No-Moving-Parts Fan

1
No-Moving-Parts Fan
MICHIGAN STATE U N I V E R S I T Y
Objective Airmaster Fan Company is a business
strictly devoted on the creation, manufacturing,
and sales of fans. Airmaster has presented four
engineering students and one marketing student
with the specialized task of developing the
current prototype in order to create an optimal
no-moving-parts fan. The fan was designed with
respect to the air flow, cost, manufacturing
process, efficiency and noise radiation. A viable
marketing vehicle was designed to fit the product
and the companys objectives
Final Recommendation In order for the
no-movingparts fan to be viable, the operational
noise and cost needs to be reduced whereas the
CFM rating has to increase. Using Airmasters
resources and current methods of manufacturing,
this product is not feasible. If Airmaster was
willing to consider new production methods such
as CNC machining or casting, a feasible product
would be possible pending additional research.
Experimental Analysis Given the working
prototypes, an analytical study of the velocity
distribution was conducted on the inlet portion
of Airmasters original prototype, prototype 1,
and the prototype that was created by the
engineers, prototype 2. The velocity distribution
was obtained by collecting data at various points
along the cross-sectional area of the inlet
portion. The velocity at each independent point
was determined by using an Anemometer measuring
meters per second. This data was then used to
validate the Fluent model. The pictures below
show the 3D velocity profiles of prototype 1 and
the recommended prototype 2.
The CFD software analysis began with a simple 2D
rectangular model of the no-moving-parts fan. The
final model, was identical in dimensions and
complexity to the prototype fan. The output data
from the verified CFD model proves that the
optimum gap size for the 12 inch no-moving-parts
fan operating at 90 Psi is 0.1438 inches.
Attribute Performance Benchmark Evaluation
Noise Level At109 dB, above prescribed standard 89dB Below standard
Operating Costs 3100 per year 118 per year Below Standard
Performance 209.76 CFM 1500 CFM Below Standard
Longevity Testing required 20 years -
Safety Testing required - -

• Essential Design Parameters
• Function/Performance
• Safety
• Reliability
• Quality
• Cost
• Noise

Prototype 1 Velocity Profile
Prototype 2 Velocity Profile
Team Members
Economic Analysis The economic analysis shows
that for the no-moving-parts fan, the operating
cost is 17 times more expensive per year, than a
regular bladed ¾ hp explosion proof fan. Over
time, as the ¾ hp fan requires maintenance, the
operating cost gap will narrow. However, even
over 20 years the no-moving-parts-fan is still
7.4 times more expensive.
Engineering Anthony Beal L. Marie Verrier
Michael Lambert Steven Yang
Vertical Axis
Prototype
Horizontal Axis
Vertical Axis
Marketing Business Advisor Dilip Thomas
Dr. Michael Lobbestael
Horizontal Axis
Fluent Analysis CFD software, Gambit and Fluent,
were utilized in the optimization of the
no-moving-parts fan. Using the software saved
the design team a considerable amount of time in
the optimization process due to the fact that it
was possible to run numerous tests with multiple
compressed air outlet gap sizes in a single day.
Front View
Faculty Advisor Dr. Eann Patterson
Industry Sponsor Bob LaZebnik
Cross Section
Type of Fan Purchase Price Operating cost per year (4380 hrs) Maintenance Cost per year 5 years 10 years 15 years 20 years
3/4hp Regular fan 1,400.00 183.73 100 2,818.96 4,237.61 7,056.26 8,474.91
15 hp Compressor 300.00 3,124.53 0.00 15,922.65 31,545.30 47,167.90 62,790.60
Final Prototype Drawing