What is a fan filter unit that combines high environmental resistance and exhaust performance?

Current motors are becoming difficult to obtain due to the "Top Runner Standards"...

Company L designs and manufactures clean rooms and clean booths for medical and food manufacturers. The company was forced to make an urgent change to the specifications because the induction motors used in its ceiling-mounted air conditioners would become difficult to obtain due to the impact of the "Top Runner Standards." However, there were several issues with making the change. Mr. G, the manager of the Design and Development Department at Company L, looks back on the situation as follows:

"When we designed clean rooms in the past, we used a method in which a large sirocco fan was turned by an induction motor and sucked air out of each intake port through a duct.
In order to pass the air through multiple high-density filters, a considerable amount of static pressure is required. To generate this static pressure, the blades must be rotated at high speed, so we used highly rigid metal blades that could withstand high speed rotation. Because metal blades are heavy, we were using an induction motor of 0.75 kW or more to rotate them, but we needed to urgently review the capacity of this motor." (Mr. G)

It's hard to find a fan that meets both high exhaust performance and environmental resistance...

However, low-capacity induction motors that are not subject to the Top Runner standard require the installation of equipment in different locations to maintain exhaust performance. Changing equipment requires time for new design, and increases costs due to duct piping work, making it more difficult to achieve the key energy savings.
Therefore, we considered developing a fan filter unit (FFU) that would draw in air directly above the filter, but we ran into an impasse when it came to selecting a fan.
"The environments in which medical products and food are handled are highly humid, so environmental resistance was also an important factor. However, it was difficult to find a fan that offered both high exhaust performance and environmental resistance," said Mr. G.

The problem is solved once and for all with an axial flow "Splash Proof Fan" with protection class IP68!

As Mr. G continued to gather information, he discovered that the problem could be solved by an axial flow "Splash Proof Fan" proposed by SANYO DENKI CO., LTD., one of the manufacturers he contacted.
Mr. G had not considered using an axial fan because he thought it would not be able to generate sufficient static pressure, and was initially surprised by SANYO DENKI CO., LTD. 's proposal. However, he soon realized that this proposal could solve a variety of issues at once.

"When I asked why, I was told that by using an axial fan, it was possible to utilize the entire filter surface in a small space. When we actually designed it, we were able to reduce the installation size of the intake mechanism by 50% or more, thereby realizing space saving.
"We were concerned about the exhaust capacity, but by using five Splash Proof Fan in the fan filter unit, we were able to maintain the same airflow as before. What surprised us even more was that each fan had a static pressure of 1 kPa. This meant that we could also use high-density filters," said Mr. G.

Regarding environmental resistance, we found that there were no problems with the protection class "IP68"(*). It uses a highly waterproof resin material, and the electronic components are also molded with resin, so the live parts can be protected from water and dust.

(*) Protection class IP68: Dust-proof type: Rotating machine that can be used even in dusty conditions at all times / Submersible type: Rotating machine that can be used even when constantly submerged in water at a specified pressure

Compared to induction motors, power consumption is reduced by 20%.

Mr. G immediately ordered a sample and began evaluating the product after installing it in an actual device.
"Based on SANYO DENKI CO., LTD. Denki's advice, we adopted Splash Proof Fan for the fan filter unit, which allowed us to maintain the same exhaust performance while cutting power consumption by 20%." (Mr. G)

Mr. G also confirms that there are no problems with the durability of the fans.
"After thorough evaluation tests, we found that the blades did not break down even when used in high humidity environments, and we were convinced that the blades had excellent environmental resistance, equal to or better than rust-proof metal blades," said Mr. G.

"PWM control function" is expected to further reduce power consumption

After confirming these benefits, Company L decided to adopt SANYO DENKI CO., LTD. 's "Splash Proof Fan."

"Splash Proof Fan we used this time has a PWM control function, so we can expect to reduce power consumption even further. In this case, it rotates at a constant speed, but if the PWM control function is used, it will be possible to control the rotation speed.
As an option, we would like to consider a low-power model that can install sensors in the clean room and control the exhaust depending on the situation." (Mr. G)

Mr. G had this to say about the adoption of Splash Proof Fan:
"The advice we received from SANYO DENKI CO., LTD. on how to use fans effectively and how to achieve energy savings was extremely helpful. We look forward to continuing to work together as a good partner to pursue benefits for our customers."

For more information about Splash Proof Fan, please also see "Features of Splash Proof Fan, Oil Proof Fan, Wide Temperature Range Fan, and G Proof Fan."​

release date: 2019-02-18 00:00