Chapter 9

Fan Terminology
The terminology used in fan engineering is replete with jargon and synonyms. This chapter defines and discusses many of the terms that may be encountered. Other terms are defined as they are introduced in other chapters. Fan Any device that produces a current of air by the movement of a broad surface can be called a fan. This handbook is concerned with those types of fans that fall under the general classification of turbomachinery and have a rotating impeller at least partially encased in a stationary housing. Fans are similar in many respects to pumps and compressors. All three are turbomachines that transfer energy to a flowing fluid. It is easy to distinguish between fans and pumps: pumps handle liquids; fans handle gases. The distinction between compressors and fans, however, is not so simple. Both handle air and various other gases. Broadly speaking, the function of a fan is to propel, displace, or move the air or gas, while the function of a compressor is to increase the pressure, reduce the volume, or compress the air or gas. However, there is always some fluid movement through a compressor, and it is debatable whether that function is less important than the others listed. Fans and compressors have also been differentiated on the basis of compression ratio or density change. At one time, a 1.1 compression ratio or 7% density change was the official ASME1 demarcation line. However, machines have been built for higher ratios and were still called fans. ISO2 lists the upper limit for fans as approximately 30 kPa or 120 in. wg, but AMCA3 has removed the upper limit. The choice of name (whether fan, compressor, or something else) is, therefore, not regulated or standardized. Very-low-pressure-rise machines will probably be classified as fans, and veryhigh-pressure-rise machines will be classified as compressors, intermediatepressure-rise machines can be classified as either.
1 2

Test Code for Fans , ASME Power Test Codes, PTC 11-1946.

Industrial fans-Performance testing using standardized airways International Standard ISO 5801 International Organization for Standardization
3

Laboratory Methods of Testing Fans for Rating, AMCA Standard 210-85 ASHRAE Standard 51-85, 1985.
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Some other names for fans and compressors are: ventilator (generally restricted to a very-low-pressure-rise), exhauster (used to signify that gases are being removed from something), and blower (used to signify that gases are being supplied to something). Fan Parts The principal parts of any fan are the impeller and the housing. Various other parts may be necessary or useful in the operation of the fan. Refer to Figures 9.1 and 9.2. The impeller is the rotating element that transfers energy to the fluid. An impeller can also be called a wheel, a rotor, a squirrel cage, a propeller, or a runner. Impeller should probably be preferred as a general name, but wheel and rotor are also commonly used for all types. Squirrel cage is restricted to forward-curve centrifugals, and propeller is restricted to certain simple axials. Runner is used more frequently for pumps than for fans. The blades are the principal working surfaces of the impeller. A blade can also be called a vane, a paddle, a float, or a bucket. Vane should probably be preferred as a general name, but blade is also commonly used for all types. Paddle is usually restricted to an unshrouded type, and float to centrifugals in general. Bucket is more frequently used for turbines than for fans. Shrouds may be used to support the blades. A shroud can also be called a cover, a disk, a rim, a flange, an inlet plate, a backplate, or a centerplate. Shroud should probably be preferred as a general name, but cover and disk are also used. Flange, inlet plate, and rim are restricted to members that shroud the blades on the inlet side of a centrifugal fan. Backplate and centerplate are restricted to members that shroud the side opposite the inlet on single-inlet and double-inlet wheels, respectively. Hubs may be used to support the blades directly or through a shroud to the shaft. A hub can also be called a boss or a disk, but this terminology seems to be disappearing. The housing is the stationary element that guides the air or gas before and after the impeller. A housing can also be called a casing, a stator, a scroll, a panel, a ring, or a volute. Housing, casing, and stator are all general. Scroll and volute are both restricted to centrifugal types, whereas panel and ring are restricted to propeller types. Centrifugal housing components include the side sheets and scroll sheets. The point of closest approach to the wheel is the cutoff, also called the tongue. The area over the cutoff is called the blast area. Axial housing components include the outer cylinder, the inner cylinder (or bearing tube), the belt fairing (or belt tube), the guide vanes, and the tailpiece. The inlet is the opening through which air or gas enters the fan. It can also be called the eye or the suction. A stationary inlet piece can be called an inlet cone, an inlet bell, an inlet nozzle, or a venturi.

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Figure 9.1 Exploded View of a Centrifugal Fan

Figure 9.2 Cutaway View of a Vaneaxial Fan

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The outlet is the opening through which air leaves the fan. It can also be called the discharge. A diffuser can be provided to transform kinetic energy to pressure energy. It can also be called a discharge cone or an evas. When a diffuser is supplied with the fan, the exit opening of the diffuser becomes the outlet of the fan. An inlet box may be used to provide side entry or a means of keeping the bearings out of the air stream. Another name for inlet box is suction box. When an inlet box is provided with a fan, the entrance opening to that box becomes the inlet of the fan. Stationary vanes may be used to guide the flow. Vanes used upstream of the impeller can be called prerotation vanes or inlet-guide vanes. Vanes used downstream of the impeller can be called straightening vanes or discharge guide vanes. For control, the fan may be equipped with variable inlet vanes, inlet-box dampers, or other devices that influence flow. Inlet-box dampers can be called IBDs, and variable inlet vanes can be called VIVs or vortex dampers. The other devices generally have proprietary names. They may function by changing the scroll shape or by making portions of the impeller less effective. This may be accomplished by covering portions of the discharge with a sliding cylinder or by sliding a cone or disk into the inlet of the impeller. The fan may also be equipped with its own shaft and bearings. The bearings may be supported on or within the housing, on an attached base, or on independent pedestals. The attached base is sometimes called a sub-base. Aerodynamic Fan Types If fans are classified according to the direction of the flow through the impeller, there are four distinctive types: axial-flow fans, radial-flow fans, mixed-flow fans, and cross-flow fans. See Figure 9.3. Axial-flow fans are characterized by flow through the impeller which is generally parallel to the shaft axis, conventionally called the axial direction. As discussed in a subsequent chapter, the flow cannot be exactly axial since there must be a tangential deflection by the blades, but in conventional designs, there is generally an absence of radial-flow components. Even designs incorporating some meridional acceleration are considered axial-flow machines. Impeller blades may be fixed pitch (permanently secured), adjustable pitch (changeable when the fan is not running), or controllable pitch (movable while the fan is operating). Axial-flow fans have cylindrical housings and may be equipped with inlet bells and diffusers. Vaneaxials have stator vanes, but tubeaxials do not. Propeller fans are the simpler form of axial-flow fans, usually ring- or panel-mounted. Radial-flow fans are more generally called centrifugal fans. The flow through the impeller is radially outward with varying tangential components depending on the design. The flow must enter the impeller axially, but there is generally an absence of axial components through the blading in most conventional designs. Even designs with inducer sections are considered radial-flow machines.

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Figure 9.3 Aerodynamic Classification of Fans

Centrifugal fans generally have scroll-shaped housings. Such fans with one inlet are called single-inlet fans, and those with two inlets are called double-inlet fans. The abbreviations SI (or SISW for single inlet, single width) and DI (or DIDW for double inlet, double width) are also often used. A centrifugal fan without the scroll-shaped housing is called a plenum fan. Its inlet cone is mounted on one of the walls of the plenum A centrifugal wheel in an axial housing is known as a tubular-centrifugal or in-line fan. Mixed-flow fans are characterized by flow that leaves the impeller with both the axial and radial components. The flow enters the impeller axially and is deflected tangentially by the blades. The housings may be scrollshaped like those for centrifugal fans or cylindrical like axial-flow fans.

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Cross-flow fans are also known as transverse-flow fans. The flow enters the impeller at one portion of its outer periphery and proceeds radially inward. After passing through the blades, it is generally acted upon by some vortexinducing device and, thereafter, proceeds radially outward through the blades, exiting at a section different from the inlet section. The housings have elongated inlets and outlets to match the wheel inlets and outlets. Construction Standards The fan industry, through AMCA, has devised certain standard designations for rotation, discharge, inlet-box position, drive arrangement, and motor position. These are generally consistent with international standards developed by ISO. The method of specifying rotation is to view the fan from the drive side and indicate whether it is clockwise or counter-clockwise. The drive side of a single-inlet fan is considered the side opposite the inlet, even in those rare cases where the actual drive location may be on the inlet side. On dual-drive arrangements, it is necessary to specify which of the drives is used. The rotation of a propeller or axial-flow fan is usually immaterial; that is, it is a matter of individual design and need not be specified. There is no official designation of drive side for axial fans so that, should it be necessary to specify rotation, the direction from which the fan is viewed must also be specified. The method of specifying rotation and discharge position is indicated in Figure 9.4. If the fan is to be suspended from the ceiling or a side wall, the discharge should be specified as if the fan were floor-mounted. The intended mounting arrangement should also be given. An angular measure is required for angular positions. Various drive arrangements have been assigned numbers as indicated in Figure 9.5. The designations are consistent with international standards except a double inlet fan with impeller between bearings is designated Arrangement 6 or 17 instead of 3 or 7. (ISO also gives unique numbers to several variations of Arrangements 1 and 3 dealing with how the motor is supported.) Fans can be equipped with bearings on the housing or on an attached base, as appropriate. In some arrangements, pedestal-mounted bearings can be furnished. Arrangements involving a bearing in the inlet should be avoided for small fans. The method of specifying inlet-box position is to view the fan from the drive side (the same as for rotation) and indicate the position of the intake opening. Angularity can be specified as shown in Figure 9.6. Various motor positions have been assigned letter designations as indicated in Figure 9.7.

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Figure 9.4 Rotation and Discharge Positions

Adapted from the data of AMCA: "Designations for Rotation and Discharge of Centrifugal Fans,"AMCA Standard 2406-98,1998.

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Figure 9.5 Standard Drive Arrangements

Adapted from the data of AMCA: "Drive Arrangements for Centrifuga1 Fans," AMCA Standard 2404-98, 1998.

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Figure 9.6- Standard Inlet-Box Positions

Adapted from the data of AMCA: "Inlet Box Position for Centrifugal Fans," AMCA Standard 2405-98,1998.

Figure 9.7 Standard Motor Positions

Adapted from the data of AMCA: "Motor Positions for Belt or Chain Drive Centrifugal Fans," AMCA Standard 2407-98, 1998.

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Application Classifications Fans are often classified according to their application or the duty they are expected to perform. For instance, there are ventilating fans, mechanical-draft fans, industrial exhausters, pressure blowers, and many special-service fans. Refer to the chapter on fan selection and to the various application chapters for further information including more specific terminology. Performance Characteristics The performance of a fan can be expressed in several ways. Since the purpose of a fan is to move air or gas, one of the parameters used must be flow rate. Either the mass flow rate or the volume flow rate can be used. Since air or gas is compressible, the volume flow rate will vary depending-on the location at which it is measured. This necessitates specifying the measurement location when fan performance is given in terms of volume flow rate. The output power of a fan is also an important fan-performance parameter. Ideally, the total output power should be the same regardless of whether fan performance is given in terms of mass flow rate or volume flow rate. Total output power divided by mass flow rate yields a quantity that we call specific energy, while total output power divided by volume flow rate yields a quantity that we call total pressure. As noted below, only a portion of the total output power may be of concern, and this leads to further distinctions in performance parameters. The input power of a fan is another important parameter. Fan input power is the power required to drive the fan and any elements in the drive train that are considered to be within the fan boundaries. This has also been called the brake horsepower. The volume-flow-rate/pressure approach to fan performance is conventional in the United States and many other countries. The mass-flowrate/specific-energy approach is also viable. Both ISO 5801 and ASME PTC 11 include both approaches. The following definitions are given in two groups, one for each approach. The Volume-Flow-Rate/Pressure Approach Fan flow rate is the volume flow rate at the fan inlet, which is equal to the mass flow rate divided by the fan gas density. This is called the fan volume flow rate in ASME PTC 11. Often, the fan flow rate is simply referred to as the CFM, or the CFM of the fan. Fan gas density is the total density of the gas at the fan inlet conditions. This is often shortened to simply density or air density. Fan total pressure is the difference between the average total pressure at the fan outlet and the average total pressure at the fan inlet. Only the component of velocity in the nominal direction of flow is taken into account. The abbreviation FTP (or even TP) is often used, especially in conversation. Fan velocity pressure is the velocity pressure corresponding to the average velocity in the nominal direction of flow at the fan outlet. The abbreviations FVP and VP are common.

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Fan static pressure is the difference between the fan total pressure and the fan velocity pressure. Therefore, fan static pressure is the difference between the average static pressure at the fan outlet and the average total pressure at the fan inlet. Fan static is a common colloquialism; FSP and SP are also used. Fan output power is equal to the product of the fan flow rate, the fan total pressure, and a compressibility coefficient. Air horsepower, or the more general term air power, is often used instead of fan output power. The compressibility coefficient is a dimensionless coefficient used to account for compressibility effects. See the section on compressible-flow energy equations in Chapter 2. Compressibility coefficient has at times been called compressibility factor. Fan total efficiency is the ratio of fan output power to fan input power. Another name for fan total efficiency is total-to-total efficiency. Fan static efficiency is the ratio of fan output power to fan input power in which the fan output power is modified by omitting the power corresponding to the fan velocity pressure. Another name for fan static efficiency is total-tostatic efficiency. The Mass-Flow-Rate/Specific-Energy Approach Fan flow rate is the mass of fluid passing through the fan per unit of time. ASME PTC 11 calls this the fan mass flow rate. Fan specific energy is the work per unit mass that would be done on the gas in an ideal transition between the actual inlet and outlet states. It is equal to the average static pressure at the outlet minus the average static pressure at the inlet, all divided by the mean density, plus the difference in specific kinetic energy across the fan. This might also be called specific work. or fan work per unit mass. Fan mean density is the arithmetic mean of the inlet gas and outlet gas densities. This frequently will be shortened to density or air density. Fan output power is equal to the product of the mass flow rate and the fan specific energy. This could also be called air power or output power. Fan efficiency is the ratio of the fan output power to the fan input power. It is, therefore, equal to the product of fan mass flow rate and fan specific energy, divided by fan input power. Compressibility coefficient is the ratio of fan inlet density to fan mean density. Miscellaneous Performance Graphical presentations of fan perfomance are called characteristic curves. These curves are usually plotted with flow rate as abscissa and all other variables as ordinates. Point of operation, also called point of rating, is the relative position on the characteristic curve at which a fan happens to be operating. It can be described as the appropriate combination of volume flow rate and pressure or of mass flow rate and specific energy. It can also be defined as a percentage of free delivery or even by the flow rate alone, as long as the performance characteristic is known. Dimensionless characteristics can also be used.

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Free delivery is the point of operation where the fan static pressure is zero. It is also called wide-open performance. Shutoff is the point of operation where the fan flow rate is zero. It is also called static no-delivery or blocked-tight performance.

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