Air is a very important utility, and industrial air blowers are crucial in sustaining lives, whether you’re aware of it or not. Industrial blowers are needed to decontaminate manufacturing processes for meat, poultry, dairy products, fruits, vegetables, and beverages.
We also need industrial air blowers in wastewater treatment facilities, to help blow air into tanks to accelerate the process of reducing the harm of the water that we all use. Industrial blowers are used for these and many more applications around the world.
And so, this article will provide you with all the relevant information on industrial blowers, what they are, how they work, and where you can find them!
Table of Contents
- What is an Industrial Blower?
- How Do Industrial Blowers Work?
- Various Types of Industrial Blowers
- Industrial Blower Applications
- Industrial Blower Manufacturers
- Industrial Blowers vs Air Compressors: What’s the Difference?
- FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
What is an Industrial Blower?
In layman’s terms, a blower is a device that increases the velocity of air that is passed through it. An industrial blower is a device that enhances the airflow and pushes out the air by imparting energy to increase its pressure and speed, effectively and efficiently using an electric motor, impeller, and airfoils. The purpose and sole function of industrial blowers is to be a permanent addition to a workspace to increase airflow so that you can remove contaminants, dust, dirt, and other particulates.
Industrial blowers are highly technical devices that are designed to produce a higher pressure than a fan, typically at a ratio of 1.11 to 1.2, which places them somewhere between a fan and a compressor. Industrial fans and blowers are used in a variety of industries for various applications.
Industrial blowers and fans are essential in any form of production and manufacturing operations to help increase airflow and create positive air pressure. They are commonly found to be used in pneumatic conveying processes to help move bulk material from one place to another. For more information on this application, please read our Pneumatic Conveying Guide: What is Pneumatic Conveying & How Does it Work?
How Do Industrial Blowers Work?
Industrial blowers work by sucking air into the suction side of the device, and then as the rotors and impellers rotate, the air is pressurized and then released, or “blown” out the outlet. Industrial blowers can be either centrifugal, axial, or positive displacement, and each works in a slightly different way.
Industrial centrifugal blowers have a gear system and can have a single or multistage construction. Industrial axial blowers models are simpler like household fans as they have a central shaft that has blades attached to it, while industrial positive displacement blowers have a rotor geometry.
Various Types of Industrial Blowers
The first industrial blowers have progressed and advanced significantly into a wide variety of types, uses, designs, and applications to assist in the performance of industrial jobs and help in making work faster, easier, and safer. The modern industrial blower is used in processes to create a steady and strong flow of air or gas. Some of the most common industrial blowers include:
- Rotary Lobe Industrial Blowers
- Helical Screw Industrial Blowers
- Centrifugal Industrial Blowers
- Axial Industrial Blowers
- Regenerative Industrial Blowers
- High Speed Industrial Blowers
- Vapor Recovery Industrial Blowers
Now, let’s take a look at each in more detail!
Rotary Lobe Industrial Blowers
Rotary lobe blowers, also known as positive displacement industrial blowers, consist of two rotors spinning in opposite directions. The blower initially sucks in air, and the lobes spin the air around before releasing the air at a specific time, pressure, velocity, and direction by utilizing a safety valve.
They are unfortunately not the most energy-efficient option due to letting some air escape during their process. Although rotary lobe industrial blowers require very little maintenance, they haven’t overcome their energy efficiency issue, even with recent advancements.
Helical Screw Industrial Blowers
A helical screw industrial blower is another form of positive displacement industrial blower, which typically has a main rotor with two lobes and then a second rotor. The main rotor on this type of industrial blower is placed in the flute of the second rotor, very intricately designed but significantly efficient when producing high pressures.
A helical rotor is designed to give higher and more precise pressure due to its unique design and the helical shape of the lobes on the rotor. This helical geometry works in such a way that it squeezes the air between the rotors, and these rotors are also carefully aligned to avoid any contact between the slopes. Helical screw industrial blowers are generally able to produce air at higher pressures compared to a rotary lobe industrial blower.
Centrifugal Industrial Blowers
Centrifugal industrial blowers are the most commonly used type of industrial air blower in ventilation systems due to their ability to continuously blow air and block air pollutants. The speed and volume of air increase when an airstream passes through this blower’s rotating impellers. Centrifugal blowers actually change the direction of the airflow. The air or gas enters the fan wheel, turns 90 degrees, and accelerates. As the gas passes through, kinetic energy is increased, and thus as the gas is discharged from the blower, gas enters to level out the pressure.
Centrifugal industrial blowers are also available in multi-stage designs, which are used for creating pressure, circulating air, and creating suction. Multi-stage centrifugal blowers are capable of handling high pressure and high flow rates. They are ideal for creating high pressure from small volumes of air.
And so, these designs are well suited for all operations where a variable flow at constant pressure is desirable. Performance characteristics of these blowers generate a variable flow and power at a constant speed. To generate more flow, the impeller diameters need to be increased… more impellers will be required to create greater pressure.
Axial Industrial Blowers
Axial industrial blowers create both positive and negative pressure around their blades which leads to the creation of airflow. Typically their fan blades are positioned vertically and tilted slightly so that they can manage atmospheric pressure changes.
In an industrial axial blower, the air is forced to move in an axial parallel direction to the shaft where the blades rotate. This design is what allows the blower to create the air pressure differential, causing continuous airflow. The performance of an axial fan is thereby determined by its number of blades and their shape.
Regenerative Industrial Blowers
Regenerative industrial blowers are also known as high-flow low-pressure compressed air blowers as they produce a rapid flow of compressed air with low pressure or a vacuum. They are designed for applications where a large volume of air is needed to be moved at low pressures.
Industrial regenerative blowers are often oil-free, meaning that they’re easy to maintain and safe to use in environments that require high air quality like the food and beverage industry. Regenerative blowers create pressure through the displacement of air molecules.
As the impeller spins, the air is drawn in and captured between the blades. The impeller will continue to rotate, with the air being pushed forward, where it returns to the base of the impeller. The blower conveys the air by using non-positive displacement, which traps air that is then forced to move.
An industrial regenerative blower can be available as either a single-stage or two-stage. Two-stage designs circulate the air twice and therefore can create higher pressure.
High-Speed Industrial Blowers
High-speed industrial blowers operate at significantly high speeds that create high pressure and rapid airflow for your desired applications. These types of industrial blowers have an electric motor and impellers placed around the shaft to increase the volume of air being drawn in.
A high-speed industrial blower will be constructed of a high-speed blower that consists of a valve to release the air and a compression unit that helps control blower speed. They ensure that each of these components is easily adjustable to fit the needs of the operation.
Vapor Recovery Industrial Blowers
Vapor recovery industrial blowers are a special type of centrifugal blower that is designed to collect vapors of gas and fuels such that they do not escape into the atmosphere. Under certain conditions, this type of industrial blower is crucial and even required by law in cases where there are explosive and flammable fumes.
Pressure can build up in fuel storage tanks as they get filled, and so, the vapors are removed by the industrial vapor recovery blowers and sent on to become natural gas or burned off.
Industrial Blower Applications
Industrial blowers are used in operations and applications where the flow of gas or air is necessary such as in conveying systems, cooling, ventilation, and exhaust systems. The many types and varieties of blowers described above are designed to perform important and unique functions that are required by their specific applications.
This can be seen in the difference between a blower that is used for ventilating a manufacturing plant from one that is used to provide air circulation for a nursery. Industrial applications of industrial blowers include their heavy presence in the food and beverage, wastewater treatment, mining, pneumatic conveying, and cement manufacturing industries.
During meat processing, poultry, and dairy product manufacturing, industrial blowers are vital in ensuring decontamination. Industrial blowers are important components in pneumatic conveyor systems for moving any dry bulk material, including powders, granular forms, chips, and pellets.
Wastewater is undoubtedly introduced to millions of bacteria in the aeration tank. These bacteria will feed on the organic waste and break down the wastewater into harmless byproducts of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and water. The bacteria need oxygen to survive, so, large quantities of compressed air are blown into the aeration tanks via industrial blowers to speed up the activated sludge process that will occur.
Within the mining industry, industrial blowers can provide ventilation in the coal mines, by removing methane gas from underground basins in a process labeled methane gas extraction. Industrial blowers are used to aerate the air cement silos in cement manufacturing. This ensures that the raw material remains in motion. They also cool the mixture after leaving the kiln and feed oxygen to the fire.
Industrial Blower Manufacturers
Some notable leading manufacturers of industrial blowers across the United States include:
- AirPro Fan & Blower Company
- Chicago Blower Corporation
- Hartzell Air Movement
- National Turbine Corporation
- Piller TSC Blower Corp
AirPro Fan & Blower Company
As an industrial fan manufacturer, AirPro designs, builds, and delivers (including installation support) heavy-duty centrifugal fans and blowers.
Address
AirPro Fan & Blower Company
P.O. Box 543
Rhinelander, WI 54501
Phone
1-715-365-3267
Chicago Blower Corporation
Chicago Blower offers a wide range of products and services. They provide many industries with quality industrial blowers, industrial fans, high-pressure fans, and fan components.
Address
Chicago Blower Corporation
1675 Glen Ellyn Rd,
Glendale Heights,
IL 60139
Phone
1-630-858-2600
Hartzell Air Movement
If you are looking for a solution-solving industrial blower supplier, look to Hartzell Air Movement. We have been an industrial blower manufacturer for 75 years & carry products such as air blowers, exhaust fans, industrial fans, centrifugal blowers & high-velocity fans for the air-moving community
Address
Hartzell Air Movement
910 S Downing St,
Piqua,
OH 45356
Phone
1-800-336-3267
National Turbine Corporation
Since 1991, National Turbine Corporation has been a blower manufacturer, bringing you quality multi-stage blowers for use in industrial applications.
Address
National Turbine Corporation
374 Northern Lights Drive
Syracuse,
NY 13212
Phone
1-315-455-5591
Piller TSC Blower Corp
With over 20 years of experience in the compressor business by the former TSC company and more than a century of experience in fan business by Piller.
Address
Delfin Industrial Vacuums
2010 E Center Circle, Bldg C
Suite 300
Plymouth, MN 55441
Phone
1-800-597-6937
Industrial Blowers vs Air Compressors: What’s the Difference?
An air blower can be thought of as a fan that blasts large quantities of air continuously from one location to another, at faster speeds than a typical house fan. They’re used for heating, cooling, ventilating, and transporting. Blowers can produce a lot of air to create additional airflow, but typically at relatively low pressures when compared to an air compressor.
An air compressor is a device that squeezes air into a smaller space at a higher pressure intensity compared to an air blower. They actually end up making the air a lot denser. The purpose of this intensified air pressure is to be able to power tools and applications connected to the air compressor.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Industrial blowers are used in operations and applications where the flow of gas or air is necessary such as conveying systems, ventilation, cooling, aspiration, and exhaust systems. Industrial blowers can be found across a wide array of industries, serving many different purposes. The most popular are within the food and beverage, mining, pneumatic conveying, cement manufacturing, and wastewater treatment industries.
Roots blowers are typically used for applications where a large volume of air must be moved across a relatively small pressure differential. They are used to generate constant airflow that is independent of discharge pressure conditions. This includes low vacuum applications, with the roots blower acting alone, or in combination with other pumps as part of a high vacuum system. These types of industrial blowers are limited to low and medium pressure.
In simple terms, an industrial blower is a device that increases the velocity of air that is passed through it. An industrial blower is a device that uses an electric motor, impeller, and airfoils to enhance the airflow and push out the air by imparting energy to increase its pressure and speed. The large flow of air is achieved by rotating a number of blades, connected to a hub and shaft, and driven by a motor or turbine.
The key difference between fans and blowers is that blowers are highly technical devices that are designed to produce a higher pressure than a fan, typically at a ratio of 1.11 to 1.2, which places them somewhere between a fan and an air compressor. Industrial fans and blowers are used in a variety of industries for various applications for slightly different purposes.
The most common different types of blowers include the following; rotary lobe industrial blowers, helical screw industrial blowers, centrifugal industrial blowers, axial industrial blowers, regenerative industrial blowers, high-speed industrial blowers, and vapor recovery industrial blowers.
If you have any questions regarding industrial blowers, please leave a comment below, with a photo if applicable, so that someone can help you!
