Fan Upgrades and Performance Improvements
Howden Australia offers a "one stop" service for upgrades of original Howden products and competitors’ equipment utilising our extensive engineering capabilities.
We can offer to:
- assess and develop the workscope including performance testing
- design, manufacture supply and install the upgrade.
- commission and test
Reasons that fan upgrades may need to be considered are:
Increasing Output
Throughout the life of a plant it is possible that a fan will be required to compensate for a change in operating conditions, perhaps because of a need to increase process output (greater flow) or due to changes in the plant layout (greater pressure drop). Increased output will mean increased absorbed power and unless the original driver has substantial design margins built in, it may have to be replaced with a higher rated machine. Noise generated by the up-rated fan will also increase, roughly in proportion with the increase in shaft power.
Varying output
In most applications it is necessary to vary the output of the fan on a regular, or even continuous, basis, as the needs of the process change. There are a number of ways to do this.
The simplest way to vary output is to use a damper somewhere in the system. This however is an extremely inefficient way as a significant amount of energy is destroyed over the damper, and the fan could start to run in stall.
Reducing power consumption
For many reasons, a fan may be absorbing more power than it needs to perform the required duty. The fan may be an inefficient design, it may not be matched to the system or it may not have the most appropriate method of flow control
Reducing noise
Identifying the source of noise is a complex task in a real plant environment. Measurements may be affected by other noise sources or by reflections from nearby surfaces. Experience counts a great deal in making noise measurements. If a fan has been identified as the source of high sound levels then the next step is to identify where the noise is coming from.
Increasing Availability
All fans are designed, manufactured and tested to a standard that achieves the customer’s specification in terms of pressure, volume, absorbed power etc. However during the lifetime of the fan the requirements sometimes change and this can impact on availability.