From the CFM booth (from left): TNC centrifugal, AFK flange, and MNC fan.
CHICAGO — If you are interested in moving air from one place to another, the 2003 Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo) offered a lot to see.

American Aldes (Sarasota, Fla.) showcased its MPV (multi-port ventilators) central exhaust ventilation systems for low-rise multifamily housing are designed to exhaust multiple bathrooms, kitchens, utility rooms, etc., with remotely mounted central fans. The product is also suitable for use in large single-family residences.

The system uses constant airflow regulators (CARs), which are placed at either the grille or in the fan take-offs, and which have preset airflows. At minimum static air pressure, the bulb is deflated, at which point it has an hourglass shape. As static pressure increases across the bulb, it inflates, “thereby reducing the free area around the bulb,” the company explains. At the same time, the higher static pressure increases the air velocity, resulting in constant airflow, the company claims.

Big Ass Fans, an HVLS Fan Company (Lexington, Ky.), displayed a sense of humor along with the Wickerbill (“gurney flap”) modified airfoil, which the company says is available on its 8-, 10-, and 12-foot HVLS fans. The design allows customers to achieve floor-level air movement that only used to be available with the largest HVLS fans, the company says.

The fan provides 25-plus times the airflow of a standard industrial ceiling fan, blanketing an area of 10,000 to 15,000 square feet with a 3-mph breeze, the company said.

Continental Fan Manufacturing Inc. (CFM, Buffalo, N.Y.) and Aeroflo Inc. (Mississauga, Ontario) displayed AXC in-line centrifugal duct fans for residential, commercial, and industrial applications. The airfoil impeller can develop significant pressure, the companies said, and the in-line configuration helps simplify installation.

The companies said the fans’ speed is infinitely variable up to the maximum rpm, with the addition of solid-state speed control. The fans are said to be capable of handling air up to 140 degrees F (60 degrees C) and are suitable for light dust fumes.

The booth of Loren Cook Co. (Springfield, Mo.) featured its QMX product line, which was designed for clean air supply, exhaust, and return applications. The fans feature a mixed-flow impeller, facilitating reduced sound levels and motor horsepower with a smaller unit.

The QMX and QMX-HP (high pressure) uses specific blade designs to achieve optimum performance at lower speeds, the company says. The line is available in 14 sizes; airflow ranges from 2,000 through 100,000 cfm, static pressure up to 8 inches water gauge.

Plastec Ventilation showed its corrosion-resistant, polypropylene utility blowers and roof units.
Ebm Industries Inc.(Farmington, Conn.) displayed its energy-saving motor/fan (ESM), which the company claims uses one-third the power of shaded-pole motors. The ESM’s axial fan is available with optimized sheet-steel blades and plastic fan housing. A plug-in connection is standard. In addition, a programmable interface enables setting of motor speeds off-line.

Hubbell Special Products Inc. (Prairie, Wis.) displayed its motor/ centrifugal blower packages, available with a variety of output shapes (round, square, or for special mounting), and inlet options that include bezels, safety screens, and die-cast adapters.

Among the offerings from Metal Fab Inc. (Wichita, Kan.), were its pressure single-wall chimneys, which have been safety-tested and sealed for the exhaust of discharge gases and fumes from boilers, industrial furnaces, engines, turbines, and other applications under positive forced draft, negative induced draft, or neutral gravity flow.

The chimney is available in diameters from 6 through 48 inches, and can accommodate temperatures of up to 1,400 degrees during continuous operation, 1,800 degrees in intermittent operation. It is suited for breechings, chimney liners, and high-pressure or fume ducts.

Motors & Blowers LLC (Racine, Wis.) offered its blower wheel housings, which the company says can fit all standard-diameter blower wheels, clockwise or counter-clockwise rotation, in any width required. Clockwise-rotating wheels require that the inlet be on the right side. Accessories can include outlet collars, outlet adapters, inlet flanges, inlet collars, and cover plates. The company also displayed its tube axial, centrifugal, and tangential fans.

Plastec Ventilation, Inc. (Sarasota, Fla.), showed its corrosion-resistant, polypropylene utility blowers and roof units. Originally designed in Europe, these exhaust systems are now distributed in more than 30 countries, where they are installed in highly aggressive environments, “where metal cans with epoxy coating will fail,” the company says.

Titus (Richardson, Texas) introduced its Horizontal Series fancoils, for installation in drop-ceiling or under-ceiling configurations. The Basic Series can accommodate a single room with heating and cooling and low static requirements in sizes from 200 to 1,200 cfm. The High-Output Series accommodates rooms with requirements from 600 to 2,000 cfm.

The company’s vertical stack fancoils are designed for multifloor hotels and apartment complexes, with units connected by a continuous vertical copper riser system. The units may be connected horizontally in a master/slave setup, in which they share a single unit riser system.

Twin City Fan & Blower (Minneapolis) introduced Type APF and APQ plenum fans, which respectively offer higher efficiency and better sound quality. The APF fans are said to maximize efficiency, the company says, with their nine-bladed, airfoil wheel design. The APQ features a 12-bladed airfoil wheel that flattens the sound spectrum and reduces the dominance of pure tones, the company says.

Publication date: 02/17/2003