DA-76-13-1 -- A Guide to the Measurement of Fan System Performance in the Field

Ever since fans have been available for use in our technological society, there has been the need to know their performance characteristics, their limitations, and their capabilities. In order to achieve practical design objectives, large safety factors, born of ignorance, have often been the rule in fan system design and application.

This has led to uneconomical fan installations and operation, with the attendant waste of energy. Laboratory testing of fans and fan related equipment under the rigorous program laid down by the Air Moving and Conditioning Association, has largely overcome the uncertainties of comparing one manufacturer's claims against other more conservative manufacturers. In this way, the AMCA fan test program has indeed benefited both the fan user and the fan manufacturer.

This paper reviews several AMCA Publications that address testing of fans, coming to the conclusion that guidelines rather than codes will better serve the testing procedure, because a test environment is often so far removed from any actual application.