Direct Drive Fan Vs Belt Driven Fans

In addition belt driven fans are less efficient than a direct driven fan of equivalent size due to transmission losses.

Direct drive fan vs belt driven fans.

You have a fan a motor and maybe a coupling. When compared to belt drive fans which require belts sheaves and bushings direct drive is just plain simpler and maintenance folks tend to lean toward direct drive for daily maintenance. There is no defined limit on motor horsepower for direct drive fans which allow a wide range of flexibility for application requirements. This is because of the fact that the amount of friction is greatly reduced in case of this fan when the fan is operating.

Where on a belt drive fan the fan motor shaft has a pulley connected by a belt to a second pulley. Direct drive fans with relubricable motor bearings must be lubricated as per the fan manufacturer s recommendations in terms of grease type and frequency. There s also no belt residue and these fans cost less to maintain generally speaking because belts don t wear down and break. Belt drive fans have the two motor bearings similar to direct drive fans plus the two shaft bearings.

As energy costs increase it has become desirable to transition to a more efficient means of driving fan systems. Because of the fewer parts involved they can often be more compact in design. More often than not the maintenance cost of this kind of fan is also comparatively lower. Direct drive fans configure the overall fan and motor assembly in a narrower more straight line footprint than belt drive fans which tend to have shorter and wider footprints.

Direct driven fans mount the motor to the fan shaft in order to directly transmit energy. Unlike the belt driven fans in case of a direct drive fan there is lesser energy loss. Unlike belt driven fans there s less energy loss because there s a reduced amount of friction as the fan operates. Direct drive fans require fewer parts and thus usually less maintenance.

Direct drive fans have no power transmission loss since the propeller is directly connected to the motor shaft. However a belt drive fan has power transmission loss due to the friction between the belt and sheaves and due to the drive shaft bearings.