Compact vane-axial fan with modular components

Abstract

A compact vane-axial fan with includes modular components and is associated with improved efficiency and can operate with a variety of differently configured impellers and vanes to allow for customization to a particular application. The fan can include a base set of components, including a fan housing with motor and stator vane. The base set of components can be modularly assembled with an impeller and a vane insert, which is positioned inline between the impeller and the stator. The configuration(s) of the impeller, the vane insert, and/or the stator contribute to a compact design. In addition, configurations of the impeller and the vane insert can be tailored to one another to contribute to improved performance. Furthermore, a variety of different combinations of impellers and vane inserts can be selectively assembled with the base set of components to tailor fan operations for a use case and still achieve high efficiency.

Claimed is: 
     
         1 . A vane-axial fan comprising:
 a housing comprising a radial wall that circumscribes an axis associated with the vane-axial fan;   a stator assembly that is coupled to the housing and that comprises one or more rings;   an impeller positioned interior to the radial wall; and   a vane insert that is removably coupled to the stator assembly and that is positioned interior to the radial wall and between the impeller and the stator assembly.   
     
     
         2 . The vane-axial fan of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the housing further comprises a shoulder that transitions from a first narrower portion to a second wider portion; and   the impeller comprises a shroud aligned with the shoulder and positioned within the second wider portion of the housing.   
     
     
         3 . The vane-axial fan of  claim 2 , wherein the first narrower portion comprises a bell curve expanding away from the housing. 
     
     
         4 . The vane-axial fan of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more rings of the stator taper towards the axis. 
     
     
         5 . The vane-axial fan of  claim 1 , wherein the vane insert comprises vanes comprising a first contour and the impeller comprises blades comprising a second contour, and wherein the first contour comprises a leading edge that corresponds with a trailing edge of the second contour. 
     
     
         6 . The vane-axial fan of  claim 5 , wherein the first contour comprises a convex top face oriented towards the impeller and wherein the second contour comprises a convex bottom face oriented towards the vane insert. 
     
     
         7 . The vane-axial fan of  claim 5 , wherein alignment between the first contour and the second contour offsets a stall factor. 
     
     
         8 . The vane-axial fan of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the impeller comprises a first shroud comprising a first lip that is on a trailing edge of the first shroud;   the vane insert comprises a second shroud comprising a second lip that is on a leading edge of the second shroud; and   the first lip is aligned with the second lip.   
     
     
         9 . The vane-axial fan of  claim 8 , wherein alignment of the first lip and the second lip at least partially reduces bypass. 
     
     
         10 . A system for heating, cooling, and/or venting air, the system comprising:
 a vane-axial fan comprising:
 a housing comprising a radial wall that circumscribes an axis associated with the vane-axial fan; 
 a stator assembly that is coupled to the housing and that comprises one or more rings; 
 an impeller positioned interior to the radial wall; and 
 a vane insert that is removably coupled to the stator assembly and that is positioned interior to the radial wall and between the impeller and the stator assembly. 
   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein:
 the housing further comprises a shoulder that transitions from a first narrower portion to a second wider portion; and   the impeller comprises a shroud aligned with the shoulder and positioned within the second wider portion of the housing.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the first narrower portion comprises a bell curve expanding away from the housing. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the one or more rings of the stator taper towards the axis. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the vane insert comprises vanes comprising a first contour and the impeller comprises blades comprising a second contour, and wherein the first contour comprises a leading edge that corresponds with a trailing edge of the second contour. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the first contour comprises a convex top face oriented towards the impeller, wherein the second contour comprises a convex bottom face oriented towards the vane insert, and wherein alignment between the first contour and the second contour at least partially offsets a stall factor. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 10 , further comprising a second impeller having one or more properties that are different from the impeller, wherein the second impeller is interchangeable in the system with the impeller. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , further comprising a second vane insert having one or more properties that are different from the vane insert, wherein the second vane insert is interchangeable in the system with the vane insert. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein:
 the impeller comprises a first shroud comprising a first lip that is on a trailing edge of the first shroud;   the vane insert comprises a second shroud comprising a second lip that is on a leading edge of the second shroud; and   the first lip is aligned with the second lip, wherein the alignment of the first lip and the second lip at least partially reduces bypass.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein:
 a mounting bracket is attachable to an inner axial flange of the impeller; and   the mounting bracket being attachable to a motor shaft extending through a radial opening of the vane insert.   
     
     
         20 . A method comprising:
 replacing, in association with a vane-axial fan, a first vane insert with a second vane insert, which has one or more different properties than the first vane insert; and   based on replacing the first vane insert with the second vane insert, changing one or more performance characteristics of the vane-axial fan.