CFM, STATIC PRESSURE, AND POWER - ALTITUDE AND TEMPERATURE CORRECTIONS
The information below should be used to assist in application of product when being applied at altitudes at or exceeding 1000 feet above sea level.
The air flow rates listed in the standard blower performance tables are based on standard air at sea level. As the altitude or temperature increases, the density of air decreases. In order to
TABLE 10: ALTITUDE CORRECTION FACTORS
use the indoor blower tables for high altitude applications, certain corrections are necessary.
A centrifugal fan is a "constant volume" device. This means that, if the rpm remains constant, the CFM delivered is the same regardless of the density of the air. However, since the air at high altitude is less dense, less static pressure will be generated and less power will be required than a similar application at sea level. Air density correction factors are shown in Table 10 and Figure 11.
AIR TEMP |
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0 | 1000 | 2000 | 3000 | 4000 | 5000 | 6000 | 7000 | 8000 | 9000 | 10000 | ||
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40 | 1.060 | 1.022 | 0.986 | 0.950 | 0.916 | 0.882 | 0.849 | 0.818 | 0.788 | 0.758 | 0.729 | |
50 | 1.039 | 1.002 | 0.966 | 0.931 | 0.898 | 0.864 | 0.832 | 0.802 | 0.772 | 0.743 | 0.715 | |
60 | 1.019 | 0.982 | 0.948 | 0.913 | 0.880 | 0.848 | 0.816 | 0.787 | 0.757 | 0.729 | 0.701 | |
70 | 1.000 | 0.964 | 0.930 | 0.896 | 0.864 | 0.832 | 0.801 | 0.772 | 0.743 | 0.715 | 0.688 | |
80 | 0.982 | 0.947 | 0.913 | 0.880 | 0.848 | 0.817 | 0.787 | 0.758 | 0.730 | 0.702 | 0.676 | |
90 | 0.964 | 0.929 | 0.897 | 0.864 | 0.833 | 0.802 | 0.772 | 0.744 | 0.716 | 0.689 | 0.663 | |
100 | 0.946 | 0.912 | 0.880 | 0.848 | 0.817 | 0.787 | 0.758 | 0.730 | 0.703 | 0.676 | 0.651 | |
The examples below will assist in determining the airflow performance of the product at altitude.
Example 1: What are the corrected CFM, static pressure, and BHP at an elevation of 5,000 ft. if the blower performance data is 6,000 CFM, 1.5 IWC and 4.0 BHP?
Solution: At an elevation of 5,000 ft the indoor blower will still deliver 6,000 CFM if the rpm is unchanged. However, Table 10 must be used to determine the static pressure and BHP. Since no temperature data is given, we will assume an air temperature of 70°F. Table 10 shows the correction factor to be 0.832.
Corrected static pressure = 1.5 x 0.832 = 1.248 IWC
Corrected BHP = 4.0 x 0.832 = 3.328
Example 2: A system, located at 5,000 feet of elevation, is to deliver 6,000 CFM at a static pressure of 1.5". Use the unit
blower tables to select the blower speed and the BHP requirement.
Solution: As in the example above, no temperature information is given so 70°F is assumed.
The 1.5" static pressure given is at an elevation of 5,000 ft. The first step is to convert this static pressure to equivalent sea level conditions.
Sea level static pressure = 1.5 / .832 = 1.80"
Enter the blower table at 6000 sCFM and static pressure of 1.8". The rpm listed will be the same rpm needed at 5,000 ft.
Suppose that the corresponding BHP listed in the table is 3.2. This value must be corrected for elevation.
BHP at 5,000 ft = 3.2 x .832 = 2.66
24 | Unitary Products Group |
