Turbulence Case Study of a Fan
In-site balancing requests for fans are common, but initial vibration analysis can reveal the true cause of high vibration, such as turbulence from a stuck IGV, rather than unbalance.
f I had a dollar for every time my client asked us for in-site balancing job for a fan without knowing if it REALLY had an unbalance issue, I'd be rich!.
Unbalance is one of the most common high vibration problems in fan application but it is not always the case.
This is a prime example of one of many in-site balancing requests but the initial vibration analysis tells different story, we are seeing here a 10X (fan's impeller frequency) as dominant in the spectrum surrounded by an elevated high noise.
We were immediately able to confirm that there was a Turbulence issue NOT unbalance, we advised the customer to check the IGV - Inlet Guide Vanes and in return the customer confirmed that the IGV is not responding according to the operation and found partially opened and stuck which prevents the fan to run as per to the designed air inlet which eventually causing turbulence.
The Moral of The Story:
It's so important to diagnose the problem accurately before jumping to solutions. proper troubleshooting can save time and resources!
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