The 4 Common Types of Air Blowers

Do you know the main difference between an air blower and a fan? They are common devices and in fact, some people confuse the two. The unique feature about a blower is that, they can achieve higher pressures than fans. In fact, some can achieve as high as 1.20 kgcm^-2. In industrial set up, they can be used in the vacuum systems. This is where a negative pressure is required.

Broadly, the existing blowers can be classified as positive displacement and centrifugal air blowers.

The centrifugal air blowers

The design of most centrifugal blowers is somehow confusing. This is for the reason that they look more of centrifugal pumps.  They can rotate at very high speeds of about 15,000 rpm. Moreover, these pumps can operate against a pressure of between 0.35 kgcm^-2 and 0.70 kgcm^-2. It is also important to note that, as the system’s performance increases, the airflow can drop drastically.

In process control systems, this can be disadvantageous more so, in the material or product conveying systems. This implies that, the centrifugal blowers should be used in systems, which do not depend on the supply of steady air.

The positive-displacement air blowers

These blowers are designed with a rotor. It traps air and forces it through the blower’s housing. The good thing about these blowers is that they can provide constant flow of air even in situations when the system’s pressure varies. It is for this reason that they are used in systems, which are prone to clogging.

As compared to the centrifugal blowers, their turning speed is relatively slow. Most of them can work at a speed of 3,600 rpm. They’re mainly belt driven and this facilitates speed changes. With air blowers, one can realize high pressure of about 1.25kgcm^-2.

So, which one do you need for your domestic and industrial applications? We are here to help you make the right decisions for your system requirements.