Industrial fans and ventilation systems are an important part of any industrial facility. Both axial and centrifugal fans can be mechanically driven in two ways: direct drive and belt drive. In this article, we’ll discuss the differences between these two options and some advantages of each.
There are many reasons you might need fans in your facility. Industrial fans and ventilation systems are an essential part of your operations. Fans help with cooling for comfort so your workforce can work efficiently and with lower risk for heat stress.
In addition, fans help keep the air inside your facility clean and contaminant-free. Centrifugal fans, also known as blowers, are commonly used to move contaminated air through exhaust systems for your building.
Industrial fans are also frequently needed for cooling machinery and material handling. For example, fans may be needed to keep machinery inside enclosures cool. Many industries also use blowers to move materials like grain, plastic pellets, and other things through a system.
Therefore, there are many different applications for industrial fans in your facility. Our team can help you choose the right industrial fans and ventilation equipment for your needs.
Before we get into the benefits of both belt drive and direct drive fans, it’s important to explain the difference between the two. Essentially, it comes down to how the fan attaches to the motor that controls it. Direct drive fans connect directly to the motor by attaching either the fan axle or an extended shaft into the motor. By contrast, belt drive fans use a pulley system with one or more belts to indirectly connect the fan to the motor. Just to illustrate the difference, belt drive fans operate similarly to a bicycle, as the chain carries the motion from the pedals to the wheels. However, direct drive is more like a child’s tricycle, which usually have the pedals attached to the front wheel to turn it.
There are several reasons you might choose direct drive fans for your industrial ventilation systems. Some of the key advantages of direct drive fans include:
Because direct drive fans use just the motor, the fan, and sometimes an extended shaft, they take up much less space. As the more compact option means dedicating less square footage to the fan. This can be a big advantage for many facilities.
Belt drive fans require more equipment, namely belts and pulleys, which means they need more space to operate. Therefore, if space is at a premium in your facility, direct drive fans may be the right solution for your industrial fans and ventilation needs.
Another important benefit of direct drive fans is that they are more energy efficient than belt driven options. Belt driven fans experience much more friction, as they use belt systems to transfer energy from the motor to the fan. This creates energy losses that can increase energy consumption for the same amount of air flow.
Direct drive fans, however, experience significantly less energy transmission loss, as the axle is directly turned by the motor. This makes them more energy efficient, which can reduce energy costs for your facility.
There are a lot of moving parts in belt drive fans. They include additional bearings, pulleys, and belts that require maintenance. The bearings need lubrication regularly and belts need ongoing tensioning, alignment, and replacement. This makes them a pretty high maintenance option.
Direct drive fans have fewer moving parts and are generally a lower maintenance option. With fewer components, they tend to last longer and require fewer maintenance tasks over time. This can also save your facility money and hassle over time by reducing frequent fan service.
When you need high horsepower industrial fans and ventilation systems, direct drive fans are typically the better option. Because belt driven fans experience energy transmission losses, they may not be able to deliver the same level of power. Direct drive fans are typically significantly more efficient and effective at higher horsepower levels, such as above 200 hp.
Of course, there are also advantages of belt drive fans. Based on your specific application, we may recommend belt driven fans when we design a ventilation system for your facility due to these benefits. Here are some of the perks of using belt driven fans and blowers:
The main benefit for choosing a belt drive option for your industrial fans and ventilation needs is that they offer more flexibility for speed. With belt driven fans, you can change fan speed by adjusting the pulleys and sheaves. By contrast, direct drive fans typically determined by the motor speed or require an ECM or VFD to provide different speed options.
Belt driven fans also tend to create less noise compared to direct drive fans. If noise is a concern in your facility, then you may need belt drive fans to keep sound levels at acceptable levels. Otherwise, you may need to use silencers or acoustic enclosures for direct drive fans, which can increase costs and maintenance requirements.
If it comes time to replace the motor for your fans, belt drive options typically make this much easier. Since the fan is connected to the motor by belts, typically you can simply replace the motor without fan disassembly. Each unit is different, but typically all you need to do is detach the belt from the motor to replace it. With direct drive fans, usually you must disassemble the fan entirely to remove the motor for replacement, which takes more time and expertise.
When you need industrial ventilation solutions, choose our team at Eldridge. We have over 75 years of experience creating successful environments through ventilation system design, maintenance, and installation. Our ventilation specialists customize each system to your needs and use equipment from leading manufacturers, including Eldridge Fan and Industrial Air Products. Shop for Eldridge fans online now or contact us to request a quote for industrial ventilation solutions.
