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Topic Summary:
At the heart of every air-handling system is a fan or set of fans that move air and overcome system losses. When coupled with motors, which turn electrical power into mechanical power, fans convert that mechanical power into air power. In modern, high-performance systems, motor controllers are often used to provide speed control. Each of these components—fan, motor, and controller—have inherent losses or inefficiencies. These losses can be measured in a laboratory to evaluate the net effect on the system’s wire-to-air efficiency, which describes the total electrical energy needed to produce the required airflow and pressure. The study presented in this talk compares four different fan-motor-controller systems as part of a strategy for improving wire-to-air efficiency. In this work only direct-drive fan systems were considered, though the findings could be extended to belt-drive fan systems. It is concluded that impeller design is a leading factor for wire-to-air efficiency, with the motor-controller combination having a smaller, secondary effect if the fan system operates in full-load (design) conditions. However, if the fan system operates at off-load conditions, then impeller, motor, and controller are all similarly contributing factors to wire-to-air efficiency.
Speaker Bio:
Rajavel Balaguru, PhD is a Sr Mechanical/Acoustics Engineer at the Johnson Controls Advanced Development and Engineering Center (JADEC), located in New Freedom, Pennsylvania, where he is part of chiller and air handler acoustic engineering team.
His group is primarily responsible for the testing, rating and new product elopement for air-handling and chiller acoustical products.
He received his PhD in Mechanical Engineer with Specialization in Engineering Acoustics from Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ, USA.
He has 11 years of industrial experience in research, engineering and application of sound and vibration technologies, 7 of which are in the HVAC industry and 4 of which in Aerospace industry. He also has 7 years of research experience in academia.
He has published 9 and 24 peer reviewed journals and conference articles in leading professional journals including ASHRAE. He has patented 6 of his findings, in related to HVAC, with USPTO.
He is active member of various professional societies Acoustical Society of America (ASA), Acoustical Society of Heating, Refrigeration Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), Institute of Noise Control Engineers (INCE) and American Society of Testing and Materials International (ASTM).
He is a Voting Member of ASTM E33 Technical Committee on Building and Environmental Acoustics.
Thank you to the event sponsor: Johnson Controls