This post is a subsidiary of the Fan Selection & Application Guide, providing references to a variety of resources on this subject published by suppliers of Digi-Key’s AC and DC fan products.
General Application Resources
Technical Material (Sanyo Denki, 13 pages)
An excerpt from the Sanyo Denki catalog containing general fan selection and application guidance.
(Edit 04 Apr.2024: This resource appears to have been moved or replaced since the original writing. An archived version should be accessible below)
Sanyo Denki catalog excerpt.pdf (3.9 MB)
Fans and Blowers Catalog (NMB, 60 pages)
Another product catalog containing roughly 20% applications information, the technical material in this example is found at the end of the document.
Comair Catalog (Comair Rotron, 57 pages)
Though a product catalog, roughly the first 1/3rd of this document contains application-related information.
Brushless DC Fans (Comair Rotron, 3 pages)
A brief discussion of considerations involved in powering brushless DC fans.
Important Considerations When Selecting a Fan for Forced Air Cooling (CUI, 10 pages)
A discussion of several basic concerns relating to fan selection.
Bearings & Longevity
Ball vs. Sleeve: A Comparison In Bearing Performance (NMB, 6 pages)
A qualitative comparison of ball and sleeve bearings offered by NMB.
Life Expectancy (Orion, 1 page)
A brief overview of different methods of measuring expected device lifetimes, and interpretation of the resulting figures.
(Edit 04Apr.2024: This resource also appears to have been moved since the time of original writing. This link appears to contain the material originally referenced on or about page 4. An archived version of the expanded document is linked below.
Orion Fans Technical Terms.pdf (1.3 MB)
Enviro-Shield: Threee Levels of Environmental Protection (Comair Rotron, 4 pages)
A brief explanation of environmental corrosion effects on fans and standard levels of protection against them.
Flow & Noise
Establishing Cooling Requirements: Air Flow vs. Pressure (Comair Rotron, 3 pages)
Describes the process of estimating air flow requirements for cooling a given application and the influence of altitude/air density on fan behavior.
Acoustic Noise: Causes, Rating Systems, & Design Guidelines (Comair Rotron, 3 pages)
A brief explanation of different noise measurement methodologies, noise sources, and mitigation techniques.
Solving High Altitude Cooling Problems (Comair Rotron, 3 pages)
A brief discussion of the effect of altitude/air density on airflow requirements and cooling fan selection.
Important Factors to Consider When Comparing Acoustical Data (Comair Rotron, 2 pages)
Discusses the influence of measurement methods on reported fan noise figures.
Stall of Axial Flow Fans (Comair Rotron, 4 pages)
Describes the nature of the aerodynamic effects that lead to the ‘knee’ commonly found in fan curves.