Stainless Steel Industrial Process Fans: Benefits And Applications

By Author: Neel Rao
Total Articles: 103
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Stainless steel fans are extensively used in various industries, particularly in environments that are corrosive. Stainless steel which is an alloy of steel that also includes iron, chromium and nickel makes it a robust metal. Other elements like sulfur, titanium, molybdenum, copper and niobium are used in varying proportions in the manufacturing of special types of stainless steel. These specialty stainless steel alloys are used in the manufacture of stainless steel industrial process fans which are built for specific purposes.

In the dairy and food industry, stainless steel has certain limitations. The fans remain susceptible to the attack by malic and lactic acids at high temperatures. However, if the fabrication is done carefully and the operational conditions are optimized, stainless steel fans can be used for industrial purposes.

Considerations for Fans Used in Dairy and Food Processing Industries
The industrial fans used in food and dairy processing industries are developed adhering to the established hygienic design guidelines. These fans have an important role to play in keeping the equipment free ...
... from bacteria and other contaminants. Special focus is laid on the following aspects:

• Welding process
• Construction materials (segregation of MS & SS tools)
• Sealing and cleaning capabilities
• Coating procedures and final finish

Why Is Stainless Steel Used In Food And Dairy Processing Industry?
Stainless steel comes with some of the most essential features, required to make food equipment. Particularly, it is used in equipment that comes in direct contact with food. Here are some of the reasons for using stainless steel for this purpose:

• Easy to fabricate
• Resistant to corrosion
• Durable
• Cleaning is easy
• Resistant to heat
• Colour and flavour protection
Here are some of the aspects to be considered, while developing stainless steel fans for food and dairy processing industries:

Hygienic Design
Food manufacturing firms are concerned with the hygiene, as contaminants in the equipment can go into the final products. Beyond the industry’s aesthetics, it is important to focus on the safety of people consuming these foods. Therefore, the fans need to be designed, keeping the required levels of hygiene in mind. With an appropriate fan for dairy and food processing, the harmful materials can be effectively removed. Therefore, most of the food processing firms use stainless steel fans. In some of these fans, the parts streaming the air are stainless, while in others, the entire fan is made from stainless steel. This includes the safety guards and motors as well.

Flawless Surface
In order to obtain a flawless surface in stainless steel fans, focus has to be laid on the welding process. When the welding is continuous and smooth, the surface does not have any crevice. This eliminates the chances of bacteria growing on these surfaces. In order to enhance the quality of welding, the components of fan airstream are often welded with tungsten gas. Besides, the final coatings and finishing (pickling) are important. The options may vary according to the nature of applications of the fans.

These may include:

• Epoxy finish for components that are made from non-stainless steel
• Removing weld-discolouration through glass bead blasting or chemical treatment
• Complex polishing of the stainless-steel materials and welds

It is important to ensure that the fans used in dairy processing and food industry remain clean and sanitized. The design of the fan should be such, that they can be cleaned easily during the use. The cleaning fluids can therefore, be removed easily. CIP (clean-in-place) nozzles are used for this purpose. Besides, focus has to be laid on the gaskets and fan seals. For food-grade sealing, industrial process fans must use stainless steel housing gaskets and Teflon shaft seals. These are some of major things that need to be taken care of while manufacturing stainless industrial steel fans. Then such stainless steel industrial process fans will become suitable for food and diary processing industry.

Reitz India Industrial Centrifugal fans are custom designed to serve the needs of various processes in industries like cement, iron & steel, power plants, fertilizers/ chemicals and more. As a top quality ID Fan manufacturers , Reitz India has set a benchmark in delivering superior fans with high quality features and better industrial standards.