Fans embrace advanced aerodynamic design

Vent-Axia, plate fan, case fan, sickle blade

Vent-Axia’s latest range of plate and case Sabre Sickle fans incorporated the FE2 Owlet impellers. Benefits include up to 7 dB(A) less noise and up to 15% efficiency improvement over previous ranges. — providing a significant upgrade for commercial-ventilation customers.

This fan technology has been developed using a combination of NASA research into wing performance and winglets, coupled with the study of bird flight. The impeller is matched with a purpose-designed close-fitting mounting plate to minimise noise and improve the performance.

The development of the impeller involved research into the performance of wings and the effect of adding winglets to the end of a blade to remove unstable air currents. Losses from the wing tips are minimised, and performance is achieved from the full length of the impeller blade.

Following research into how an owl’s wings assist silent flight, the shape and trailing edge of the blade were modified to included serrations and a swept profile. These features reduce the effect of the blade passing frequencies, resulting in further reductions in sound.

External-rotor motors are used and can operate up to 70°C.

For more information on this story, click here: Feb 2013, 164
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