Figure 1: Basic dimensional parameters of an axial flow fan

1 Axial Flow Fan Design

Axial flow fans show good efficiencies, and can operate at high static pressures
if such operation is necessary. The fan can be so designed that the horsepower
is flat and non-overloading. The swirl imparted to the air by the fan blades can
be eliminated by the guide vanes on the inlet side and, in some designs, on the
outlet side as well. Figure 1 shows the basic dimensional parameters of axial
flow fans. 1

1.1 Hub Diameter

As a start, the minimum hub diameter can be determined from the equation,
19000
dmin = √ (1)
rpm Ps
where d is in inches and static pressure Ps is in (in.wg). Depending on
the operation range of the static pressure, medium to high, the hub diameter
can vary from 30 to 80% of the blade outside diameter. The hub/tip ratio r
is defined as RH /RT where RH stands for Hub Radius and RT stand for Tip
Radius.

1.2 Number of Blades

The optimum number of blades nb can be approximately determined from the
hub and tip radii, as shown by:
6r
nb = (2)
1−r
1 Basic Guidelines for Plastic Conversion of Metal Axial Flow Fans, Basf Corporation.

1
 Where nb is the number of the blades and r is the hub/tip ratio. The static
pressure produced is proportional to the number of blades nb times the blade
width L. This means that a certain design can be modified by, for instance, dou-
bling the number of blades and reducing the blade width to one-half without any
appreciable change in the fundamental design and in the resulting performance
of the unit, at least as far as air volume and static pressure are concerned. Tur-
bulence and noise are mostly produced by the leading and trailing edges of the
blades and not their surface. Therefore, fewer and wider blades will result in a
better fan efficiency and a lower noise level. On the other hand, if the number
of blades becomes too small and the blade width, therefore, too large, the fan
hub becomes too wide axially and thus heavy, bulky, expensive, and hard to
balance. In general, as a compromise between efficiency and cost, five to twelve
blades are good practical solutions.

1.3 Solidity of Blades

The solidity of the blades, as indicated by the ratio of the chord length to the
blade spacing Xc /Xp (also called pitch-chord ratio), more or less determines the
flow rate per revolution at design for a given blade angle. Xp , which is the blade
spacing, or pitch, is the circumference at a particular radius (2πR) divided by
the number of blades nb . Therefore,

2πR πR(1 − R)
Xp = = (3)
nb 3r
Xc , which is the chord length of the blade, is the distance between the
leading and trailing edges at the same radius. Xp and Xc have been graphically
illustrated in the figure 2. From an aerodynamic standpoint, the chord length
should increase from hub to tip. From a structural standpoint, the reverse is
preferred. As a compromise, however, it is suggested to use an almost constant
chord over the entire blade length. The blade spacing increases from hub to
tip. A pitch-chord ratio of 4:1 or higher can provide good efficiencies, however,
it is common to use a pitch-chord ratio near unity, which in turn is often used
as the mean effective radius Rm . Rm is that radius, which divides the flow into
two equal parts. Thus, assuming a uniform axial velocity, the mean radius, in
terms of tip and hub radii Rt and Rh is:

2 (Rt2 + Rh2 )
Rm = (4)
2

1.4 Blade’s Width

The width of the blades is measured along the intersection of a cylindrical
surface with the blades. At the hub, the blades must be non-overlapping in
order not to choke the airflow. Usually, overlapping blades can be avoided if
the blade width L is (equal to or smaller) than 3.4d/nb , where d is the hub
diameter and nb is the number of blades. This then, will be the blade width
at the hub. In some designs, the blade width is constant all the way from the
hub to the tip, but often it varies. As far as the point of design, the first and
most natural idea would be to make the blade narrower toward the tip because
of the greater blade velocity. However, conditions are such that wide-tip blades

2
 Figure 2: Chord and pitch lengths of an axial flow fan

have certain advantages, such as a significantly lower noise level and a higher
maximum pressure.

1.5 Blade Twist and Velocity Distribution

Air flows through an axial-flow fan in “an approximately axial direction”. On
the inlet side, the direction of the flow is axial, i.e., parallel to the axis of rotation.
The fan blade then deflects the airflow. Past the blades, therefore, the pattern of
the deflected air flow is of helical shape, and the air velocity can be resolved into
two components: an axial velocity and a tangential or circumferential velocity.
The axial velocity is a useful component, the tangential or circumferential
velocity component can be a partial or total energy loss. For good efficiency,
the airflow of an axial-flow fan should be evenly distributed over the working
face of the fan wheel, which means that the axial air velocity should be the
same from hub to tip. The velocity of the rotating blade, on the other hand, is
far from evenly distributed: it is low near the center and increases toward the
tip. This gradient should be compensated by a twist in the blade, resulting in
larger blade angles near the center and smaller blade angles toward the tip. At
high static pressures, the blade twist is important, because without it, the inner
portion of the blade will stall and permit reversed airflow, which, of course, will
seriously affect the fan efficiency. Figure 3 shows the blade twist for a typical
axial flow fan.

2 Axial Flow Fan Design for Acoustics

Usually a fan represents a significant source of energy in an air movement sys-
tem. The fan is identified by the frequency corresponding to the blade passing
frequency (BPF) and its harmonics.
n 
b
BP F = rpm (5)
60
Where nb is the number of blades.

3
 Figure 3: Blade angle or twist of an axial flow fan

2.1 Rules of Thumb

The basic laws, which control a fan’s behaviour with respect to noise, are sum-
marized below. Suffix 2 denotes final state and suffix 1 denotes initial state.

2.1.1 Changes in sound power and sound pressure level with changes
in the fan speed and size
Size2 7 Speed2 5
P W Lα10log( ) + 10log( )
Size1 Speed1
Size2 3.5 Speed2 2.5
SP Lα20log( ) + 20log( )
Size1 Speed1
The above expressions are useful in determining the change in noise level,
which accompanies a change in fan size or speed, provided that other design
features, i.e., shroud etc are not changed.

2.1.2 Changes in sound power and sound pressure level with changes
in the fan size and back pressure
Size2 2 P ressure2 2.5
P W Lα10log( ) + 10log( )
Size1 P ressure1
Size2 3.5 P ressure2 1.25
SP Lα20log( ) + 20log( )
Size1 P ressure1

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 Figure 4: Fan speed versus air flow

2.1.3 Changes in sound power and sound pressure level with changes
in the fan capacity and back pressure
Capacity2 P ressure2 2
P W Lα10log( ) + 10log( )
Capacity1 P ressure1
Capacity2 0.5 P ressure2
SP Lα20log( ) + 20log( )
Capacity1 P ressure1
All the changes made to a fan for noise control can be expressed in terms of
their effect on the size, pressure, capacity, or speed of the fan.

2.2 Detailed Design for Acoustics

2.2.1 Fan Speed and Tip Speed
The most effective means of reducing the noise radiation from an axial fan is to
reduce the tip speed. From the above fan laws, the radiated sound pressure is
related to speed by an exponent of 2.5. This means that for every halving of
fan speed, the noise level will reduce by a factor of 5.66(15 dB). An additional
criterion to be considered is the maximum allowable tip speed. The tip speed
of the fan should be less than 17,000 ft/min for a reasonably quiet system. The
tip speed of the fan can be estimated by the following:
DSπ
T ip Speed = (f t/min) (6)
12
Where D = Fan Diameter (ft) and S = Speed in rpm. Changes in an air
moving system to reduce noise should tend to increase the amount of flow at
the present speed, which in turn allows the fan to be operated at a slower speed.
This technique is aided by the fact that flow is related to speed directly, rather
than by an exponential relationship (see figure 4). Tip speed for fans used in
the current study and simulations is around 1082 ft/min, which is within safe
limits.

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2.2.2 Tip Clearance
The spacing between the tip of the fan blade and a shroud or venturi surrounding
it, is an important factor in the airflow delivered by an axial flow fan. The
primary benefit of small tip clearances is improved flow at a given rpm and a
by-product is some reduction in noise due to reduced turbulence near the blade
tips. The recommended design criterion was found to be:
F an Diameter
T ip Clearance = (7)
100
The reduction from a tip clearance of 3% to 1% can be expected to yield
about a 10% improvement in flow. This additional flow can then allow slowing
of the fan in terms of rpm. A perfect fit is common in plastic molded fans that
integrate the venturi or shroud in the molding process. For fans used in our
study, the tip clearance comes out to be 420/100 = 4.2 mm which is close to
the actual design value of 4 mm.

2.2.3 Number Of Blades Effect On Fan Noise

As the number of blades on a propeller fan is increased, the airflow from the fan
increases. In terms of noise output, the sound level is reduced by slowing the
fan. The general effect of blade number is shown in Figure 5. The percentage
change in flow, with respect to changing the number of blades on the fan, can
be estimated by the equations given below. If n1 denotes the original number
of blades and n2 denotes new number of fans,
(a) Blade numbers from 2 to 8,
n2 − n1
%F low Change = 100( ) (8)
n1 + 6.5
(b) Blade numbers from 9 to 30,
n2 − n1
%F low Change = 100( ) (9)
n1 + 222
The airflow is approximately proportional to the fan speed. Thus, if an
additional flow of 10% were achieved by adding to the number of blades, the
fan speed can then be reduced by 10% and keep the same flow as in the original
system.

2.2.4 Distance to Obstructions

Whenever an obstruction is placed near a fan, the noise level rises. If the
blades are evenly spaced, a large portion of the noise energy will be at the
blade passing rate and a clear whine will be generated. With unevenly spaced
blades, the noise energy is dispersed among many frequencies and sound quality
is more plausible even-though the total acoustic power may not be diminished.
The spacing to obstructions on the pressure side of the fan (air exiting the fan)
is not as critical as the spacing on the low pressure (entrance) side. As a rough
guide, the minimum spacing can be reduced by about one-third without causing
severe noise problems.

• Minimum Distance to Obstructions on Exit Side = 10% of Fan Diameter,

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 Figure 5: Effect of number of blades versus air flow

• Minimum Distance to Obstructions on Entrance Side of Fan = 15% of Fan

Diameter.

The noise due to obstructions is also influenced by the radial position along
the fan. The distances calculated above apply to obstructions near the outer
regions of the blade (near the tips) and can be significantly reduced for obstruc-
tions near the fan hub. As a guide, it is suggested that the distances calculated
be applied to the outer 50% of the blade radius. The distance can then be
linearly reduced until it is essentially zero at 10% of the fan radius. Near the
center of an axial fan, there is nearly zero flow, and therefore, little noise. This
spacing guide is shown in the figure 6.
In addition to the noise due to the vortex shedding around obstacles, the
noise caused by components such as grills should also be considered, which
cause a reduction in air flow and increase in system pressure. If a grill were to
increase system back pressure, the basic fan laws would predict a noise change
that is proportional to the 1.25 power of the pressure change. Thus a grill that
increases pressure by 25% will result in an increase in noise level of 2.4 dB. The
frequency generated by such an obstacle is:
0.2V
f= (10)
d
Where V = Flow Velocity in ft/sec and d = Obstruction size (e.g., one
bar in a grill) in feet. For Example, if the flow velocity = 300 ft/second and
Obstruction = 1.2 inches (0.1 ft), then f = 0.2(300) / 0.1 = 600 Hz.

2.2.5 Blade Chord Angle

If a fan continues to operate outside of the stall region of its performance curve,
air flow will continue to increase as the chord angle is increased from about
20 degrees to 60 degrees. Figure 7 shows the change in flow with chord an-
gle. The flow increases rapidly as the chord angle is increased from 30 degrees
approximately 40 degrees, and slowly above that value.

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Figure 6: Minimum distance to obstructions as a function of fan radius

Figure 7: Change in air flow with blade chord angle

8
Figure 8: Horsepower requirement verus blade chord angle, 6-blade truck fan at
2600 rpm

Another important factor is the horsepower requirements of the system. The

variation in horsepower requirements as a function of chord angle is shown in
figure 8. Increasing the chord angle above 40 degrees increases the flow at a slow
rate, while the horsepower requirements rise at a rapid rate (approximately the
5/3 power). The larger chord angles are better for noise since the increased flow
(even though not in direct proportion to angle change) will allow a slowing of the
fan. The designer must be prepared to pay the price in the form of horsepower
if chord angles beyond 40 degrees are necessary to get a reduction in noise.

2.2.6 Blade Chord Length

The variation in air flow with blade chord length, which can be approximated
by,
Xc 2 − Xc 1
%CF M Change = 32500( ) (11)
325W + 2025
where Xc 1 = original chord length in iches, Xc 2 = new chord length in
inches and W = chord width. This relationship is good for a width of 2 to 6
inches. While the flow is approximately linear to chord length, the horsepower
requirements of the fan vary in a manner similar to that found for the chord
angle. In this case, the horsepower rises rapidly as the chord length is increased
beyond 5 inches. The shape of this relationship is shown in the figure 9.

2.2.7 Operating Conditions/System Design

The noise generation of a fan is caused by the aerodynamic turbulence. If,
therefore, he conforms to the codes of recommended design practice, paying
special attention to those areas where turbulence is like, both aerodynamic and
acoustic efficiencies will improve. Figure 10 shows designs, which will cause
turbulence (and hence noise) and how they can be improved. When the airflow-
generated noise is unacceptably high, one should always first attempt to reduce
the air velocities (airflow generated noise is proportional to the sixth power of

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Figure 9: Horsepower requirement verus blade chord length, large truck fan at
3000 rpm

the velocity!). In practice, airflow generated noise can be ignored when velocities
are below 3 m/s in the ventilation ducts.

3 Fan Laws
There are several simple relationships between fan capacity (CFM or cubic feet
per minute), pressure, speed (rpm), and power, which are referred to as the fan
laws. The first three fan laws are the most useful and are stated as follows:

• CFM (Flow Rate) varies directly with (rpm) and (fan diameter)3 .
• P (Static and Total Pressure) varies with the (rpm)2 and (fan diameter)2 .
• HP (Power Consumed) varies with the (rpm)3 and (fan diameter)5 .

Fans of the same basic design and proportions operate theoretically in accor-
dance with certain fan laws. In practice, these laws do not apply exactly because
of design considerations and manufacturing tolerances, but they are useful in
estimating approximate outputs of similar fans of different diameters and speeds
as applied to normal ventilation work. It is important to note, however, that
these laws apply to the same point of operation on the fan characteristic. They
cannot be used to predict other points on the fan’s curve. These laws are most
often used to calculate change in flow rate, pressure, and power of a fan when
the size, rotational speed or gas density is changed.

4 Fan Curves
These are characteristics curves of a fan typically showing pressure difference
δP versus volumetric flow rate Q and fan efficiency µf versus volumetric flow

10
Figure 10: Effect of operating conditions/system design

11
rate Q.

5 Fan Power Consumption

The ideal power consumption of a fan Pi (without losses) can be expressed as:

Pi = dpQ (12)
Where dp is the pressure drop across the fan (Pascals) and Q is the air
volume flow rate delivered by the fan (m3 /s).

6 Fan Efficiency
Fan efficiency is the ratio between power transferred to the airflow and the power
used (P ) by the fan. Fan efficiency is in general independent of the air density
and can be expressed as:

µf = dpQ/P (13)
where µf = fan efficiency (values between 0 - 1), dp = pressure difference
across the fan (Pascals) and Q = air volume flow delivered by the fan (m3 /s).

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