Centrifugal Fan Specifications
A centrifugal fan is a mechanical device for moving air or other gases in a direction at an angle to the
incoming fluid. Centrifugal fans often contain a ducted housing to direct outgoing air in a specific
direction or across a heat sink; such a fan is also called a blower, blower fan, or squirrel-cage
fan (because it looks like a hamster wheel). Tiny ones used in computers are sometimes called biscuit
blowers. These fans move air from the rotating inlet of the fan to an outlet. They are typically used in
ducted applications to either draw air through ductwork/heat exchanger, or push air through
similar impellers.[1] Compared to standard axial fans, they can provide similar air movement from a
smaller fan package, and overcome higher resistance in air streams.
Centrifugal fans use the kinetic energy of the impellers to move the air stream, which in turn moves
against the resistance caused by ducts, dampers and other components. Centrifugal fans displace air
radially, changing the direction (typically by 90°) of the airflow. They are sturdy, quiet, reliable, and
capable of operating over a wide range of conditions.[2]
Centrifugal fans are, like axial fans, constant-volume devices, meaning that, at a constant fan speed, a
centrifugal fan moves a relatively constant volume of air rather than a constant mass. This means that
the air velocity in a system is fixed, but the actual mass of air flowing will vary based on the density of
the air. Variations in density can be caused by changes in incoming air temperature and elevation above
sea level, making these fans unsuitable for applications where a constant mass of air is required to be
provided. [3]
Centrifugal fans are not positive-displacement devices and centrifugal fans have certain advantages and
disadvantages when contrasted with positive-displacement blowers: centrifugal fans are more efficient,
whereas positive-displacement blowers may have a lower capital cost, and are capable of achieving
much higher compression ratios.[4][5][6][7][8] Centrifugal fans are usually compared to axial fans for
residential, industrial, and commercial applications. Axial fans typically operate at higher volumes,
operate at lower static pressures, and have higher efficiency. [9] Therefore axial fans are usually used for
high volume air movement, such as warehouse exhaust or room circulation, while centrifugal fans are
used to move air in ducted applications such as a house or typical office environment.
The centrifugal fan has a drum shape composed of a number of fan blades mounted around a hub. As
shown in the animated figure, the hub turns on a driveshaft mounted in bearings in the fan housing. The
gas enters from the side of the fan wheel, turns 90 degrees and accelerates due to centrifugal force as it
flows over the fan blades and exits the fan housing.[10]
History[edit]
The earliest mention of centrifugal fans was in 1556 by Georg Pawer (Latin: Georgius Agricola) in his
book De Re Metallica, where he shows how such fans were used to ventilate mines.[11] Thereafter,
centrifugal fans gradually fell into disuse. It wasn't until the early decades of the nineteenth century that
interest in centrifugal fans revived. In 1815 the Marquis de Chabannes advocated the use of a
centrifugal fan and took out a British patent in the same year.[12] In 1827, Edwin A. Stevens of
Bordentown, New Jersey, installed a fan for blowing air into the boilers of the steamship North America.
[13] Similarly, in 1832, the Swedish-American engineer John Ericsson used a centrifugal fan as blower on
the steamship Corsair.[14] A centrifugal fan was invented by Russian military engineer Alexander
Sablukov in 1832, and was used both in the Russian light industry (such as sugar making) and abroad.
[15]
One of the most important developments for the mining industry was the Guibal fan, which was
patented in Belgium in 1862 by the French engineer Théophile Guibal. The Guibal fan had a spiral case
surrounding the fan blades, as well as a flexible shutter to control the escape velocity, which made it far
superior to previous open-fan designs and led to the possibility of mining at great depths. Such fans
were used extensively for mine ventilation throughout Britain.[16][17]
