The cooling fan is an important part of keeping electronic devices or electrical equipmentrunning well. It can last for several years, but there are some factors that can affect its life expectancy. In this article, we'll look at the key factors that can impact a cooling fan's lifespan. And also learn how to keep it running optimally.
What Is The Cooling Fan Life Expectancy?
Cooling fans play an important role in the overall cooling process of almost all electronic products. The life expectancy of a cooling fan can vary depending on the make and model of the fan, as well as the environment. In general, a dual ball bearing cooling fan should workfor at least 50,000 hourswith regular use. However, if the fan is used in a dusty or dirty environment, its life expectancy may be shorter.
How To Choose a Cooling Fan?
The cooling fan is the most widely used means of cooling. It is widely used in computers, data centers, electronic devices. But also seen in household appliances, communication equipment, and other application scenarios.
The cooling fan is mainly composed of a stator and rotor. They directly take away heat through rotation. The stator mainly includes a control circuit, bearing, and coil. The rotor is mainly composed of the fan blade, magnet, and shaft. They are also affecting a fan's lifespan.
Heat dissipation is playing important role in normal equipment application. When selecting the heat dissipation fan, mind the appropriate fan type, and performance. Colling fans' service life is also an important consideration in the selection.
Factors Affecting Cooling Fan Lifespan
To meet the user's needs,firstly we should buy a cooling fan with long service life. The long service life of fans has multiple advantages:
1. increasethe working hours,
2. Reducethefans replacement frequency,
3. and reduce users' maintenance costs.
How do we evaluate fan life? The service life of the cooling fan is related to 3 factors:
1. The bearings used. The bearing is one of the most important factors in determining fan life. The type of bearing and its condition will determine how long the fan lasts.
2. The operating ambient temperature of the cooling fan. With a cooling environment, we will expect longer cooling fans' lifespan.
3. And the balance of the fan blades. It determines the amount of noise generated by the fan. The noise produced by a fan is important to consider when choosing a replacement. Fans that use more blades will be more effective in cooling the room. But it will create more noise than fans with fewer blades.
Key Factor 1: Cooling Fans' Bearing
The cooling fan bearing is an important part of the radiator.
The common types of bearingswith long service life are:
·sleevebearings,
·and ball bearings.
And other types include:
·fluid dynamic bearings,
·nano-ceramic bearings,
·magnetic bearings,
·pneumatic spherical bearings, etc.
We've run tests for the bearing and service life of cooling fans. They usually show a positive proportional relationship.
The inner layer of the fan using a sleevebearing contains greasefor sliding friction. However, after the greaseis consumed, the speed usually slows down significantly. It is due to the increase of friction, accompanied by noise. And the heat dissipation effect is significantly reduced. Therefore, the service life of this heat dissipation fan is usually short.
The cooling fan with a built-in ball bearing has one or two ball bearings in the inner layer. It belongs to rolling friction, with many features:
·a small friction coefficient,
·high speed,
·good heat dissipation effect,
·low loss,
·and long service life.
With the running in of the ball and bearing, the large noise during initial use will be gradually reduced. And it shows excellent heat dissipation performance. At present, this technology is mature. It's featured with good noise control and heat dissipation efficiency. It has always occupied the absolute advantage of the radiator market.
In terms of long service life:
·Double ball bearings are relatively high-end bearings. Thus it is with long service life. It is usually 50,000-100,000 h.
·The service life of sleeve-bearing is about 30,000h.
·The service life of the hydraulicbearing is about 40,000h.
Recommended by LinkedIn
Key Factors 2: Cooling Fans' External Environment
The service life of the fan is given by the cooling fan manufacturer. It is generally under normal temperatures. But in actual use, the cooling fan is often faced with different situations. Such as high temperature, low temperature, dust interference, and other conditions. And the service life of the cooling fan is naturally reduced. Therefore, the external environment very significant impact on the service life.
The poor service environment may greatly reduce the effect of the fan. And it reduces the service life. The fan speed will be faster with the increase of the working pressure of the cooling fan. So the bearing wear will be faster. And the heating of the stator winding coil and electronic components will increase. Thus their service life will be relatively shortened.
Secondly, the ambient temperature will also affect the service life of the fan. The higher the ambient temperature is, the shorter the service life will be. The air temperature has a great impact on the oil-bearing cooling fan. Because high temperature usually accelerates the volatilization and use of oil.
The higher the ambient temperature, the easier the cooling fan is to lose its service life. We should avoid the cooling fan operating in a high-temperature environment. It will accelerate the evaporation of the lubricating fluid in the oil-bearing. It will make the equipment swell and conflict, and increase the coil resistance. It will speed up the aging speed of electronic components. And it'll also shorten the service life of the cooling fan.
Dust will also affect the performance of the fan and then affect the service life. Dust will cause bearing wear and reduce its service life. The dust in the service environment has many bad effects:
1. It will change the mass distribution of the fan blade.
2. It increases the unstable resistance,
3. It affects the heat dissipation efficiency.
4. It makes the heat transfer between the heat sink and the air difficult,
5. It produces electrostatic discharge,
6. and it damages the components and equipment.
The service frequency affects the service life of the fan. Because the service life range is basically fixed. The service time and service days show a positive proportional relationship. The longer you use it every day, the shorter the number of days you can use it.
Key Factors 3 Cooling Fans' Blade Balance
Ideally, the pressure is generated by the bearing when the rotor rotates. But in reality, centrifugal force is usually generated due to uneven mass distribution. The unbalanced centrifugal force is caused by the machining or bearing's quality error. The centrifugal inertia force cannot offset each other, which will produce deviation. When the deviation is large, it will produce an imbalance.
Rotor mechanics geometry
Rotor imbalance will usually cause vibration, and noise, accelerating bearing wear. It is to shorten the service life of the machine, and even cause accidents in the process of use. Therefore, we work hard on the motor rotor, machine tool spindle, and other rotating parts. They need to be balanced to make the rotor run in a stable state as far as possible. Therefore, solving the problem of rotor imbalance is important. It is an effective method to reduce equipment vibration and equipment failure.
In another word, the balancing machine can effectively measure the rotor's unbalance.
How Long Do Cooling Fans Last?
Cooling fans are a staple in any home, office, or industrial setting. Cooling fans are a necessary evil in the summertime. They help to circulate air and keep us cool, but how long do they actually last? And when should you replace them? Here's what you need to know.
Most cooling fans will last for around three to five years. However, this can vary depending on the quality of the fan, how often it's used, and the environment it's in. If you have a fan that's been running constantly, it may not last as long as one that's only used occasionally.
Fans that are exposed to moisture or extreme heat may also have a shorter life span. So if you live in a hot climate or your fan is in a humid area, it may not last as long as someone who lives in a cooler climate. Or they have their fan in an air-conditioned room.
Conclusion: Cooling Fan Life Expectancy
In conclusion, it is evident that the life expectancy of a cooling fan greatly depends on its usage. If it is used frequently, then it is likely to have a shorter lifespan. However, if it is only used occasionally, then it is likely to last longer. Fans used in commercial or industrial settings generally have a shorter lifespan. It has the longest service life in residential settings. Finally, it is important to keep in mind that the life expectancy of a fan can be extended by taking proper care of it.
Shenzhen Minxin Industry Co., Ltd specializes in manufacturing AC, EC and DC cooling fans. Our team of professional experts comes with years of experience in cooling fan manufacturing and engineering, which enable us to provide solutions for various applications.
Our fans and blowers have been used a lot as alternatives to models from EBM Papst, Nidec, Delta, Sunon or Sanyo Denki brands, they are widely used by customers in North America and Europe, we are confident that we can help with your projects.
Your benefits from working with us:
1. Similar specifications as famous brand but much lower in price
2.Samples available within 6 workdays
3. Flexible in customization
4.Short production time as fast as 15 workdays
5.Strict quality control, compliant with international standards, free from quality issues
6. If any defective found within our one year warranty, we will send replacement right away
7. Life time technical support
We provide a bundle of solutions for your applications, contact us if you need fast supply of cost-competitive cooling fans.
Mob/Whatsapp: +86 173 3601 9710
Email:sales@coolingfans.net
Website: www.coolingfans.net
Cited from our website: https://coolingfans.net/cooling-fan-life-expectancy-key-factors/
