Fan Hot Topic Hour Beneficial for the Experts as well as the Newcomers

Our fan Hot Topic Hour yesterday (July 14) was in the discussion format. The discussion was led by four experts with more than 100 years of fan experience among them. The recorded discussion includes lots of good pictures and graphs that will help the experts eliminate some costly and unnecessary procedures and will help all the specifiers and operators with a range of insights on various questions. The discussion leaders were:

Jim Greenzweig, Director, Market Development and Application Engineering at Fläktwoods Americas/Fläktwoods Fan Group.

Dan Banyay, Director of Energy Sales & Product Development at Robinson Fans, Inc.

Allen Ray, Director, Air & Gas Handling at Process Barron

John Magill, Vice-President of Engineering at Howden North America Inc.

Following were questions about fans and blowers for use in power plants.

1.      I am adding an SCR to my plant. Should I upgrade my existing fans, add a booster fan or install a new fan? How can I decide?

Ø  Dan Banyay - Control of one fan is easier than two in series.

Ø  Allen Ray - Consider the floor space available, ramifications of increasing rotational speed, and future maintenance costs.

Ø  Jim Greenzweig - Blade tip expansion or new fans on existing foundation.

Ø  John Magill - Centrifugals and axials each have their place.

Here are the other questions which were posed.

2.      Will the new emission control retrofits require strengthening of ductwork and boiler structures to meet NFPA 85 guidelines? How costly will this be?

3.      What are the suggested maintenance operations and frequency to maintain fan efficiency and lengthen the life?

4.      Which is the best type of fan for each application in a power plant (centrifugal, variable pitch or axial) and why?

5.      My flue gas has a high particulate load. What is the best way to improve the life in a highly abrasive environment?

6.      How can I decide whether a fixed speed fan with dampers or a fan with a variable speed motor for fan control is best for my application?

7.      How can I optimize the performance of my fans to improve efficiency?

8.      What speed should I specify? Why?

9.      Do I need to specify an overspeed test for the fan rotor?

10.  What balance quality grade should I specify?

11.  What source would you recommend for learning about basic fan performance parameters and definitions?

12.  What happens if I throttle my fan too much with the inlet control dampers?

13.  What factory testing and analyses should be specified?