FAN SIZING

In a duct system, a fan is used to supply the necessary forces to bring the fluid from
rest to the system velocity, and overcome friction forces. The force exerted by the fan
is the fan total pressure. The total pressure is divided into two vector components.
The first component, velocity pressure, is in the direction of the flow and whose
magnitude is positive and proportional to the velocity. The second component, static
pressure, is normal to the direction of the flow. Static pressure may be positive,
exerting outward from the frame of reference, or negative, exerting inward. Velocity
pressure is always positive, and the sum of the static and velocity pressures is the
total pressure.

Fan Selection Example

The fan must be selected to deliver a specific volumetric flow rate (cfm) and generate
static pressure (in – H2O) to overcome the pressure losses due to ducts, fitting, and the
components of an air handling unit (AHU). The total static pressure (TSP) is the sum of
the external static pressure (ESP) and internal static pressure (ISP).

TSP = ESP + ISP

where,

ESP is the static pressure created downstream of the AHU and it includes all
the duct losses from the fan until it reaches the discharge point. This could
include a negative static pressure on the pull side of the fan and a positive
pressure on the push side, or any combination of pressures the fan must
overcome. It is estimated by the HVAC design engineer as he lays out the
ductwork, diffusers, and terminal devices.

ISP, as it pertains to the HVAC AHU, is the static pressure loss across the filters,
coils, louvers, dampers, and twists and turns inside the AHU casing. ISP is
usually provided by the supplier, but for custom designs, the HVAC design
engineer estimates the pressure loss across the various components of the AHU.

Below is a simple model to calculate the total pressure loss (using the equal friction
method) and the selection of fan.

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Example

An air conditioning layout below depicts an air handling unit (AHU) supplying cool air to
an office space. The supply air fan discharges to supply air diffusers SAD -1 & SAD - 2
through the supply duct and draws air through the return duct via the return air grille
(RAG -1). It also draws fresh air through a louver (OAL -1). Estimate the total pressure
loss for sizing the fan.

Solution:

The layout shows four (4) paths of air flow and six (6) duct sections.

Path #1: Air supply through duct sections AB and BC

Path #2: Air supply through duct sections AB, BD and

DE Path #3: Air return through duct section FG

Path #4: Outdoor air intake through duct section HG

The section occurs at:

Change in duct size

Change in air volume

Now using the friction charts, let’s find out the duct pressure losses per 100-ft. length of
duct.

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Path #1:

a. Duct run AB; (12” diameter, 1000 cfm) = 0.2 in.- wc/100 ft. duct length

b. Duct run BC ; (8 “ diameter, 500 cfm) = 0.37 in.-wc/100 ft. duct length

c. SAD-1 = 0.12 in.-wc (from manufacturer’s catalog)

d. Total Pressure Loss = [0.2 + 0.37 + 0.12] = 0.69 in.-wc/100 ft. of duct length

Path #2:

a. Duct run AB; (12” diameter, 1000 cfm) = 0.2 in.-wc/100 ft. duct length

b. Duct run BD ; ( 10” diameter, 500 cfm) = 0.14 in.- wc/100 ft. duct length

c. Duct run DE; ( 8” diameter, 500 cfm) = 0.37 in.-wc/100 ft. duct length

d. SAD-2 = 0.12 in. -wc (from manufacturer’s catalog)

e. Total Pressure Loss = [0.2 + 0.14 + 0.37 + 0.12] = 0.83 in.-wc/100 ft. duct length

Path #3:

a. RAG -1 = 0.08 in.- wc (from manufacturer’s catalog)

b. Duct runs FG; ( 12” diameter, 900 cfm) = 0.16 in.-wc/100 ft. duct length

c. Total Pressure Loss = [0.08 + 0.16] = 0.24 in. – wc/100 ft. duct length

Path #4:

a. OAL-1 = 0.08 in. - wc (from manufacturer’s catalog)

b. Duct runs HG; ( 6” diameter, 100 cfm) = 0.08 in.-wc/100 ft. duct length

c. Total Pressure Loss = [0.08 + 0.08] = 0.16 in.-wc/100 ft. duct length

Pressure Loss due to Fittings

a. AB = 25 ft.

b. BC = 35 ft.

c. BD = 75 ft.
 d. DE = 35 ft.

e. FG = 50 ft.

f. HG = 10 ft.

Let’s compute the total pressure losses on actual lengths.

Path #1:

a. Duct run AB = 0.2 x 25/100 = 0.05 in. - wc

b. Duct run BC = 0.37 x 35/100 = 0.13 in.- wc

c. SAD-1 = 0.12 in.- wc

d. Total Pressure Loss = [0.05 + 0.13 + 0.12] = 0.30 in.- wc

Path #2:

a. Duct run AB= 0.2 x 25/100 = 0.05 in.- wc

b. Duct run BD = 0.14 x 75/100 = 0.10 in.- wc

c. Duct run DE = 0.37 x 35/100 = 0.13 in.- wc

d. SAD-2 = 0.12 in. - wc

e. Total Pressure Loss = [0.05 + 0.10 + 0.13 + 0.12] = 0.40 in.- wc

Path #3:

a. RAG -1 = 0.08 in.- wc

b. Duct runs FG= 0.16 x 50/100 = 0.08 in.- wc

c. Total Pressure Loss = [0.08 + 0.08] = 0.16 in. - wc

Path #4:

a. OAL-1 = 0.08 in. - wc

b. Duct runs HG = 0.08 x 10/100 = 0.008 in.- wc

c. Total Pressure Loss = [0.08 + 0.008] = 0.09 in.- wc

Maximum ESP:
Sum the pressure losses calculated for each branch from the fan to an air discharge
point. The branch with the largest pressure loss sets the system pressure drop. In our
example, Path #2 + Path #4 give the maximum pressure loss.

ESP max = 0.40 + 0.09 = 0.49 in.-wc

Equipment Loss (ISP):

a. Filters = 0.15 in.- wc (from manufacturer’s catalog)

b. Cooling Coil = 0.50 in.- wc (from manufacturer’s catalog)

Maximum ISP:

Maximum ISP is the sum of component

losses. ISP max = 0.15+ 0.50 + 0.28 = 0.93 in.-

wc

Fan Selection:

The fan selection shall be made based on the total pressure

loss. SP max = ESP max + ISP max

SP max = 0.49 + 0.93 = 1.42 in.-wc

Safety factor, (SF-1)

To allow for the accumulation of dirt on the filters and coils, and for possible changes in
the installation of duct work, a safety factor (10 to 15%) is usually added.

Safety factor, (SF -2)

The configuration of the fan connection to the duct at the inlet and outlet causes serious
degradation to the fan performance and is usually compensated by putting some
additional safety factor. This is called “fan system effect factor” and the value is based on
the use of charts and graphs published by the Air Movement and Control Association
(AMCA) and the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association
(SMACNA). Alternatively, as a rule of thumb, a 10% safety factor is recommended for
system effect. Therefore, the:

Total Fan Static Requirement = SP max x SF-1x SF-2 = 1.42 x 1.15 x 1.1 = 1.8 in.-wc
Therefore, the fan must be selected to produce a pressure rise of at least 1.8 in.-wc to
overcome the duct work system losses.
 Fan Rating

Fan manufacturers usually publish characteristic curves in terms of the fan’s static
pressure rather than the fan’s total pressure. This is understandable as manufacturers
may not have control over the types of inlet and outlet duct fittings or the conditions at
the entry or exit to the inlet/outlet cones.

Balancing Air

An important ductwork design consideration is the pressure balance of the duct layout.
Actual air flow can exceed design flow if the fan pressure is higher than the pressure
loss. In this case, it takes partial closure of the balancing dampers, which control the air
flow, to get the air flow rate down to what the duct equipment was designed to handle.

Air balancing is an act of adjusting the volume control dampers to equalize the friction
losses. One of the major drawbacks of the equal friction duct sizing method is that there
is no equalization of pressure drops in duct branches, unless the system has a
symmetrical layout.

In the example above, because air will flow to the path of least resistance, it will be
necessary to adjust the balancing damper in line BC in order to divide the supply air
equally (i.e. 500 cfm per outlet). The ductwork has been installed so that the air path from
the fan discharge to SAD-2 has a total resistance of 0.40 in.-wc; whereas, the resistance
to air flow from the fan to SAD -1 is only 0.30 in .wc.

This means that SAD-1 will tend to get more air than is required and SAD-2 will receive
less than the design cfm. To balance the air in each duct line, damper BC will be
adjusted so that it will impose a resistance in line BC equal to 0.10 in.wc, which is the
calculated difference in pressure loss between the two duct runs (0.4 -0.3).

As with the supply runs, the return and outside duct runs have different pressure losses.
Therefore, in order to balance the return and outside duct lines, the outside air damper
HG will be adjusted so that it imposes a resistance of 0.07 in.-wc (the difference between
the return run and the outside air (0.09 -0.16).

Fan System Effect

Typically the fan performance curves are developed by laboratory measurements with
the fan installed under ideal conditions. However, when the duct system is connected
to the fan, the fan operating conditions are influenced and the fan performance will
get altered. The figure below shows the air velocity profiles in a duct at various
distances from the outlet of a housed centrifugal fan. The air in the fan is pushed
against the outside of the housing by the movement of the fan wheel. Therefore, at
the fan outlet, there is a high velocity at the top of the fan outlet. However, at the
bottom of the fan outlet there is a negative velocity, because the air is swirling
back to the fan at the cut-off plate, attempting to re-enter the fan.
At point A in the figure, the velocity pressure is high and the available static
pressure is low. As the air moves down the duct, the velocity of the air becomes
more uniform across the duct, and the static pressure increases as the velocity
pressure decreases. At point B in the figure, the air velocity is uniform across the
duct, and low compared to the outlet velocity (point A).

Fan outlet velocity profile

Remember that total pressure is the sum of the velocity pressure and the static
pressure. The total pressure in the duct at point B is about the same as it was at
point A; therefore, as the velocity pressure has decreased, the static pressure has
increased. In other words, the system has gained static pressure. This is static
regain. The system now has more potential to overcome the resistance in the
system and, thus, the system can deliver more air. At point B, the air velocity is
uniform across the duct area and has slowed. This is the point of highest static
regain. Duct takeoffs and turns or elbows should be avoided prior to point B
because air flow in ducts attached prior to point B will have significant system
effect losses that must be accounted for in the sizing of the duct and fan. The
distance from A to B is called the 100% effective duct length. The housed fan outlet
should be designed with straight duct for the 100% effective duct length, and
fittings should not be put near the fan outlet, in order to eliminate system effect at
the outlet.To achieve 100% effective duct length, a straight run from the blower, has
to be long enough to achieve a uniform Velocity across the cross-section of the duct.
Calculating the 100% effective duct length depends upon the air velocity at the fan
outlet:
If the outlet velocity is less than 2,500 fpm:

100% effective duct length = 2.5 x duct diameter

If the outlet velocity is more than 2,500 fpm:

100% effective duct length = fpm/1000 x duct diameter

To calculate the duct diameter:

D = 2wh / (w +h), where h and w are duct height and width, respectively.