Industrial Air Tempering Fans & Blowers
Engineered for high-temperature cooling, uniform airflow, & reliable tempering performance.
AIRPRO // APPLICATIONS
Centrifugal Blower Applications for Tempering Air
Tempering strengthens materials like glass, steel, and aluminum by heating them above their critical temperature and rapidly cooling them through air quenching. In these systems, a tempering air fan delivers the high-velocity, uniform airflow required for fast, consistent cooling.
These blowers are also used to cool high-temperature air streams from boilers or combustion chambers by introducing clean ambient air downstream of the heat source.
Your temperature conditions, environment, and airflow needs will determine the proper centrifugal blower configuration for your tempering application.
Primary Industries for Tempering Fans & Blowers
Across many industrial applications, tempered air systems help manage processes that operate at elevated temperatures. Tempered air fans are critical to these systems, providing steady airflow, even cooling, and dependable performance in demanding high-heat environments. Common uses include:
Tempered Glass Production Applications
- Automotive glass manufacturing
- Architectural and building materials
- Furniture and specialty glass products
Tempered Steel & Heat-Treated Metal Applications
- Automotive and heavy equipment components
- Aerospace parts and assemblies
- Agricultural and off-highway equipment
- Energy, oil & gas, and petrochemical sectors
- Hardware manufacturing
- Industrial fan and machinery components
Boilers, Calciners & High-Heat Processing Applications
- Power generation facilities
- Heavy-duty industrial manufacturing
- High-temperature material processing
- Operations requiring uniform forced-air cooling or controlled tempering air
Air Tempering Blower Technology Selection & Specification
Selecting the right forced-draft fan for air tempering comes down to balancing airflow volume, static pressure, efficiency, and horsepower. Tempering systems often demand high volume and high horsepower performance, making backward-inclined or backward-curved models a common choice for their efficiency and stable operating range.
In many glass tempering applications, multiple fans are used in parallel to achieve the required pressure varied flows without pushing a single unit to the edge of its performance curve. The optimal configuration ultimately depends on your specific duty requirements, temperature conditions, and system design parameters.
Industrial fan types commonly used in tempering applications:
- Backward Curved
(BCHS, BCMS, BCLS, BCNS) - Backward Inclined
(BIHS, BIMS, BILS, BIHD)
FEATURED FAN
Cooling Fan for Glass Tempering Furnace Operations
AirPro engineered a high-capacity cooling fan designed specifically for the intense demands of glass tempering operations. Built as an Arrangement 3 backward inclined unit, the fan features bearings on both sides of the wheel, a unitary base for stability, and a double-width housing to maximize airflow. Spring vibration isolators and screens on both inlets further support smooth, reliable performance in a high-heat, high-duty environment.
In glass tempering, rapid and uniform cooling is essential. After glass is heated above its upper critical temperature, forced-draft air is used to cool it quickly, producing the strength and safety characteristics required across automotive, architectural, and furniture applications. The backward inclined wheel—with flat blades engineered to reduce airflow interference—delivers high efficiency, lower sound levels, and reduced energy consumption compared to other fan types, making it ideal for continuous tempering operations.
- Product Type: BIHD (backward inclined, double width)
- Description: Class 3; Arrangement 3 (belt drive); 150ºF max temp design
- Performance: 112,000 CFM @ 9″ w.g. static pressure
- Features: 250 HP motor; double-width housing for increased airflow; spring vibration isolators; screened dual inlets
How Tempering Air Fans Work
Tempering air fans deliver high-velocity, uniform airflow used to rapidly cool heated materials after they are brought above their critical temperature. The fan draws in ambient or moderately elevated air and forces it across the hot material in a controlled quenching process, creating the fast, consistent cooling required to achieve the desired strength and durability properties.
In industrial tempering lines, this forced-air quenching is essential for producing predictable mechanical performance, preventing thermal shock, and ensuring uniform material quality across every cycle.
Air Tempering Fan Arrangements, Accessories, & Design
Fan design and accessory selection focus on protecting the fan, bearings, and motor while ensuring reliable performance in demanding tempering environments. In most air-quenched systems, the fan supplies ambient or moderately elevated air, so standard materials of construction are suitable. For applications where the fan handles preheated or high-temperature air, upgraded materials and thermal protection may be required.
Industrial fan arrangements commonly used for air tempering:
Fan arrangements indicate how the motors mount to and drive the fans. For a tempering air fan, we typically use a direct drive arrangement, usually, Arrangement 4 or Arrangement 8, unless the blower is very large, in which case we might specify an Arrangement 3 or 7:
Arrangement 3
Belt drive with a center-hung impeller. The motor is mounted to a separate base and belt-driven to the fan shaft. Often double-width, double-inlet (DWDI) to double the volumetric flow at the same pressure as a single-width unit.
Arrangement 4
Direct drive with an overhung impeller. A low-cost arrangement, the fan wheel mounts directly on the motor shaft.
Arrangement 7
Direct drive with a center-hung impeller. The motor is directly coupled to the fan shaft with a bearing on either side of the fan wheel. Involves a bearing on either side of the fan wheel and is supported by the fan housing.
Arrangement 8
Direct drive with an overhung impeller. The fan shaft is directly coupled to the motor shaft with a flexible coupling.
Fan accessory & design considerations for tempering fans & blowers:
Installed on the back end of the glass oven, calciner, metal tempering, or boiler system, these fans provide supply air for the tempering process. When it comes to design and accessories, it’s all about protecting and optimizing operations, maintenance, and life of the fan and bearings.
In industrial tempering applications, we often recommend the following accessories:
- Flow Control Options – includes inlet vane dampers, variable frequency drives (VFD), outlet dampers, or a combination, each offering control over airflow volume and pressure
- Actuators and Positioners – Automatic modulation of dampers, either for on/off operation or varied damper positions for specific flow cases.
- Double-Width Housing – for higher airflow capacity
- Shaft Grounding System – to minimize shaft voltage and prevent current damage
- Flex Connectors – accommodate shifting during rapid temperature change and make up for misalignments in ductwork in and out of the fan.
- Spring Vibration Isolators – necessary when foundational mass is insufficient to support fan operation
- Inlet Silencer – for noise control
- Inlet Filter or Screen – to keep the airstream clean and avoid introducing items that could be harmful to downstream equipment & process
- Inlet Box – if inlet must come from vertical down entry for safety purposes
- Vibration and Temperature Sensors – to monitor bearing and fan health and prevent unplanned outages
- Split Housing – for easier maintenance access to the fan wheel and shaft
Connect with an Air Tempering Fan Expert
Our experienced application engineers are ready to help you find the right fan. Whether you’re replacing an existing unit or designing a new system, we’ll make sure you get a solution that fits your specs, timeline, and budget.
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