Fan Type

The types of fans used in our daily lives include "AC Cooling Fan" that run on alternating current power and "DC Cooling Fan" that run on direct current power, depending on the power source they are driven by. Also, depending on their shape, there are "axial fans," "blowers," "Centrifugal Fan," and so on.

SANYO DENKI CO., LTD. has a wide lineup of fans, but there are many different types of fans that are used for different purposes. Let's take a look at the differences between them.

Fan types: Differences based on power source

First, there is the difference in the power source that drives the fans. There are "AC Cooling Fan" that run on alternating current power supplied from the outlet, and "DC Cooling Fan" that run on direct current power. While the rotation speed of the blades of an AC Cooling Fan fan is fixed by the frequency of the AC power supply, the rotation speed of DC Cooling Fan can be changed by the motor and circuit.
Nowadays, DC Cooling Fan are mainstream as they are easier to control and there are many types available, so there are also "ACDC Fan" that have a mechanism to convert AC to DC and can operate in the same way as DC Cooling Fan when powered by AC.

Fan types: differences based on shape

The most commonly used type is the axial fan.
An axial fan has blades attached to the center of a frame, sucking in air from the front of the blades and expelling it to the rear. This is probably what most people imagine when they hear the word "fan." Axial fans have the characteristics of being able to produce a large air volume and low noise, and are widely used in our daily lives.
Axial fans come in a variety of types to suit your needs, including "Counter Rotating Fan" which are made up of two axial fans arranged front to back, with the blades rotating in alternating directions to improve the straightness of the airflow and generate high static pressure; "environment-resistant fans," which can be used in special environments or places with extremely hot or cold temperatures; and "Reversible Flow Fan," which can blow air in both directions by reversing the rotation direction of the blades.

Unlike axial fans, the direction of air flow in "blowers" and "Centrifugal Fan" does not change backwards, but changes 90 degrees from intake to exhaust.
"Blowers" and "Centrifugal Fan" are ideal for use when the space in the equipment does not allow the air to be blown straight to the rear. Blowers are suited to localized cooling applications where they blow air at a pinpoint, and because of their high static pressure performance, they are suited to cooling the inside of equipment with densely packed components. Similarly, Centrifugal Fan are suited to pulling air out of the inside of densely packed equipment. The features of each fan will be explained in more detail later.

*The fan has symbols on the fan body that indicate the direction of airflow and the direction of rotation of the blades.
When installing, check the airflow direction using this symbol.
Please carefully consider the installation of fans with respect to your equipment before adopting them.

Supervised by: SANYO DENKI CO., LTD. Cooling System Design Department

Update date: 2022-03-18 00:00 /release date: 2018-01-16 00:00