Fan Performance and Selection

Considerations:
1. Required capacity(cfm) and system total pressure at the designed point
2. Good combination of efficiency, relative cost, acoustics, and physical size
The performance of a fan for a variable air-volume system is an important
consideration because the fan will operate at partial capacity at considerable
amount of time.

Various Types of Fans Used in HVAC Applications

1. Backward- curved Blade Fan

used for general heating, ventilating, air-conditioning systems, especially

where system size offers significant horsepower savings

used in low-, medium-, and high- pressure HVAC systems

the highest efficiency designs of all centrifugal fan types and operates at the
highest speed

The performance curve is stable, and this type of fan has a load-limiting
horsepower characteristics.

2. Forward- curved Blade Fan

usually used in low- pressure HVAC applications, such as domestic furnaces,

central station units, and packaged air- conditioning equipment

tends to have the lowest efficiency and will operate at the lowest speed of the
various centrifugal fans

The performance curve is less steep than that of the other designs.

3. Vaneaxial Fan

becoming commonly used in HVAC systems in low-, medium-, and highpressure applications and particularly advantageous where straight- through
flow is required

usually have blades of airfoil design, which permits medium- to high pressure
capability at relatively high efficiency

Some fans of this design have the capability of changing the pitch of the blade
to meet different application requirements

The performance curve show the highest pressure characteristics of the axial
design at medium volume flow rate.

Noise

It is important that the fan be quiet.

Generally, a fan will generate the least noise when operated near the peak
efficiency.

Forward- curved blades and straight blades are generally noisy at high
speeds.

Backward-curved blades may be operated on both sides of the peak efficiency

at relatively high speeds with less noise than the other types of fans

Sample Problema