How do I determine air flow in a duct?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on determining air flow in a duct system when an in-line fan is installed. Participants explore methods for calculating air flow rates, considering factors like pressure drop and system curves, within the context of HVAC applications.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Mathematical reasoning
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant describes a scenario with a Ø160mm duct and an in-line fan, expressing uncertainty about how to approach calculating the air flow.
  • Another participant suggests constructing a system curve for the duct at various assumed air flow rates and finding the intersection with the fan output curve as a method to determine air flow.
  • It is noted that as long as air velocity is below about 330 ft/s, air can be treated as an incompressible fluid for pressure drop calculations.
  • A later reply mentions using a spreadsheet to check different air flows quickly until the correct one aligns with the fan curve.
  • One participant provides a link to a resource on ductwork friction loss, questioning the accuracy of the information presented.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants present multiple approaches to calculating air flow, with no clear consensus on a single method or the accuracy of the resources shared. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the best approach to take.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include potential assumptions about pressure drops and the accuracy of the provided resources, which are not fully explored or validated in the discussion.

TSN79
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Picture a Ø160mm duct 10m in length, open at each end. Then I install an in-line fan at one end so that it blows into the duct and just let it run at full power. How can I determine what the air flow will be? I startet thinking about it and was just surprised that I didn't know how to approach it as I'm doing duct sizing and such pretty much every day. The fan has a capacity diagram, and the operating point will be somewhere along the outline close to maximum flow, but where exactly? Do I need to assume some pressure drop in order to get anywhere?
 
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TSN79 said:
Picture a Ø160mm duct 10m in length, open at each end. Then I install an in-line fan at one end so that it blows into the duct and just let it run at full power. How can I determine what the air flow will be? I startet thinking about it and was just surprised that I didn't know how to approach it as I'm doing duct sizing and such pretty much every day. The fan has a capacity diagram, and the operating point will be somewhere along the outline close to maximum flow, but where exactly? Do I need to assume some pressure drop in order to get anywhere?
You have to construct a system curve for your duct for various assumed air flow rates, and then find out where the duct system curve intersects the fan output curve.
As long as the air velocity in the duct is kept below about 330 ft/s, air can be treated as an incompressible fluid for the purposes of making pressure drop calculations.

If you have an HVAC handbook, this should be explained somewhere.

http://nptel.ac.in/courses/112105129/pdf/R&AC Lecture 38.pdf
 
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SteamKing said:
You have to construct a system curve for your duct for various assumed air flow rates, and then find out where the duct system curve intersects the fan output curve.
And if you do this with a spreadsheet, you can check a bunch of different airflows in a short period of time, until you get to the one that falls on the fan curve.
 

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