Axial and Centrifugal Fans: Important Key Distinctions to Understand

 There are numerous manufacturers of industrial fans, but what do they actually do? In the context of reference markets, the phrase "industrial fan" lacks a clear definition. In this article, we aim to clarify what industrial fans are. 

Axial fans and centrifugal fans are the only two fundamental types of industrial fans. A centrifugal fan or an axial fan is one of the several fans and blowers that fall under various classes, including industrial blowers, industrial ventilation fans, exhaust blowers, industrial exhaust fans, hvac fans and blowers, and many others. 

 

Axial Fan vs. Centrifugal Fan  

 
 

Axial fans revolve the blades about a shaft, forcing the extracted air to travel parallel to it. Centrifugal fans use deflection and centrifugal force to spin air outward toward the exit while extracting air at an angle to the fan's intake. Air enters the fan near the shaft and travels perpendicularly from the shaft to the hole in the fan casing while the impeller revolves. Axial fans, which operate at greater specific speeds with smaller diameters, functionally replace centrifugal fans in several domains of application. On an equal flow and pressure condition, an axial fan differs from a centrifugal fan in different ways. 

 
 

It has a lower impeller diameter, a higher dynamic pressure, a higher operating speed (and consequently, a specific one where Q and P are equal), a higher peripheral speed, a lower yield and a higher power consumption, and it is much noisier. However, it is also significantly cheaper, lighter, and smaller. 

 
 

The weight, operating speed, and noise are the three most important comparison metrics. According to a speed comparison, axial fans can operate at peripheral speeds that are higher than those of centrifugal fans while yet maintaining the same flow and pressure characteristics. We may reasonably claim that the pressures of a specific amount are more easily attained with centrifugal fans than axial fans since there is a limit to the strains in the rotating bodies and then to their peripheral speeds. A centrifugal fan would not be necessary because axial fans are much noisier, and it frequently happens that axial fans need silencers to control noise. 

 
 

The bifurcated axial fan is a specific kind that can be either directly connected or operated by transmission. The supports and electric motor are meant to be removed from the flow of the construction in question. Due to factors like temperature or the given gas's corrosive qualities, this can be desired. They are actually designed for installations that remove hot fumes from oily, humid, and hot environments where the engine must be entirely isolated from the fluid being transported. Cross ventilation of the electric motor (or the supports) can be offered in cases of high temperatures. Air extraction systems like these are employed in kitchens, painting booths, furnaces, and foundries. 

 
 
 

Final Words 

 
 

In order to make a purchase that is as accurate as possible and in line with the actual demands of the buyer, a technical information exchange between the customer and supplier is frequently required. The seller's responsibility extends beyond merely selling the client a machine; it also includes determining the flow rate and pressure requirements, for which the fan should be properly selected. The customer must simultaneously identify the actual requirements and characteristics of his system.