What factors should be considered in selecting fans in glass processing field?

In the field of glass processing, the selection of fans should focus on the core requirements of processing links (such as smoke exhaust, dust removal and cooling) and the special working conditions of the glass industry (high temperature, dust, anti-corrosion and cleanliness), so as to avoid equipment failure, production efficiency decline or security risks caused by improper selection. Here are seven key considerations, sorted by priority and relevance:

First, the core requirements: clear the "functional objectives" of the fan.

Different glass processing links (such as melting, cutting, coating) have completely different functional requirements for fans, which is the first premise of type selection and directly determines the type (centrifugal/axial flow) and parameter direction of fans:

Smoke exhaust/exhaust: For glass tank kilns (high-temperature flue gas) and annealing furnaces (acid flue gas), it is required that fans have high temperature resistance and corrosion resistance, and can overcome the resistance of long pipelines (centrifugal fans are preferred);

Dust removal: for cutting, edge grinding and sand blasting (glass dust), it is required that the fan has high wind pressure (to ensure that the dust is sucked into the pipeline) and the impeller needs to be wear-resistant (wear-resistant material can be selected);

Cooling: For the coater roller and drilling machine motor, it is required that the fan air volume is stable and the air temperature is controllable (to avoid product defects caused by uneven cooling), and some scenes need clean air (to prevent dust pollution);

Workshop ventilation: For general processing workshops (odor, sultry), fans with large air volume and convenient installation (without complicated pipes) are required, and axial fans (low cost and low noise) are preferred.

Second, the adaptation of working conditions: dealing with the "special environment" of glass processing

Glass processing is often accompanied by high temperature, dust and corrosive gas. If the material/structure of the fan is not matched, problems such as impeller deformation, casing corrosion and blockage are easy to occur, so we should pay attention to three working conditions:

Temperature adaptation

High-temperature scene (tank kiln exhaust: 300-1200℃): choose heat-resistant fan, the casing/impeller is made of 310S stainless steel and high-temperature cast iron, and the seal is made of ceramics or high-temperature silica gel (to avoid high-temperature aging);

Normal temperature scene (workshop ventilation, equipment heat dissipation: 20-60℃): Choose conventional carbon steel or galvanized steel fan (low cost, meet basic requirements).

Dielectric adaptation

Dust-bearing scene (cutting/edge grinding dust): Choose anti-wear fan, harden the impeller surface (such as spraying tungsten carbide), and set dust outlet at the bottom of the casing (to avoid dust accumulation and blockage);

Corrosive scene (so in annealing furnace, solvent volatilization in coating workshop): choose anti-corrosive fan, and use FRP and 316L stainless steel for casing/impeller to avoid corrosion and perforation of carbon steel.

Cleanliness adaptation

High-clean scene (Low-E coating workshop, insulating glass lamination): clean fan is selected, the inner wall of impeller/casing is polished (no dead angle of dust accumulation), and the bearing is sealed (to prevent lubricating oil leakage and pollution) to avoid glass coating defects caused by dust brought in by ordinary fan.

Third, key parameters: match the precise requirements of "air volume, wind pressure and power"

Wrong parameter selection will lead to "insufficient output" or "high energy consumption" of the fan (for example, the dust cannot be sucked by dust removal), so it is necessary to calculate three core parameters in combination with the actual scene:

Air volume (q): the volume of air transported per unit time (m/h), which should be calculated according to the "treatment object scale";

Workshop ventilation: press "workshop volume × air change times" (glass processing workshop usually needs 5-8 air changes per hour);

Dust removal: press "the number of equipment dust suction ports × the required air volume of a single dust suction port" (for example, a glass edger needs 1500-2500 m/h);

Cooling: calculated according to "heat dissipation of cooled parts" (heat exchange formula should be combined to ensure that the air volume can take away enough heat).

Wind pressure (P): the pressure (Pa) to overcome pipeline resistance and equipment resistance, with a margin of 10%-20% (to avoid pipeline aging and insufficient wind pressure after the filter bag is blocked);

Long pipeline (such as kiln to dust collector: 10-50m): choose high wind pressure (1500-5000Pa) and give priority to centrifugal fan;

Non-pipeline/short pipeline (workshop direct exhaust: < 5m): choose low wind pressure (50-1000Pa) and give priority to axial flow fan.

Power (N): The motor power (kW) for fan operation should be combined with air volume, wind pressure and fan efficiency (70%-85% for conventional centrifugal fans and 60%-75% for axial fans) to avoid motor burning due to "low power with large load" or energy waste due to "high power with small load".

4. Installation and space: adapt to workshop layout and pipeline design.

There are often cases of dense equipment and complicated pipelines (such as smoke exhaust pipes and dust removal pipes of kiln) in glass processing workshops, so the fan installation should give consideration to "practicality" and "space utilization":

Installation method:

Need to extend the pipeline (smoke exhaust and dust removal): choose the centrifugal fan installed horizontally (easy to connect with the pipeline and smooth airflow transition);

Direct exhaust and local heat dissipation in the workshop: vertical/wall-mounted axial flow fans (directly opening holes in the wall/roof without occupying floor space) are selected.

Space size:

Large workshop (such as float glass production line): large centrifugal fan can be selected (floor installation, maintenance space should be reserved);

Small workshop (such as deep processing studio): choose small axial flow fan or compact centrifugal fan (to avoid occupying production space).

Compatibility of pipelines: the size of air inlet and outlet of the fan should be matched with the existing pipelines (or adapted through reducing joints), so as to avoid air flow disorder and resistance increase due to size mismatch.

V. Noise and environmental protection: meeting the requirements of workshop safety and regulations.

There are mechanical noises (such as cutting and edging) in the glass processing workshop itself. If the noise of the fan is superimposed, it will affect the health of the operators, and it must meet the Emission Standard for Environmental Noise at the Boundary of Industrial Enterprises (GB 12348-2008):

Noise control:

High noise scene (large centrifugal fan: 70-95dB): muffler (air inlet and outlet) and damping pad (fan base) are required, or low noise centrifugal fan (such as centrifugal fan without volute) is selected;

Low noise demand scene (near coating workshop and office area): axial flow fan (50-80dB) or silent centrifugal fan (reducing noise by optimizing impeller structure) is preferred.

Environmental compliance: If the fan is used for smoke exhaust/dust removal, it is necessary to ensure that the fan is matched with subsequent environmental protection equipment (such as dust collector and desulfurization tower), and the emission concentration meets local environmental protection standards (such as glass dust emission ≤ 10 mg/m), so as to avoid environmental protection exceeding the standard due to insufficient suction of the fan.

VI. Maintenance and durability: Reduce long-term operation and maintenance costs.

If the glass processing fan is difficult to maintain or has a short service life, it will increase the downtime and operation and maintenance costs, and two key points should be paid attention to:

Maintainability:

Choose a fan with "simple structure and easy disassembly of components" (for example, the impeller of centrifugal fan can be pulled out from the side, and the motor of axial fan can be disassembled separately) to facilitate dust cleaning and bearing replacement;

Key components (such as bearings and seals) shall be of common models to avoid long procurement cycle and high maintenance cost caused by customized parts.

Durability:

Well-known brands of fans (such as domestic Shangfeng, Jintongling and international Greenheck) are preferred, and their materials and technology are more reliable (such as high precision of impeller dynamic balance, reducing vibration and wear);

For high-frequency use scenarios (such as the 24-hour operation of the pool kiln exhaust fan), it is necessary to select "continuous operation motor" (insulation grade ≥F, temperature rise ≤80K) to avoid overheating damage of the motor.

VII. Cost and energy efficiency: Balance initial investment and long-term energy consumption.

The "total cost" of the fan is not only the purchase price, but also the long-term electricity fee (accounting for more than 70%), so it is necessary to give consideration to "cost performance" and "energy efficiency":

Initial cost: axial fan < centrifugal fan, conventional material (carbon steel) < special material (stainless steel, glass fiber reinforced plastic), which should be selected according to functional requirements (if high temperature/corrosion protection is not needed, axial fan is preferred to reduce procurement cost);

Operating cost: Choose high-efficiency fans (in line with GB 19761-2020 "Limits and Grades of Fan Energy Efficiency", giving priority to Grade 1 or Grade 2 energy efficiency), which can save a lot of electricity charges for long-term operation (for example, a 15kW high-efficiency centrifugal fan can save about 5,000 yuan per year compared with ordinary fans);

Life cost: the initial purchase price of special material fans (such as 316L stainless steel and glass fiber reinforced plastic) is high, but the life can reach 8-12 years (3-5 years for ordinary carbon steel fans), which is more cost-effective in the long run (especially in high temperature and corrosive scenes).

Summary: Selection decision logic

The core logic of the fan for glass processing is: first determine the function (smoke exhaust/dust removal/ventilation) → then adapt to the working conditions (temperature/dust/corrosion) → calculate the parameters (air volume/wind pressure/power) → finally balance the installation, noise and cost. For example:

Smoke exhaust in glass tank kiln → function is "high temperature smoke exhaust" → working condition is "1000℃+ acid gas" → parameters need "high wind pressure+large air volume" → selection: heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant centrifugal fan (made of 310S material, equipped with silencer and shock-absorbing pad).

Ventilation in glass cutting workshop → Function is "dust ventilation" → Working condition is "normal temperature+slight dust" → Parameters need "large air volume+low air pressure" → Selection: anti-corrosion axial fan (galvanized steel plate material, wall-mounted installation).