Many appli­ca­tions require high air perfor­mance. Data centers, large indus­trial building complexes, hotels, resi­den­tial complexes and hospi­tals are all typical exam­ples. Replacing one large fan in central air condi­tioning systems with FanGrids containing several smaller fans that func­tion in parallel provides many bene­fits in prac­tice.

Smaller, more light­weight and simply better

In this way, the indi­vidual fans can be stacked or arranged in rows to use the avail­able space to maximum advan­tage (Fig. 1). Small fans require less instal­la­tion space and are easier to handle than one large fan. Thanks to the latter benefit, trans­port and instal­la­tion are less compli­cated and when a fan needs to be serviced, the system can keep running. The speed of the other fans is adjusted to main­tain constant air perfor­mance. During the selec­tion process, the rele­vant redun­dancy require­ments can be taken into account.

And the air distri­b­u­tion is much better when several fans are used. Upstream or down­stream compo­nents such as filters and heat exchangers receive a more even airflow (Fig. 2). This results in more effi­cient air filtering and improved heat transfer perfor­mance.

Today, the bene­fits of a FanGrid can be lever­aged in a wide range of appli­ca­tions. Motor and fan specialist ebm-papst supplies FanGrid modules with RadiPac or RadiCal centrifugal fans. Several fans func­tioning in parallel ensure the required volume of air. Axial fans can also be used in FanGrids: today, more and more data center oper­a­tors rely on “free cooling” (Fig. 3). In clas­sical AHUs, we recom­mend centrifugal fans instead because they are designed to work with higher back pres­sure. Various sizes with diam­e­ters between 400 and 560 mm are avail­able.

Move the slider to see the before and after compar­ison

Figure 2: The air distri­b­u­tion in the FanGrid is much better, upstream or down­stream compo­nents such as filters or heat exchangers receive a more even airflow than if a single fan is used. This results in more effi­cient air filtering and improved heat transfer perfor­mance. (Image | ebm-papst)

Energy-effi­cient EC tech­nology with conve­nient closed-loop control

The driving force in the FanGrid are modern EC drives with effi­cien­cies exceeding 90%, deliv­ering highly energy-effi­cient perfor­mance in both full-load and partial-load oper­a­tion. They are designed for long service life and allow for step­less speed control.

The FanGrid line is rounded out by a new controller from ebm-papst that easily acti­vates fans oper­ated in parallel. It requires minimal wiring work: all fans are simply connected via a RS485-MODBUS cable (passthrough). Autoad­dressing makes commis­sioning easier and indi­vidual addresses can be adjusted directly. The controller has even more to offer. It has a 0-10 V inter­face for posi­tioning commands for synchro­niza­tion from 0 to 100 percent, for example.

A pres­sure sensor on one of the fans enables volume flow control to opti­mally adjust air perfor­mance to changing circum­stances such as clogged filters. Temper­a­tures and speeds can be read out for indi­vidual fans or specific groups. The rele­vant status and failure messages can be trans­mitted directly to the moni­toring system. Users always have an eye on the FanGrid fans and if neces­sary, can plan preven­tive main­te­nance on their AHUs.

Cubes prevent instal­la­tion loss

Each centrifugal fan comes with tried and tested support brackets and can be installed in a cube made of molded aluminum parts and a support plate on the intake side. During the design phase of the cube-shaped housing, a key factor was taken into consid­er­a­tion that is often neglected in prac­tice: instal­la­tion loss. If fans are installed too close together, they will influ­ence one another. The rule of thumb: The greater the volume of air to be moved, the further apart the fans should be. To avoid instal­la­tion loss, the FanGrid module’s cube has extra generous dimen­sions.

The cubes can be stacked or arranged in rows in the device or pres­sure chamber. The FanGrid also reli­ably sepa­rates the intake and pres­sure sides from each other and customers only have to close the gaps on the wall or housing with bulk­head plates. FanGrid modules come as plug & play units with the asso­ci­ated mounting brackets or as complete kits for direct, on-site instal­la­tion. The kits consist of the fans, an air inlet grill, bulk­head plate, corner connec­tors, spacer profiles and bolts.

Fan selec­tion made easy

ebm-papst has a flex­ible selec­tion tool to help customers find their optimal combi­na­tion of fans: The FanScout by ebm-papst is a powerful, web-based selec­tion tool designed to support plan­ners and manu­fac­turers in the HVAC industry in iden­ti­fying the ideal fan solu­tion for their specific appli­ca­tion. Acces­sible directly via browser without instal­la­tion or updates, it offers an intu­itive inter­face and always works with the latest product data. Users can define up to five appli­ca­tion-specific oper­ating points and apply a wide range of filters, including voltage, frequency, motor tech­nology (AC/EC), instal­la­tion space, and permis­sible noise levels. Sustain­ability criteria and life­cycle costs can also be factored in. 

The tool auto­mat­i­cally calcu­lates whether a single fan or a FanGrid config­u­ra­tion is more effi­cient and considers redun­dancy require­ments, including back­flow scenarios. Up to five fans can be compared in detail, with perfor­mance data, dimen­sions, and acoustic diagrams clearly displayed. An expert mode provides advanced metrics such as the Fan Effi­ciency Index (FEI). FanScout also enables life­cycle cost analysis by combining energy consump­tion, oper­ating hours, and elec­tricity costs, and includes procure­ment, instal­la­tion, and service costs. CO₂ emis­sions over the product’s life­time are calcu­lated to support sustain­able deci­sion-making. Results can be shared via link or PDF, and users can contribute feed­back to help shape future devel­op­ments. With FanScout, ebm-papst offers a reli­able, effi­cient, and forward-thinking tool for selecting high-perfor­mance fan systems.

Move the slider and see how the soft­ware crosses speed ranges

Figure 4: If exces­sive vibra­tion veloc­i­ties are detected in specific ranges (Move the slider to view the before and after), the control soft­ware auto­mat­i­cally sets itself to fast-forward through these speed ranges in the future. (Graphics | ebm-papst)

A test start-up is carried out during commis­sioning in which the vibra­tion levels over the entire speed curve are analyzed. If exces­sive vibra­tion veloc­i­ties are detected in specific ranges, the control soft­ware auto­mat­i­cally sets itself to fast-forward through these speed ranges in the future (see Fig. 4). In this way EC centrifugal fans can be oper­ated without risk of damage. Oper­a­tors can manu­ally edit the soft­ware settings at any time and always have full control.

The new RadiPac centrifugal fans from ebm-papst are perfectly suited for use in FanGrids, setting new bench­marks in airflow perfor­mance, effi­ciency, and noise reduc­tion. Featuring aero­dy­nam­i­cally opti­mized impeller geom­etry, high-strength composite mate­rials, and powerful EC motors with inte­grated elec­tronics, they deliver signif­i­cantly higher airflow rates and static pressures—while oper­ating more quietly. Avail­able in various sizes and config­u­ra­tions, including compact short versions for tight instal­la­tion spaces, RadiPac fans in FanGrid setups ensure uniform air distri­b­u­tion, high redun­dancy, and flex­ible control via MODBUS-RTU or analog inter­faces. The plug & play spider-mount design simpli­fies instal­la­tion, and optional Flow­Grid inlet grilles further reduce noise emis­sions. With high power density and compact dimen­sions, RadiPac fans are also ideal for retrofit projects, enabling effi­cient upgrades of existing air handling units.