Category: Blower and Exhaust Fan

Blower and Exhaust Fan are machines whose primary function is to provide and accommodate a large flow of air or gas to various parts of a building or other structures. This is achieved by rotating a number of blades, connected to a hub and shaft, and driven by a motor or turbine.

The flow rates of these mechanical fans range from approximately 200 cubic feet (5.7 m3) to 2,000,000 cubic feet (57,000 m3) per minute. A blower is another name for a fan that operates where the resistance to the flow is primarily on the downstream side of the fan.

There are many uses for the continuous flow of air or gas that industrial fans generate, including combustion, ventilation, aeration, particulate transport, exhaust, cooling, air-cleaning, and drying, to name a few. The industries served include electrical power production, pollution control, metal manufacturing and processing, cement production, mining, petrochemical, food processing, cryogenics, and clean rooms.

The centrifugal design uses the centrifugal force generated by a rotating disk, with blades mounted at right angles to the disk, to impart movement to the air or gas and increase its pressure. The assembly of the hub, disk and blades is known as the fan wheel, and often includes other components with aerodynamic or structural functions.

The centrifugal fan wheel is typically contained within a scroll-shaped fan housing, resembling the shell of the nautilus sea creature with a central hole. The air or gas inside the spinning fan is thrown off the outside of the wheel, to an outlet at the housing’s largest diameter. This simultaneously draws more air or gas into the wheel through the central hole. Inlet and outlet ducting are often attached to the fan’s housing, to supply and/or exhaust the air or gas to the industry’s requirements.

There are many varieties of centrifugal fans, which may have fan wheels that range from less than 3 cm to over 16 feet (5 m) in diameter.