499
Anti-Stall Fans for the Mining Industry
Phil Blankenship,1 Hakan Bard,2 and Robert Z. Smith 1
1
ABB Garden City Fan, Niles, Michigan;
2
ABB Flakt Industri, V axjo, Sweden
ABSTRACT
Stable performance of mine ventilation fans is important not only for maintaining adequate ventilation of the mine, but also
to maintain the integrity of the fan unit itself. It is demonstrated, herein, that a properly designed and applied stabilization
device, integrated into the fan casing itself, will assure stable performance and actually extend the fan's capability.
KEYWORDS
Stalling Cause and Effect, Anti-Stall Design, and Effective Application.
INTRODUCTION FAN STALLING - CAUSE AND EFFECT
Adjustable pitch axial fans often provide substantial ad- The performance chart of a variable pitch axial fan consists
vantages in operating economy in their high efficiency over of a number of characteristics showing the performance at
a wide range of operation. They have, therefore, seen exten- different blade angles. Each curve has a peak pressure. A
sive use in the ventilation systems of all types of under- line drawn across these peaks would indicate the stall line
ground mines. of the fan, as shown in Figure 1. Normally, the characteris-
Specifications for the acquisition of mine fans are devel- tics to the left of this stall line are not indicated on the per-
oped from data resulting from the application of engineer- formance chart, since the fan is neither selected nor ex-
ing principles and practices to an established mining plan pected to operate in this range due to the unstable perform-
and anticipated geological conditions. However, the actual ance that would result.
fan requirement may deviate from what is expected due to
incorrect or overly optimistic pressure drop calculations,
unanticipated adverse geological conditions, changes in Airflow Reversal and Swirling
management philosophy regru:ding airway development,
fans starting in parallel, or an array of influences, which As the fan reaches the stall line pressure, the boundary layer
may alter the range in which the fan must operate. separates on the convex side of the blade. Centrifugal force
Fans are selected to include a safety margin (normally a then directs this flow from the blade roots toward the blade
minimum of 10% of the pressure at the stall point) between tips, overloading the tips. The rotation of the blades then
the maximum anticipated fan duty point and the fans stall creates a swirl in the direction of rotation. With this, the
zone, as indicated by the fan performance characteristic flow reverses nearer the fan casing, off-loading the blade
curve. If the point at which the fan must operate varies sig- tips, and returns downstream. A temporary stabilization oc-
nificantly from the point for which it was selected, the stall curs until the overloading again occurs. Hence, the huffmg
line could be reached or surpassed. This, then, could result sound emitted by the stalled fan.
in unstable fan performance, in turn, inducing a short fall in The swirling back flow at the blade tips induces prero-
capacity, increased sound levels, and eventually, fatigue tation in the annular area nearer the hub, causing this area
damage to the rotating element, if not total failure of the of the impeller to operate at reduced load, similar to the
fan. effect of an inlet vane control, resulting in reduced system
Obviously, fan stalling is not an acceptable condition, press~e. The flow then stabilizes across the annular area of
neither for the mine nor for the fan itself. This writing shall the impeller until pressure increases to the point where
demonstrate that stable fan performance can be maintained stalling again occurs.
by the integration of a stabilizing device, into the fan casing This loading and unloading of the fan blades, during un-
itself, using no electronics or moving parts. stable operation, results in significant variations in pressure
500 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 8TH US MINE VENTILATION SYMPOSIUM
and serious vibration. The damage incurred due to fatigue CONCLUSION
resulting, from these influences, has been demonstrated to
be cumulative. That is, a sustained stall as well as a series
of short term stalls may eventually result in a total break- When appropriately applied, such a stabilization device
down of the impeller. effectively eliminates the unstable preswirl at the fan inlet
and provides stable performance over the entire range of
fan operation. Thus, a measure of protection of the integrity
STALL WARNING DEVICES of the fan's rotating assembly is afforded during operation
and during starting of parallel fans; operations are not inter-
Numerous devices are available to warn the occurrence of rupted by inadequate ventilation or fan failure due to stall-
fan stalling. These may be either electrical, mechanical or a ing; and the fan's performance range is extended. Also, fan
combination device. The conditions monitored, with preset efficiency is not compromised. For most fan designs, there
warning levels, are flow or pressure variations or excessive is only a minor efficiency reduction for adding the anti-stall
vibration. Although many of these devices are reliable, they device.
only provide indication that a stall has occurred, they warn
and shut the fan down at a predetermined level, they do not
prevent stalling, and the stall line remains the upper limit REFERENCE
for fan performance. Again stall damage may accumulate,
so any stall time is unacceptable. Bard, H., "Antistall Fans for VA V Systems in the Elec-
tronic Industry," ABB Flakt Industri, Vaxjo, Sweden.
ANTI-STALL DESIGN AND APPLICATION
Laboratory tests and hundreds of field applications have
provided proof that a properly designed and applied stabili-
zation ring can prevent fan stalling, and, in addition, extend
the stable operating range of the fan into what had previ-
ously been the stall zone, Figure 2.
Design
The stabilization (anti-stall) ring is comprised of a periph-
eral duct shaped ring, with a number of imbedded guide
vanes, integrated into the fan casing immediately upstream
of the impeller, Figure 3. In reversible axial fans, two rings
are installed, one on each side of the impeller. The integra-
tion of the anti-stall ring normally does not increase the
length of the fan casing.
The purpose of the guide vanes is to capture the turbu-
lent flows at the blade tips, restore them to stability, and
return them to the normal direction of flow. Unstable pre-
swirl in the fan inlet is totally eliminated.
Application
This not to say that an anti-stall device is an overall solution
to stalling for all axial fans. Rather, it is a viable solution
only when fans are developed and tested with anti-stall.
The anti-stall (stabilizing device) is not compatible with all
blade designs and hub to tip ratios.
Also, there is no substitute for accurate system loss cal-
culations and appropriate fan selection and application.
ANTI-STALL FANS FOR THE MINING INDUSTRY 501
;· ·' '.
):~~~. ~~.< ••
Figure. 1. A typical fan characteristic curve.
Figure 2. Stable operating range can be extended using properly designed stabilization
ring.
502 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 8TH US MINE VENTILATION SYMPOSIUM
Figure 3. The design of stabilization ring.
