Alborz Industrial Air Co

Fan Damper Selection

Information and Recommendations for the Engineer

E NGINEERING DATA
Alborz Industrial Air Co.

Fan Damper Selection

Introduction
Dampers offer a low cost, low maintenance alternative for imply that the various dampers cannot be used inter-
controlling airflow in a fan system when compared to invert- changeably. The concepts still hold true for all fans and sys-
er drives or “in-flight” adjustable blade fans. In some types tems, and use would only be limited by choice or rugged-
of fans, such as roof ventilators, dampers are standard, but ness of construction.
in most instances they are sold as an optional accessory tai-
lored to meet the requirements of individual applications. Automatic Dampers
A variety of damper types are offered that can be Automatic or backdraft dampers are commonly associated
installed on either the fan inlet, outlet or at some remote with wall exhaust or roof ventilator applications. Designed to
location in the fan system. There are automatic dampers, open automatically when the fan is energized and to close
manually operated dampers, motor operated dampers and by gravity when power is turned off, these parallel blade,
modulated control dampers. There are varied degrees of end pivoted dampers provide a mechanism which prevents
construction from light to heavy, different blade shapes, end the air from back flowing through the system while also
or center pivoted blades and parallel or opposed blade serving to exclude outside elements such as rain and snow.
arrangements, all uniquely configured for specific applica- Typical wall and roof installations are shown in Figure 1.
tions. Another type of automatic backdraft damper is referred
The first part of this article will cover dampers and con- to as a stack cap or a discharge cap. Stack caps are simply
cepts associated with lower pressure systems incorporating two opposed blade dampers mounted atop a roof fan, com-
panel fans, tubeaxial fans, vaneaxial fans and centrifugal plete with a protective wind band that allows air to be
vent set fans. Starting with “Volume Control Dampers” the exhausted while excluding the elements when not operating
discussion will favor the medium to high pressure systems (see Figure 2).
commonly associated with centrifugal fans. This is not to

Figure 1. Automatic Dampers

Wall Type: Designed for OW

FL
horizontal airflow – gravity AIR

close. Optional bird

screen shown. AIRFLOW

Ceiling Type: Designed for vertical airflow.

Automatic gravity close. Exhaust only.

Figure 2. Stack Caps

DAMPER STOP
STACK CAP
DAMPER AIRFLOW

WINDBAND

BRONZE BUSHING

DAMPER ROD

BULB SEAL
CURB BASE
BEARING SUPPORT

WINDBAND BRACKET

DRAIN CHANNEL

DISCONNECT
SWITCH BRACKET

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 In addition to exhaust applications, square, rectangular supplied on end pivoted dampers, when power is off the
and circular automatic backdraft dampers are also used in spring return insures positive closing of the damper blades.
certain duct systems to function as check valves to prevent System characteristics are altered only by the resistance
reverse airflow through a fan during shut down. This is of to airflow with fully opened blades.
particular importance in parallel fan systems, where the fans
are cycled independently, to prevent “windmilling” of the fan Volume Control Dampers
that is not in operation. Fan or system capacity can be altered over a finite range
These dampers are not intended for capacity control and through gradual damper blade adjustments. These dampers
therefore the system characteristics are altered only by the can be located on the fan discharge (outlet dampers), the
resistance required to fully open the blades. fan intake (inlet dampers) or any place in the system. These
dampers may be manually controlled or controlled with
Motor Operated sophisticated automatic systems.
End Pivoted Dampers
The function of these dampers is similar to that previously
Outlet Control Dampers
described for automatic dampers. The difference is that they Outlet control dampers are normally center pivoted with
are usually furnished with a two-position electric actuator either “parallel” or “opposed” blade configuration (see
(Figure 3) that powers the blades open rather than relying on Figure 5).
the velocity pressure of the airflow. This is of particular
importance in low flow conditions that might otherwise only Figure 5. Outlet Control Dampers
partially open the automatic damper blades creating blade
flutter and potentially more noise.

Figure 3. Motor Operated, End Pivoted Damper

Outlet Damper-Parallel Blade

Best suited to applications
AIRFLOW requiring accurate air volume
control from wide open to 75% Outlet Damper-Opposed Blade
wide open. Best suited for control over broad
For vertical or horizontal airflow. Exhaust only. range of air volume.

Another advantage of the motor operated damper is that They can be mounted horizontally as shown, with the
when power is off the spring return insures positive closing blades parallel to the fan shaft, or they can be mounted with
of the blades and is not influenced by stray eddies or air cur- the blades perpendicular to the fan shaft. Perpendicular
rents. blade orientation may require special bearing considera-
Like the automatic damper, the two-position motor oper- tions.
ated damper is not intended for capacity control and there- As the blades are closed on the “parallel” blade damper
fore the system characteristics are altered only by the resis- the air tends to pile up on one side creating uneven airflow
tance to airflow of the fully opened blades. in the duct. This can lead to airflow distribution problems in
branch ducts located too close to the damper. It can also
lead to a system effect on fan performance when the
Motor Operated damper is too close to the inlet of the fan.
Center Pivoted Dampers
The motor operated center pivoted damper (see Figure 4) Figure 6. Damper Airflow Characteristics
can be used in either supply or exhaust applications. These
dampers are used primarily in reversing airflow fans and in
air handling systems that require the dampers to be open
before the fan is energized.

Figure 4. Motor Operated, Center Pivoted Damper

Parallel Blade Damper Opposed Blade Damper
Illustrating Diverted Flow Illustrating Non-Diverting
Flow
AIRFLOW

“Opposed” blade dampers are the preferred selection

when it is necessary to maintain an even distribution of air-
flow immediately downstream of the dampers. The airflow
characteristics of both the “parallel” blade and the
“opposed” blade dampers are illustrated in Figure 6.
Designed for supply and exhaust. Also note in Figure 6, that as the damper lever arm is
closed on the “parallel” blade damper, there is only a small
reduction of area between the blades. Now compare this to
The electric actuators for these dampers are provided the “opposed” blade damper, where for the same amount of
with end switches that allow the damper to open before the lever arm travel there is a proportional reduction of area
fan motor is energized. And like the two-position actuator between blades. For example, a 30 degree closing of the

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lever arm on a “parallel” blade damper results in a capacity working against.
reduction of approximately 10 percent while the same Point 1 on the curve represents the fan system with a full
degree of closing on an “opposed” blade damper will result open blade setting. As the damper blades are closed off the
in a capacity reduction of approximately 30 percent. damper resistance increases, driving the operating point to
The small reduction in capacity for a relatively large lever the left along the fan’s static pressure curve. Points 2, 3, 4
arm travel makes the “parallel” blade damper the preferred and 5 represent the fan system for several different settings
choice where sensitive control of airflow between wide open of damper blade closure. Note that as the damper resis-
and 75 percent of wide open is required. The “opposed” tance is increased, it moves the brake horsepower to the left
blade damper is selected when proportional control is along its curve, as noted by points 1a, 2a, 3a, 4a and 5a. On
desired. backward inclined centrifugal fans, as the damper is closed,
The operating characteristics of a backward inclined cen- the brake horsepower can be more or less than the “wide
trifugal fan and outlet damper combination can be seen in open” damper horsepower, but on forward curve and radial
Figure 7. blade centrifugal fans, the brake horsepower will always be
The outlet damper controls the airflow after it passes less than with the wide open setting.
through the fan by changing the resistance the airflow is

Figure 7. Operating Characteristics of a Backward Inclined Centrifugal Fan With Outlet Dampers

5
4

3 2a

3a 1a

4a BHP
2

5a

BRAKE HORSEPOWER
STATIC PRESSURE

SYSTEM
CURVES
1

CFM

Inlet Box Dampers Figure 8. Inlet Box Damper

Inlet box dampers are used when volume control is required
with a fan inlet box in lieu of a variable inlet vane. The per-
formance of the inlet box damper is similar to the variable
inlet vane, but allows for an easier means of control when an
inlet box is used.
Inlet box dampers are typically constructed with rugged,
two piece parallel blades that run along the narrow axis of
the damper to preswirl the air as it enters the fan inlet. See
the illustration below. The standard material of construction
for the inlet box damper is mild steel, but special materials
can be used based on airstream requirements. The dampers
are constructed with relubricable bearings. When airstream
temperatures are over 300°F, or system pressure dictates,
the bearings are mounted on stuffing boxes that protect the
bearings from the harsh airstream.

Type II Blades in Closed Position

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Inlet Control Dampers Figure 9. Inlet Control Dampers
Inlet box dampers, external inlet vane dampers and internal
vane dampers are the most common forms of inlet control
dampers. The inlet box damper (positioned properly) and
both types of inlet vane dampers pre-spin the air in the
direction of fan rotation. By creating spin in the direction of
fan rotation, the airflow, pressure and horsepower of the fan
are reduced, resulting in a new fan performance curve.
The inlet box damper is similar to the parallel blade out-
let damper shown in Figure 5. Both types of inlet vane
dampers are shown in Figure 9.
The external inlet vane damper is normally attached
directly to the fan inlet flange. The vanes are center pivoted
and operate parallel to each other. This damper is config- External Type Internal (Nested) Type
ured with a center hub, which allows the vanes to be sup-
ported on each end through pivot bearings. This type of
construction makes the external vane damper capable of resistance and flow modifying effect by pre-spinning the air
handling higher velocities and pressures than is possible before it enters the fan wheel, generating a new perfor-
with the internal inlet vane dampers. It also makes them mance curve for each vane position. The performance curve
more expensive. Another advantage of the external vane reacts very similar to a fan equipped with speed control.
damper is that the control linkage is outside the air stream Point 1 on the curve represents a fan system with a fully
and easier to service. opened (90 degree) vane setting. Points 2, 3 and 4, and 2a,
The internal (nested) vane damper is constructed with the 3a and 4a show the reduction in airflow and horsepower for
vanes assembled in the throat of the fan inlet cone. Because different angles of vane closing. Predicting the exact airflow
of this they are subject to much higher velocities than the and horsepower reductions varies with damper and fan
equivalent external vane damper, resulting in higher pres- type.
sure losses. For this reason the center hub is omitted in this
design. This requires the center pivoted parallel vanes to be Conclusion
cantilevered off the inlet cone throat resulting in a construc- While certain systems involving temperature, corrosives, air-
tion that is better suited to lower pressures and velocities borne particulate, control sensitivity, etc., can limit the use
than the external vane damper. The internal vane damper is of dampers, they still can offer impressive savings for most
lower cost, more compact and easier to install than the systems. They provide the system designer with a low cost
external type. and effective method to control system airflow. Although the
Figure 10 shows potential performance curves of a fan power savings with outlet dampers may be substantial, even
with variable inlet vanes. The inlet damper produces both a greater savings can be realized using inlet dampers.

Figure 10. Performance Curves of a Fan With Variable Inlet Vanes

SP
1a

BHP

2a

90°
STATIC PRESSURE

BRAKE HORSEPOWER

70°
3a SYSTEM
CURVE
1

50°
2
4a

30°
3

4
90°
70°

50°
30°

CFM

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Alborz Industrial Air Co

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