What are the fan laws?

Author: Prof. Aliza Hermann Sr.  |  Last update: Saturday, December 6, 2025

The Fan Laws are a group of useful equations to describe the relationships between operational parameters/measurement factors involved in fan performance.

What are the three laws of fan?

To summarize these 3 fan laws, flow changes proportionately to speed. Static pressure changes as a function of the change in speed squared. And brake horsepower changes as a function of the change in speed cubed.

What are the affinity laws for fans?

The affinity laws. Let us examine the effect of speed and/or impeller diameter change on the performance of centrifugal pumps. The affinity laws or fan laws, as they are sometimes referred to, play an important role in determining centrifugal pump performance for changes in operating conditions.

What is the power law of a fan?

The third fan law relates the total or static air power (and the impeller power), to the fan rotational speed: Power, is proportional to the cube of the fan rotational speed. -Since velocity in a duct is seldom uniform across any section, a traverse is usually made to determine average velocity.

What is the first fan law?

Fan Law 1 tells us that the change in air flow rate of a fan is proportional to the change in speed of the propeller. If the propeller speed is increased by 10%, the air flow rate will also increase by 10%.

Three Key Fan Laws Explained: Airflow vs. Static Pressure vs. Horsepower

What is fan rule?

In summary, fan laws are essentially about impellers and what happens to their characteristics when they undergo changes in rotational speed, air density, or are scaled in size. They also help with the understanding of ventilation systems and the relationship between volume air flow rate and system total pressure.

What is the cube law of fans?

Cube Law Explained

The relationship between the speed and power of a fan or a pump is called the Cube Law and can be built up step by step. The flow is proportional to the speed: 10% slower = 90% flow. The power is proportional to the speed cubed.

How to convert RPM to CFM?

If we want to calculate the CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute) for a 4 cycle motor we can multiply the cubic inch displacement of the engine by the maximum rpm (Revolutions Per Minute) and divide the result by 3456. Then we multiply the results by the volumetric efficiency of the motor.

What is the Watt's law of electricity?

Watt's law defines the relationship between power, voltage and current and states that the power in a circuit is a product of the voltage and the current. There are many practical applications of Watt's law, and the formula to calculate Watt's Law is P = IV.

Do fan laws apply to pumps?

The affinity laws (also known as the "Fan Laws" or "Pump Laws") for pumps/fans are used in hydraulics, hydronics and/or HVAC to express the relationship between variables involved in pump or fan performance (such as head, volumetric flow rate, shaft speed) and power. They apply to pumps, fans, and hydraulic turbines.

What are the limitations of fans?

5 Limitations of an Electrical Enclosure Cooling Fan
  • Cooling Fans Cannot Handle High Heat Dissipation Rates. ...
  • Cooling Fans Are Unsuitable for High Ambient Temperature. ...
  • Cooling Fans Cannot Handle High Levels of Particulate Matter in the Environment. ...
  • Cooling Fans Cannot Be Used in High Humidity Environments.

What is the cube law of a pump?

Cube Law is the relationship between a centrifugal pump or fans speed and its energy need is known as Cube Law. This means that a small increase in speed requires a lot more power, but also means that a modest speed reduction can give significant energy savings.

What are the three power laws?

The exponent rules are: Product of powers rule — Add powers together when multiplying like bases. Quotient of powers rule — Subtract powers when dividing like bases. Power of powers rule — Multiply powers together when raising a power by another exponent.

What is the first affinity law?

First Affinity Law: speed and flow rate

The first law states that if you alter the speed of a fan or pump, the flow rate of air or water changes proportionally. Simply put, double the speed, and you double the flow.

What powers a fan?

Most fans are powered by electric motors, but other sources of power may be used, including hydraulic motors, handcranks, and internal combustion engines.

Does increasing fan speed increase CFM?

So if you need to increase CFM by 10%, your RPM has to increase by 10%. Since it is a 1:1 ratio, it also means we can interchange RPM for CFM in Fan Laws 2 and 3.

How many CFM is a 1 hp compressor?

4-5 CFM per horsepower

For every horsepower, a compressor delivers 4-5 cfm, at 100 psi pressure. In other words - a 1 horsepower compressor will output around 4 to 5 cfm at 100 psi pressure. A 10 HP unit will output around 40 to 50 cfm at 100 psi.

What is the fans first law?

In late 2023, Senator John Cornyn introduced the Fans First Act (the “Act') which aims to increase ticket sale transparency, protect American consumers, and stop bad actors. [1] The reaction to the bill, which has been referred to the committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, has been mixed.

What is the formula for the cubic law?

The law may be given in simplified form by Q/Ah = C(2b) 3, where Q is the flow rate, Ah is the difference in hydraulic head, C is a constant that depends on the flow geometry and fluid properties, and 2b is the fracture aperture.

Why do you have to turn your fan counterclockwise?

During summer months, your ceiling fan blades should be set to spin counterclockwise. When your ceiling fan spins quickly in this direction, it pushes air down and creates a cool breeze. This helps keep a room's temperature consistent throughout the day and reduces the need for an air conditioner to run constantly.

How do I stop my fans from spinning high on life?

In order to slow down the fans, the player will first need to complete the bounty for Douglas. This requires selecting the bounty on the Bounty 5000, traveling through Old Town into Dreg Town, and battling through hordes of enemies before taking on the pompous Douglas.

How does a 3 speed ceiling fan work?

By changing the position of the knob, the internal capacitance changes. When it increases, the voltage across the capacitor decreases while that across the fan motor increases. Accordingly, the speed of the fan will increase.

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