Gas-Tight-Fans Don`t Leak

Connection Points

The first place to prevent leaks is at the connection points on your industrial fan. These need gaskets to keep them gas-tight. Common connection points are between the drive cover plate and the housing, between the inlet cover plate and the housing, the fan access door, the fan inlet, and the fan outlet. The gasket at each connection point is critical for a gas-tight fan.

Shaft Entry and Exit

The second common leak point is the shaft entry to and exit from the housing. To address this area, we use a purgeable shaft seal with a purge line. The purge line applies a single gas like nitrogen to place constant pressure against the gas stream, preventing it from leaking out.

Airstream Welding

Good welds are a sure sign of a robust high-quality industrial fan. They are also the third and final common leak point that you need to consider for gas-tight fans. Specify a continuous internal airstream weld to guard against leaks.

Finally, to ensure that all of the leak points are actually gas-tight, run a bubble leak pressure test on your system. That simply involves putting some soap into the airstream and running some pressure through it. No bubbles, no leaks. If you see bubbles form at any of the leak points, it’s not a gas-tight fan yet.

Senior Application Engineer Chet White explains how and what to seal up to ensure gas-tight fans and how to test for leaks in this 1½-minute video.

To determine the right specifications for your centrifugal fan application, reach out and connect with one of our application engineers to discuss the details of your project.