Both assemblies offer key benefits for your facility. Fans are energy-efficient, using less electricity than blowers to move the same amount of air. Blowers, however, provide the advantage of direct airflow and greater power.

Consider these factors:

Pressure:

If you need a tool that increases air pressure, choose a blower.

If you need air pressure to remain the same, choose a fan.

Power Source and Availability:

If you have more power available, you can choose a blower.

If you have less power available, choose a fan.

Air Flow Requirements:

If you need to direct air in a specific direction, choose a blower.

If you need indirect airflow throughout a space, choose a fan.

Centrifugal fans: This type of fan changes the direction of airflow and comes in various designs, such as inclined, radial, forward-curved, and backward-curved. They are suitable for high temperatures, low to medium blade tip speeds at high pressures, and are effective for handling highly contaminated airstreams.

Axial Fans: In this type of fan, the airflow direction remains unchanged. The designs include Vanaxial, Tubeaxial, and Propeller fans. These fans produce lower pressure than Centrifugal fans. Propeller fans offer high flow rates at low pressures, Tubeaxial fans handle low to medium pressure with high flow, and Vane-axial fans, with guide vanes, provide high pressure with medium flow rates.

Types of Blowers: Blowers are classified as Centrifugal and Positive Displacement. Similar to fans, they use various blade designs like backward-curved, forward-curved, and radial. Typically driven by electric motors, blowers can be single or multistage units and use high-speed impellers to generate velocity in air or other gases.

Positive displacement blowers, similar to PDP pumps, increase pressure by squeezing fluid. They are preferred over centrifugal blowers when high pressure is needed in a process.

1. Decide on a location for your fan

2. Choose the right ceiling fan size

3. Pick a ceiling fan style

4. Choose whether you want a fan with or without lights

5. Pick which mount-type works best for your space

6. Decide how you want to control your fan

7. Pick the airflow/efficiency you need

8. Set your budget

The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) recommends 20 complete air changes per hour, or one every 3 minutes, for confined spaces. Ventilation requirements vary depending on the material being ventilated. Ensure that the air supply is fresh and uncontaminated by flammables, toxins, or other harmful substances.

The atmosphere within the space must be periodically tested to ensure that continuous forced air ventilation prevents hazardous conditions. Employees entering the space, or their authorized representatives, should be given the opportunity to observe this testing.

If a hazardous atmosphere is detected during entry:

Each employee must exit the space immediately.

The space must be assessed to determine how the hazardous atmosphere developed, and measures must be implemented to protect employees from the hazard before any future entry occurs.