Fans are used to create air movement for ventilation or for cooling purposes. A electric fan consists of rotating blades and hub known as an impeller. Usually it is enclosed in a housing to help direct the airflow and to protect from foreign debris contacting the blades.
Typical everyday fan applications are climate control and ventilation. They are used to cool items such as engines, motors, computers, machinery, and most electronic systems to cool the circuits and to prevent over-heating. Fans are also used to dry areas and to ventilate fumes and dust from machine shops and other air quality sensitive places.
When choosing a fan there are two important functional specifications you must consider, Noise and Airflow. Fans generate noise from the flow of air around the blades and from the motor. This noise is measured in decibels (dB). The slower the fan spins the lower the noise will be. The noise of the fan is also influenced by the type of bearings used in the fan.
Sleeve Bearings use lubrication but are not recommended for use in high-temperatures as the lubrication will dry up and allow the surfaces to grind together, whereas Ball Bearings are more durable at higher temperatures, and put out lower noise levels and higher rotation speeds than Sleeve Bearings fans but cost more.
The other thing to think about is your airflow requirement. Airflow is measured in CFM’s Cubic Feet per Minute. This measures how much air is being displaced by the fan spinning in its application. Some fans offer as little as 10 cfm and others as can offer as 12,000 cfm or higher.
Fans are powered by both AC or DC Voltage. Standard DC fans are available in 12V, 24V, and 48V and typical AC Fans operate at 115V or 230V. Most fan manufacturers offer several variations of fans for the user to select from depending on their application and available space. Several fans manufacturers offer a broad range of sizes typically ranging from 1” up to 32”.
There are several other characteristics to consider and Tedss.com has a team of sales engineers and electrical engineers waiting to help you select and design the best and most affordable electric fan for your application. Besides carrying a tremendous amount of inventory, Tedss.com works directly with manufacturers such as Orion, Sofasco and Bi-Sonic to deliver the fan you need in the time you need it.