Food & Dairy Processing Fans
Dairy and Food Processing Industry Fan Applications
Dairy and food processing industry manufacturers use industrial centrifugal fans throughout their operations for applications ranging from general ventilation, supply, and exhaust to combustion, drying, heating, cooling, dust collection, and air filtration.
What’s unique about dairy and food processing industry applications is that it requires many additional considerations to make all or part of the system food grade as designated by the US FDA. That affects design decisions from materials of construction and welding requirements to custom coatings and treatments.
Your application environment and airflow will determine your dairy and food processing industry application fan selection and specifications.
Primary Dairy and Food Processing Industry Sectors
Within the dairy and food processing industry, there are many subsectors, including:
Food Product Manufacturing
- Animal Food Manufacturing
- Animal Slaughtering and Processing
- Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing
- Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing
- Grain and Oilseed Milling
- Other Food Manufacturing
- Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging
- Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing
Dairy Product Manufacturing
- Butter
- Cheese
- Condensed Milk
- Dry Milk Products
- Fluid Beverage Milk
- Ice Cream
- Whey Products
- Yogurt
Dairy and Food Processing Industry Fan Selection & Specification
Because centrifugal fans are prominent at many points in and around dairy and food processing industry applications, virtually any of our fans could be used in one or more ways as supply air, exhaust air, combustion air, process heating air, or process cooling air. Select and design your fans based on function, flow, and pressure. Here’s a quick overview of the top fans for each main function:
Supply Fans
- Backward Curved (BCHS)
- Backward Inclined (BIHS)
Exhaust Fans
- Industrial Exhauster Paddle Wheel (IEPW / IEFB)
- Radial Tipped (RTHS)
Process Heating Fans
- Plug Fan
- High-Pressure Blowers
- High-Pressure Radial Open (HPRM / HPRL)
Process Cooling Fans
- Backward Inclined (BIHS)
- Backward Curved (BCHS)
Combustion Air Blowers
- Custom High-Pressure Blowers (HP#S)
- High-Pressure Radial Shrouded (HPSM / HPSL)
- Backward Curved (BCHS, BCLS, BCMS)
- Backward Inclined (BIHS)
- High-Pressure Radial Open (HPRM / HPRL)
Fan Arrangements
Fan Arrangements indicate how the motors mount to and drive the fans. The specification will depend on your application and the fan(s) selected.
Dairy and Food Processing Industry-Specific Accessories & Design
When it comes to design and accessories, the focus is around protecting and optimizing operations, maintenance, and life of the fan and bearings. For the food and dairy processing industry, that means many additional considerations to make all or part of the system food grade as designated by the US FDA.
Most dairy and food processing applications require stainless steel fans. For some, only the fan airstream parts are stainless, while others dictate that the entire fan be stainless steel, including the motors and safety guards. They also require a smooth, uniform finish and no threads to avoid catching food and water.
These are not suggestions for many food and dairy fan applications. The USDA and FDA inspect food-grade machinery and are meticulous about these requirements, and the fans are required to pass inspection before startup and operation.
Food Grade Considerations for Dairy & Food Processing Industry Fan Applications
- 304 or 316 Stainless Steel materials of construction
- Glass Bead Blasting to SSPC-SP10 (the highest weld rating) or chemical treatment for removal of weld discoloration
- 32RA Polishing of the Welds and stainless steel materials for a uniform 32 micro-inch finish
- A Simple Epoxy finish for non-stainless steel components
- Clean-in-Place (CIP) Nozzles inside the fan housing along with a drain system at the bottom of the housing for cleaning access during use
- Stainless Steel Washdown Duty Motor with a Stainless Steel shaft for those requiring all parts in contact with the product be food grade
- Ferrule (Sanitary) Drain, Cap & Gasket with no threads
- Teflon Fan Seals and Housing Gaskets to provide food-grade sealing capabilities
- Flange, Slip Inlet & Slip Outlet allows a flexible boot to connect the fan to the ductwork
Accessory & Design Considerations
- Dampers or Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) for additional speed control and operating efficiency
- Inlet Box if space is tight for the ductwork
- Inlet Silencer for noise control on the fan inlet
- Vibration Isolators to help the blower stay in balance
- Split Housing for easier maintenance access to the fan wheel and shaft
- Spark Resistance as some gas and dust can be flammable
- Vibration and temperature sensors to monitor bearing and fan health and prevent unplanned outages
- Proper installation and maintenance to ensure safe startup and operations
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If you feel overwhelmed by all this information, don’t despair! We have a team of application engineers who are happy to talk with you and select the best fan for your application. You can call 715-365-3267, email [email protected], or send us your information, and one of our engineers will connect with you.
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