance curve slopes in the
same direction as the system resistance curve. This means that there is a certain range where, instead of less
pressure producing more airflow, the reverse is true. For that small range less pressure would produce less airflow,
due to quirks in the design of the fan blades.
Slide 39
A fan operating in this region can have unstable operation. Here you can see a fan curve with a potential region of
instability, and three system curves. Notice that the slope lines for the region of instability and the system curves are
parallel. Instability will result when the fan curve intersects the system curve at more than one point.
A fan operating in this region can have unstable operation.
Instability results from the fan‟s interaction with the system; the fan attempts to generate more airflow, which causes
the system pressure to increase, reducing the generated airflow. As airflow decreases, the system pressure also
decreases, and the fan responds by generating more airflow. This cyclic behavior results in a searching action that
creates a sound similar to breathing. This operating instability promotes poor fan efficiency and increases wear on
the fan components.
You can see that for these reasons it is important to think of the fan as part of the system. Simply selecting a smaller
fan or turning it down to a slower speed may not have the desired results.
Slide 40
Start-up refers to two different issues in the fan industry. Initial fan start-up is the commissioning of the fan and the
process of ensuring proper installation. This event is important for several reasons. Poor fan installation can cause
early failure, which can be costly both in terms of the fan itself and in production losses. Like other rotating
machinery, proper fan operation usually requires correct drive alignment, adequate foundation characteristics, and
true fit-up to connecting ductwork.
Slide 41
Fan start-up is also the acceleration of a fan from rest to normal operating speed. Many fans, particularly centrifugal
types, have a large rotational inertia meaning they require significant torque to reach operating speed. The air mass
moved by the fan also adds to the start-up torque requirements on the motor. This may not be a problem in HVAC
systems, but it can be an issue in large industrial applications. Proper motor selection is essential to ensure the fan
can be brought to operating speed, and once there, that it operates efficiently. High efficiency motors and devices
such as soft starters to avoid large start-up currents should be considered. For more information on this topic, please
take our available courses.
Let‟s move on to take a look at system effects.
Slide 42
The system effect is the change in system performance that results from the interaction of system components. We
have seen examples of system curves. Typically, during design, the system curve is calculated by adding the losses
of each system component (dampers, ducts, baffles, filters, tees, wyes, elbows, grills, louvers, etc.)
The system curve assumes all components display pressure loss characteristics according to their loss coefficients.
However, in reality, non-uniform airflow profiles that are created as the airstream develops swirls and vortices cause
system components to exhibit losses that are higher than their loss coefficients. The overall effect of these added
losses is to move the system curve up, as shown by the corrected system curve in this figure.
Slide 43
The system effect can be minimized by configuring the system so that the flow profile remains as uniform as
possible. However, if space constraints prevent an ideal system layout, then system effect consequences should be
incorporated into the fan selection process.
Slide 44
Let‟s take a moment to review what we have covered throughout this course:
 The correct choice of fan depends on the airflow and pressure requirements which are directly related to the
speed of rotation. Other factors in fan selection include noise, moisture and particulate content in the
airstream, temperature range, variations in operating conditions, and space constraints
 The performance of a fan is shown graphically on a fan curve
 The components of the air system including the ductwork, dampers, filters, cooling and heating coils all
contribute resistance to airflow and is shown graphically on a system curve
 The intersection of the fan and system curves determines the actual airflow generated by the fan
 Operating a fan near its best efficiency point improves its performance and reduces wear, allowing longer
intervals between repairs
 Designers may oversize fans due to concerns about underperformance and reliability
 The effects of oversizing are:
 High capital costs, since large fans tend to cost more than small ones, and also require larger and more
costly motors
 High energy costs, because the fan may not be operated near its best efficiency point, or because it
generates more airflow than necessary
 Poor performance, such as inefficient or unstable operation
 Increased bearing loads, reduced reliability and frequent maintenance, especially if the fan is operated far
from its best efficiency point
 Noise and vibration, which workers may adapt to and not complain about, but which nevertheless
contributes to fatigue and reduced productivity
Slide 45
 Flow is directly proportional to rotational speed.
 Pressure is proportional to the speed, squared.
 Power is proportional to the speed, cubed.
 Hence fan energy consumption is very sensitive to changes in speed.
 In part II of this series, we will look at the different types of fans available.
Slide 46
Thank you for participating in this course.

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Fan Systems I Introduction to Fan Performance

Energy University Course Transcript

Let‟s move on to talk about rotational speed.

Now let‟s talk about airstream.

Next, let‟s look at temperature range.

Fan Static Pressure Ps – which is pressure caused by compression

It follows that for pressure the relationship looks like this…

And for power it looks like this…

What is the effect of halving the speed?

Let‟s move on to look at the best fan efficiency point.

Let‟s move on to take a brief look at the region of instability.

Let‟s move on to take a look at system effects.

 Hence fan energy consumption is very sensitive to changes in speed.

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