Fan Calculator
Fan Calculator is a handy and flexible tool that helps you compute the mass flow rate and CFM given the respective inputs. All you have to do is provide the power output, pressure to find out the CFM in a matter of seconds.
Fan Calculator: Do you want to figure out the air exchange needed for a building? If so, you can make use of our friendly tool i.e. Fan or CFM Calculator and calculate the cubic feet per minute easily by giving the needed inputs as in the input fields of the tool. We have covered various types of fans, what does CFM mean, How to find the Mass Flow Rate and will introduce you the mass flow rate equation, etc. You will find everything right from humble battery powered fan to the ceiling , outdoor fans, all in one place.
Fan and its Working Operation
Fan is a rotating circle segmented into blades in a way that it moves air from one side of the circle to the other. Fan produces a cooling effect due to the air circulation. Having a far producing air on your face actually makes you feel cooler since the temperature is dropped.
However, the temperature doesn't drop and it is only the way we perceive changes. This effect is similar to a wind chill and depends on several factors such as cooling laws, thermal conductivity, specific heat and heat loss.
Different Types of Fans
Fans can take different sizes and forms. You can witness them in your day to day lives such as the one to cool your computer or ceiling fans, fans used in large ventilation systems to cool the room, etc.
Ventilation Purposes - These Fans are big and tend to be ugly, noisy but are powerful and has optimized performance. These are generally used in hot places and cold spaces. As they are hidden they don't serve any asthetic purpose.
Ceiling Fans - These are designed quiet aprt from their regular function of circulating air and doesn't disturb the ones sitting under it. They will not detract from the room they are present in.
Bathroom Fans - These fall under the ventilation category and are rarely seen.
Outdoor Fans - These are similar to standing fans and can be used when you want a cool breeze. They strike a balance between mass flow rate and noise.
USB or Battery Powered Fans - These are generally used in computer systems to cool them.
Sports Fans - Last but not the least is sports fans and they are not that efficient in circulating air and produces a large amount of noise.
Physicscalc.Com has got concepts like friction, acceleration due to gravity, water pressure, gravity, and many more along with their relevant calculators all one under one roof.
Specifications of Fans
Now that you are aware of the types of fans let us discuss in detail about the specifications that you need to look for while choosing a fan. They are explained in detail and are as follows
Size - This is characterized by the diameter of the circumference the fan covers.
RPM(Revolutions Per Minute) - RPM is nothing but the Rotational Speed of the Fan.
Blade Shape - Depending on the design of the fan blade you can optimize it for airflow or airpressure.
Power - It is nothing but the measure of power consumed/produced by a fan and is known as power output/input
Efficiency - It is the ratio of output power to the input power and lies between 0 to 1 in general.
Mass Flow Rate Equation and CFM Definition
Mass Flow Rate is defined as the amount of material that passes through the fan unit per time. Mathematical Definition of Mass Flow Rate is given by the expression dm/dt i.e. derivative of mass with respect to the time. Unit for measuring the flow rate is Cubic Feet Per Minute or CFM in short. It kight be strange for you looking at the unit and you might be wondering cubic feet is the unit of volume but not for mass or weight. However, if we know the density of substance entering into the fan we can change it easily from volume to mass.
For this, you need to know other information such as the medium in which the fan is operating, etc. That's when SFCM comes into picture and SFCM means Standard CFM and is a measure of CFM for a gas of fixed density.
Frequently Asked Questions on Fan Calculator
1. What is CFM?
       CFM stands for Cubic Feet Per Minute and is a measure for air flow.
       
2. What does Mass Flow Rate Mean?
       Mass Flow Rate is the amount of material that passes through a fan per unit time.
         
3. What is the Mathematical Expression for Mass Flow Rate?
       The Mathematical Expression for Mass Flow Rate is dm/dt i.e. derivative of mass with respect to time.
       
4. What are the different types of fans?
         The Different Types of Fans are Ceiling Fans, Outdoor Fans, Bathroom Fans, Ventilation Purpose Fans, Sports Fans, USB or Battery Powered Fans, etc.