216,000 m3/h HVLS Ceiling Fan for Industrial Spaces Case Study

What the industrial buyer needed

A customer needed an HVLS ceiling fan for a large industrial space, moving 216,000 cubic meters an hour. The brief named our LW-ECCF-4.5. Furthermore, it asked for drawings of a variant with galvanized metal parts.

Asking for a specific finish tells you two things. Firstly, the customer had reached procurement or final integration. Secondly, the building is a hard one. A warehouse, a plant or a farm shed, where the air is not kind to steel.

Otherwise the technical constraints were straightforward.

• A 4.5-meter blade diameter, since the floor area is wide.
• No more than 40 dB(A), so people can work under it in comfort.
• 220V single phase, as already installed.
• Galvanized metal parts, since rust is the enemy here.

The real job of an HVLS ceiling fan is destratification. In a tall building, warm air gathers at roof level where it heats nobody. Pushing it back down therefore cuts heating demand a lot. Consequently ASHRAE 90.1 treats this as an efficiency measure, not a comfort extra.

Inside the HVLS ceiling fan

Here the project went to a technical project manager. Their job was to confirm the spec and then produce drawings for the galvanized finish.

The motor, and why there is no drive cabinet

At the center sits a 0.75 kW permanent magnet synchronous motor. An AC induction motor was never really in the running.

The reason is what this duty demands. Namely high torque at very low speed. An induction motor reaching that needs a separate drive, which is bulky, costly and one more thing to mount. By contrast, the PMSM and its matched controller, part of our SmartEC platform, give precise speed control up to 120 RPM with nothing extra on the wall.

Why only five blades

Five blades looks sparse next to a household ceiling fan. For this duty, though, it is correct.

Moving huge volumes of air slowly rewards a few long blades with a good aerofoil. Adding blades raises drag, and they start to interfere with each other. Consequently efficiency drops and noise climbs. Five is where the balance sits at 4.5 meters.

Materials and finish

Meanwhile the blades are 6063-T5 aviation-grade aluminum, picked for its strength-to-weight ratio and its natural rust resistance. On a 4.5-meter blade, weight is not a detail. Rather, it is what the whole mounting has to carry.

For the durability requirement we went past a plain galvanized finish. Every non-blade metal part is galvanized first, and afterwards painted. That second layer guards against knocks and weather alike. In short, the dual coating is our standard wherever kit goes into hard industrial use.

Technical Specifications

The power row is the one people misread. An HVLS ceiling fan using 650W to move 216,000 m3/h draws roughly what a hairdryer does on its low setting.

Technical Documentation

Here the following documents were approved and delivered to the customer, providing all necessary data for final procurement and installation planning.

LW-ECCF-4.5-02 Technical Datasheet (PDF)

Download the full technical specification and drawing for the LW-ECCF-4.5 industrial ceiling fan, essential for installation planning and system integration.

The LW-ECCF-4.5 general arrangement drawing and specification table, confirming key dimensions and performance data for system integrators and facility managers.

Why the order came here

In the end, four things made this straightforward.

• A drawing back immediately. The customer wanted documentation for a standard variant, not a development project. Our team processed, approved and issued it at once, rather than routing a simple finish change into a 90-day NPI cycle.
• Motor and controller from one source. An HVLS ceiling fan only meets its airflow and noise targets when motor and controller match properly. Since we build our own EC motors, that matching happens in house rather than across two suppliers.
• Premium performance without premium pricing. Air movement and efficiency sit alongside the leading European HVLS makers, yet the price point is materially lower. Across a large rollout that changes the total cost of ownership considerably.
• Built for the building it goes into. Galvanized and painted metalwork, together with 6063-T5 aluminum blades, keeps an HVLS ceiling fan working in a dusty, humid shed for years rather than seasons.

Browse our HVLS and ceiling fan range, or the industrial fan section for floor-standing options. Destratification guidance appears in the ASHRAE Applications handbook.

Questions before specifying one

What is the lead time on 20 fans?

A mid-volume order of 20 HVLS ceiling fans takes 25 to 35 days from order confirmation to ex-works shipment. Our Ningbo facility is set up for make-to-order work at this scale, and a frame agreement with a forecast shortens it further.

Can it be integrated with a BMS?

Yes. The controller running the PMSM is part of our SmartEC platform. Moreover it supports RS485 Modbus as well as analogue 0-10V inputs. That covers centralised speed control, scheduling and status monitoring on nearly any BMS.

What certifications does it hold?

Everything is built in our ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 certified facility. In addition, the LW-ECCF series carries CE marking verified by TUV for the European Union. For North America, project-specific UL 507 certification is available through our local compliance partners.

How much heating energy does destratification actually save?

It depends on ceiling height and on insulation, so treat any single percentage with suspicion. The mechanism is simple enough. Every degree of difference between roof and floor is heat you paid for and nobody felt. Consequently taller buildings gain most.