Direct Drive Fan Vs Belt Driven Fans

Direct drive fans with relubricable motor bearings must be lubricated as per the fan manufacturer s recommendations in terms of grease type and frequency.

Direct drive fan vs belt driven fans.

Direct drive advantages direct drive fans are typically lower maintenance since there are no bearings belts or sheaves to maintain. Direct drive fans have no power transmission loss since the propeller is directly connected to the motor shaft. 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.

Direct drive fans require fewer parts and thus usually less maintenance. 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. This is because of the fact that the amount of friction is greatly reduced in case of this fan when the fan is operating. Unlike the belt driven fans in case of a direct drive fan there is lesser energy loss.

There s also no belt residue and these fans cost less to maintain generally speaking because belts don t wear down and break. More often than not the maintenance cost of this kind of fan is also comparatively lower. You have a fan a motor and maybe a coupling. Belt drive fans have the two motor bearings similar to direct drive fans plus the two shaft bearings.

Unlike belt driven fans there s less energy loss because there s a reduced amount of friction as the fan operates. In addition belt driven fans are less efficient than a direct driven fan of equivalent size due to transmission losses. 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. Where on a belt drive fan the fan motor shaft has a pulley connected by a belt to a second pulley.

There is no defined limit on motor horsepower for direct drive fans which allow a wide range of flexibility for application requirements. Greater efficiency is the biggest pro of direct drive fan configurations.