Farm Fans are considered to be industrial fans that serve the purpose of ventilating farm produce such as living animals, or fruits, vegetables and grains. These fans work by generating air movement with an impeller driven by a belt, a motor or a variable drive, which is located in a carefully designed housing. Farm fans are mostly used to regulate temperatures, generate particle movement with high pressures, preserve grains and food through extended periods, aerate produce, and dry grains and harvest.
Farm fans, similar to the type the Custom Fans designs, have a wide range of output and can generate flow rates within a hundred to millions of CFM (cubic feet per minute). Criteria such as the size of the blades on the impeller, the amount of blades on the impeller, the size of the housing, the size ratio of the inlet to the outlet, the driving power of the motor and the mass of the unit determines how powerful the fan will be. There are two types of fans used for industrial purposes. These are centrifugal fans or blowers, and axial fans.
Centrifugal Fan Farm Use
Centrifugal Fans generally provide high pressure and good ventilation solutions. These fans are mostly used for particle movement and for overcoming strong resistant elements such as dampers and ducts. Centrifugal fans consist of an impeller which generates air through the inlet at the eye of the wheel, and expels it at the outlet which is located at the circumference. The air enters the blower at a 90 degree angle to the outlet direction. The inlet of the housing is usually smaller than the outlet and requires careful sizing with relation to the blades to ensure efficiency and operation. In farming, centrifugal fans are great for processes such as aeration cooling, aeration drying, dust removal and handling corrosive gases and fluids.
Aeration
Aeration cooling and drying protects grain and other types of produce from mould, pests and spoilage by regulating the temperature and moisture level. Beetles and weevil cannot reproduce or strive in conditions that are less than 15 degrees Celsius. Mould and funguses need damp environments to grow on. If the temperature and the moisture level are kept as low as possible, grains can last for extended periods of time. Dust Removal can be handled by attaching the inlet side to a centrifugal fan which is located on the exterior. A dust bin or collector is then attached to the outlet which collects the particles. The blades and housings of the fans can be coated with special paints to protect them from corrosive gases.
High Pressure Fans
High Pressure Centrifugal Fans are made stronger to withstand and generate high pressures. They are usually casted with steel and are slimmer in size. These fans or blowers generate pressures as high as 20,000 pascals. The designs of the impeller compared to normal centrifugal fans are more closed off. The impeller blades are for the most part covered on both sides and are only open at the circumference or the eye where the inlet is located. High pressure centrifugals are easy to differentiate due to their slender appearance. The housing is usually split in half to gain access the impellers with ease. They are great for extreme cooling and handling strong resistances such as distances and a lot of material which needs to be aerated.
Axial Fans
Axial Fans are ventilation devices are generally used for providing good air movement but not high pressures. Axial Fans consist of an impeller in a housing or tube which moves air along its blades by creating high pressure and low pressure differences like an aerofoil. Axial fans expel air along the same direction that it pulls it in. The direction of air movement is parallel to the shaft that the impeller rotates on.
Some axial fans, with a certain design can generate higher pressures. These are called High Pressure Axial Fans. Axial fans can generate higher pressures with the help of static wind vanes placed in the airway and a specially designed impeller. The impeller’s hub in a High pressure axial fan is usually larger than that of a regular axial. The blades are hence smaller, and the blades depth is slightly large to make contact with as much air as possible. The static vanes are located on the inside of the housing which is thick and casted with iron.
It is important to keep farm produce at regulated temperatures and humidity levels. A Customized fan is the best option since it is important that precise condition and environments be created. This is why farm fans are best customized by the relevant professionals to ensure the best efficiency.