Advances in Industrial Fan Technologies

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Management and Engineering, DTG—University of Padova, 36100 Vicenza, Italy
Interests: low-speed fan aerodynamic design and analysis
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Guest Editor
1. Steinbeis-Transfer Center FLOWTRANS, 57250 Netphen, Germany
2. Chair of Applied Fluid Mechanics and Turbomachinery, Universität Siegen, 57068 Siegen, Germany
Interests: aerodynamics and aeroacoustics of isothermal turbomachinery (incompressible gases); industrial fans; wind turbines; turbines for ocean energy harvesting (wave and tidal); dynamic models of systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The design of industrial fans has evolved to meet the ever-increasing demands for higher-efficiency machines, combined with the requirements for lower noise and high availability. Numerical simulation techniques are important parts of the aerodynamic and acoustic design process and are increasingly coupled to optimization methods. In addition, connectivity, internet of things, and digitalization in general open new opportunities for highly efficient, low noise, and safe operation of fans in complex systems.

The aim of this new Special Issue on fans and fan systems is to promote the recent advances in technology and provide insight into the development and operation of industrial fans for a wide range of applications.

The paper submissions for the Special Issue can cover some of the following aspects, but submissions on other related topics are also welcome.

Fan Noise

  • Aerodynamic fan noise-generation mechanisms;
  • Structure-borne noise;
  • Dynamic force transmission;
  • Experimental methods for characterizing noise sources;
  • Noise source localization;
  • Design for low-noise fans;
  • Noise prediction by analytical/numerical models;
  • Optimization of fan installation to reduce noise;
  • Psychoacoustics;
  • Fan integration in HVAC unit.

Fan Aerodynamics

  • Aerodynamic design methods;
  • Practical design examples of new-generation industrial fans;
  • Advancements in traditional testing of fan aerodynamics;
  • Experimental techniques and computational methods for the detailed analysis of fan aerodynamics;
  • Artificial intelligence and aerodynamic performance optimization techniques;
  • Improving fan sizing/selection;
  • Unsteady phenomena and flow non-uniformities in actual fan operation;
  • Effects of flow characteristics and geometrical non-similarities affecting fan scaling law;
  • New design and analysis methods based on artificial intelligence or machine learning.

Fan Application and Systems

  • Compliance with legislation and regulations;
  • Harmonization of fan standards worldwide;
  • Connectivity technologies;
  • Digital services and new business models;
  • Predictive maintenance;
  • Operation and maintenance considerations;
  • Motors and drives;
  • Specialized fans for niche applications;
  • Retrofit and upgrading existing fan installations;
  • Fan system effect;
  • Energy-related topics (e.g., air curtain effectiveness);
  • Case studies (e.g., tunnel ventilation).

"Papers submitted for this Special Issue are also expected to come from the 5th International Conference FAN2025 (https://www.fan2025.org/) that is scheduled to take place in April 2025 in Antibes - Juan-Les-Pins, France."

Dr. Massimo Masi
Prof. Dr. Thomas Carolus
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Turbomachinery, Propulsion and Power is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • industrial fans
  • fan noise
  • aerodynamics
  • optimization

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Editorial

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2 pages, 137 KB  
Editorial
Fans: Noise, Aerodynamics, Applications and Systems—The Best of the International Conference FAN2025
by Thomas Helmut Carolus and Massimo Masi
Int. J. Turbomach. Propuls. Power 2025, 10(3), 30; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijtpp10030030 - 19 Sep 2025
Viewed by 263
Abstract
Industrial fans are indispensable components in modern engineering systems [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Industrial Fan Technologies)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

12 pages, 765 KB  
Article
Optimising Ventilation System Preplanning: Duct Sizing and Fan Layout Using Mixed-Integer Programming
by Julius H. P. Breuer and Peter F. Pelz
Int. J. Turbomach. Propuls. Power 2025, 10(4), 32; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijtpp10040032 - 1 Oct 2025
Viewed by 213
Abstract
Traditionally, duct sizing in ventilation systems is based on balancing pressure losses across all branches, with fan selection performed subsequently. However, this sequential approach is inadequate for systems with distributed fans in the central duct network, where pressure losses can vary significantly. Consequently, [...] Read more.
Traditionally, duct sizing in ventilation systems is based on balancing pressure losses across all branches, with fan selection performed subsequently. However, this sequential approach is inadequate for systems with distributed fans in the central duct network, where pressure losses can vary significantly. Consequently, when designing the system topology, fan placement and duct sizing must be considered together. Recent research has demonstrated that discrete optimisation methods can account for multiple load cases and produce ventilation layouts that are both cost- and energy-efficient. However, existing approaches usually concentrate on component placement and assume that duct sizing has already been finalised. While this is sufficient for later design stages, it is unsuitable for the early stages of planning, when numerous system configurations must be evaluated quickly. In this work, we present a novel methodology that simultaneously optimises duct sizing, fan placement, and volume flow controller configuration to minimise life-cycle costs. To achieve this, we exploit the structure of the problem and formulate a mixed-integer linear program (MILP), which, unlike existing non-linear models, significantly reduces computation time while introducing only minor approximation errors. The resulting model enables fast and robust early-stage planning, providing optimal solutions in a matter of seconds to minutes, as demonstrated by a case study. The methodology is demonstrated on a case study, yielding an optimal configuration with distributed fans in the central fan station and achieving a 5% reduction in life-cycle costs compared to conventional central designs. The MILP formulation achieves these results within seconds, with linearisation errors in electrical power consumption below 1.4%, confirming the approach’s accuracy and suitability for early-stage planning. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Industrial Fan Technologies)
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