# US 11,994,145 B2 · Fan for air handling unit (AHU) assembled from several parts with radial and axial retainers > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,994,145 B2 - Document ID: US11994145B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/636,795 - Filed: 2020-08-20 - Published: 2022-09-15 - Granted: 2024-05-28 - Earliest claimed: 2019-08-20 - Assignees: Swegon Operations AB - Applicants: Swegon Operations AB - Inventors: Martin Ottersten - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11994145B2 ## CPC - F04D 29/282: {the leading edge of each vane being substantially parallel to the rotation axis} - F04D 25/08: the working fluid being air, e.g. for ventilation - F04D 29/023: {especially adapted for elastic fluid pumps} - F04D 29/2222: {Construction and assembly (F04D29/2211 takes precedence)} - F04D 29/30: Vanes - F24F 12/001: {with heat-exchange between supplied and exhausted air} - F05D 2230/23: by permanently joining parts together - F05D 2230/232: by welding - F05D 2230/51: in a modular way, e.g. using several identical or complementary parts or features - F05D 2260/36: by a form fit connection, e.g. by interlocking - F05D 2300/43: Synthetic polymers, e.g. plastics; Rubber - F24F 1/0022: Centrifugal or radial fans - Y02B 30/56: Heat recovery units - F04D: NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS (engine fuel-injection pumps F02M; ion pumps H01J41/12; electrodynamic pumps H02K44/02) - F24F: AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING (removing dirt or fumes from areas where they are produced B08B15/00; vertical ducts for carrying away waste gases from buildings E04F17/02; tops for chimneys or ventilating shafts, terminals for flues F23L17/02) - F05D: INDEXING SCHEME FOR ASPECTS RELATING TO NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, GAS-TURBINES OR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS - Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS ## Abstract Disclosed is an Air Handling Unit, AHU, including a fan inducing a flow in an air ventilation ducting system. The fan includes a front disc, a back plate and fan blades manufactured as separate units. The fan provides a radial or mixed flow. The fan blades have an upper edge including upper attachment protrusions attached to the front disc and a lower edge including lower attachment protrusions attached to the back plate. The fan blade includes at least two upper and lower attachment protrusions protruding through the front disc and back plate indentations, respectively, forming axial retainers. An axial locker on the protruding portion provides a retaining axial force between the front disc and the back plate. The fan further includes another other upper and lower attachment protrusion cooperating with front disc and back plate indentations, respectively, forming radial retainers preventing the blades from dislocating in the radial direction. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An Air Handling Unit, AHU, having an extract air channel comprising: at least one extract air inlet for guiding extract air from a building to the outside through at least one extract air outlet and/or a supply air channel comprising at least one supply air inlet for guiding supply air from the outdoor into a building through at least one supply air outlet adapted to be connected to an air ventilation ducting system, said AHU further comprising at least one fan in order to induce a flow in the air ventilation ducting system when connected, said fan being assembled from a front disc, a back plate and a plurality of fan blades being manufactured as separate units, said front disc having a hole where through air enters and said fan blades being arranged to provide a radial flow in a radial direction of the fan or mixed flow from the fan, said fan blades having a leading edge arranged closer to the center axis of the fan than a trailing edge arranged further away from the center axis, said fan blades further having an upper edge comprising a multitude of upper attachment protrusions designed to fit into corresponding front disc indentations in the front disc and a lower edge comprising a multitude of lower attachment protrusions designed to fit into corresponding back plate indentations in the back plate, said fan blade further having a blade body with a first side and a second side, said fan blade comprising at least two upper attachment protrusions and at least two lower attachment protrusions designed to protrude through the corresponding front disc indentations and the corresponding back plate indentations respectively so as to form at least two front disc axial retainers and at least two back plate axial retainers, each of said two upper attachment protrusions and at least two lower attachment protrusions being provided with an axial locker on the distal end of the upper and lower attachment protrusions respectively protruding through the corresponding front disc indentations and back plate indentations respectively in order to provide a retaining force between the front disc and the back plate while at least one other upper attachment protrusion and one other lower attachment protrusion are designed to cooperate with front disc indentations and back plate indentations respectively so as to form at least one front disc radial retainer and at least one back plate radial retainer, wherein said at least two front disc axial retainers and said at least two back plate axial retainers provide retaining forces only in an axial direction retaining the back plate and the front disc at a constant distance from each other in the axial direction, and wherein said at least one front disc radial retainer and said at least one back plate radial retainer provide retaining forces only in the radial direction maintaining said fan blade at the same distance and position relative the center axis of the fan. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The Air Handling Unit, AHU according to claim 1, wherein said AHU being connected to an Electronic Control Unit, ECU, for control of the speed of the fan in dependence of one or several conditions sensed by at least one sensor, said ECU being programmed to allow the AHU to have a speed of the trailing edge of a fan blade to be at least 30 m/s. ### Claim 3 A fan for an Air Handling Unit, AHU, said fan having a front disc, a back plate and a plurality of fan blades located between the front disc and the back plate, and said fan being assembled from the front disc, the back plate and the plurality of fan blades being manufactured as separate units, said front disc having a hole where through air enters and said fan blades being arranged to provide a radial flow in a radial direction of the fan or mixed flow from the fan, said fan blades having a leading edge arranged closer to the center axis of the fan than a trailing edge, said fan blades further having an upper edge comprising a multitude of upper attachment protrusions designed to fit into corresponding front disc indentations in the front disc and a lower edge comprising a multitude of lower attachment protrusions designed to fit into corresponding back plate indentations in the back plate, said fan blade having a blade body with a first side and a second side, wherein, at least one fan blade comprises at least two upper attachment protrusions and at least two lower attachment protrusions designed to protrude through the corresponding front disc indentations and the corresponding back plate indentations respectively so as to form at least two front disc axial retainers and at least two back plate axial retainers respectively, each of said two upper attachment protrusions and at least two lower attachment protrusions being provided with an axial locker on the distal end of the upper and lower attachment protrusions protruding through the front disc indentations and the corresponding back plate indentations respectively in order to provide a retaining force between the front disc and the back plate while at least one other upper attachment protrusion and one other lower attachment protrusion are designed to cooperate with a front disc indentation and back plate indentations respectively so as to form at least one front disc radial retainer and at least one back plate radial retainer functioning in order to provide retaining forces in the radial direction, said at least two front disc axial retainers and said at least two back plate axial retainers provide retaining forces only in an axial direction retaining the back plate and the front disc at a constant distance from each other in the axial direction, and said at least one front disc radial retainer and said at least one back plate radial retainer provide retaining forces only in the radial direction maintaining said fan blade at the same distance and position relative the center axis of the fan. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The fan according to claim 3, wherein at least one of said axial lockers is a locker ring fitted onto the distal end of the attachment protrusion to abut against the surface of the front disc or back plate surrounding the corresponding front disc indentations or back plate indentations. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The fan according to claim 4, wherein said locker ring is made of metal. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The fan according to claim 3, wherein said at least one upper attachment protrusion and/or at least one lower attachment protrusion designed to protrude through the corresponding front disc indentations and back plate indentations, respectively forming said axial retainers is designed such that the area of the indentation is larger than the cross sectional area of the portion of the corresponding attachment protrusion located in the indentation such that there is gap between the inner circumference of the indentation and the corresponding protrusion. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The fan according to claim 6, wherein said gap is extending all around the inner circumference of the indentation. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The fan according to claim 6, wherein said gap is extending along a portion of the inner circumference of the indentation being the subject of radial forces from the attachment protrusion when the fan wheel is rotating when the attachment protrusion is in contact with the inner circumference of the indentation while the attachment protrusion is allowed to be in contact with the inner circumference of the indentation along portions which are subjected to no or low forces from the attachment protrusion when the fan is rotating. ### Claim 9 (depends on 3) The fan according to claim 3, wherein the shape and size of said at least one other upper attachment protrusion and/or one other lower attachment protrusion designed to cooperate with a corresponding front disc indentation and back plate indentation respectively so as to form at least one radial retainer are designed such that the cross sectional area of the portion of the corresponding attachment protrusion located in the indentation makes a close fit all along the inner circumference of the corresponding front disc indentations and/or back plate indentation. ### Claim 10 (depends on 3) The fan according to claim 3, wherein the said at least one other upper attachment protrusion and/or one other lower attachment protrusion designed to cooperate with a corresponding front disc indentations and back plate indentation respectively so as to form at least one radial retainer are designed such that the portion of the corresponding attachment protrusion located in the indentation makes contact with the inner circumference of the corresponding front disc indentations and/or back plate indentation along a portion or portions of the inner circumference which is subjected to strong forces from the rotational movement of the fan from a protrusion in contact with said portion while there is a gap along other portion or portions of the inner circumference of the indentation being subjected to no or weak forces from the rotational movement of the fan by a protrusion in contact with the inner circumference of the indentation. ### Claim 11 (depends on 3) The fan according to claim 3, wherein said at least one front disc indentation or said back plate indentation forming part of one of the radial retainers comprises a recess or a groove having a bottom. ### Claim 12 (depends on 3) The fan according to claim 3, wherein there are at least two other upper attachment protrusions provided on the upper edge of the blade and/or two other lower attachment protrusions provided on the lower edge of the blade forming part of two front disc radial retainers or two back plate radial retainers, said at least two protrusions being spaced apart from each other along the longitudinal extension of the upper edge and/or the lower edge. ### Claim 13 (depends on 3) The fan according to claim 3, wherein the counterforce from the radial retainers in the plane perpendicular to the axial direction is at least 2 times higher than for the counterforce in the axial direction and/or the counterforce from the axial retainers counteracting a force separating the front disc and back plate in the axial direction is more than 2 times higher than the counterforce in the plane perpendicular to the axial direction when the fan wheel is operating in the fan wheel's normal mode of operation. ### Claim 14 (depends on 3) The fan according to claim 3, wherein there is at least one other upper attachment protrusion provided on the upper edge of the blade and/or at least one other lower attachment protrusion provided on the lower edge of the blade forming part of a front disc radial retainer or a back plate radial retainer, said at least one protrusion being elongated and having a length being at least two times longer than the at least one protrusion's width. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The fan according to claim 14 wherein the one or several elongated protrusions having their longitudinal extension or extensions in different directions relative the radial direction. ### Claim 16 (depends on 3) The fan according to claim 3, wherein the cross sectional area of the fan blade is enlarged at the fan blade's upper edge forming part of a first interconnecting region and/or at the fan blade's lower edge forming part of a second interconnecting region. ### Claim 17 (depends on 4) The fan according to claim 4, wherein said at least one upper attachment protrusion and/or at least one lower attachment protrusion designed to protrude through the corresponding front disc indentations and back plate indentations, respectively forming said axial retainers is designed such that the area of the indentation is larger than the cross sectional area of the portion of the corresponding attachment protrusion located in the indentation such that there is gap between the inner circumference of the indentation and the corresponding protrusion. ### Claim 18 (depends on 5) The fan according to claim 5, wherein said at least one upper attachment protrusion and/or at least one lower attachment protrusion designed to protrude through the corresponding front disc indentations and back plate indentations, respectively forming said axial retainers is designed such that the area of the indentation is larger than the cross sectional area of the portion of the corresponding attachment protrusion located in the indentation such that there is gap between the inner circumference of the indentation and the corresponding protrusion. ### Claim 19 (depends on 4) The fan according to claim 4, wherein the shape and size of said at least one other upper attachment protrusion and/or one other lower attachment protrusion designed to cooperate with a corresponding front disc indentation and back plate indentation respectively so as to form at least one radial retainer are designed such that the cross sectional area of the portion of the corresponding attachment protrusion located in the indentation makes a close fit all along the inner circumference of the corresponding front disc indentations and/or back plate indentation. ### Claim 20 (depends on 5) The fan according to claim 5, wherein the shape and size of said at least one other upper attachment protrusion and/or one other lower attachment protrusion designed to cooperate with a corresponding front disc indentation and back plate indentation respectively so as to form at least one radial retainer are designed such that the cross sectional area of the portion of the corresponding attachment protrusion located in the indentation makes a close fit all along the inner circumference of the corresponding front disc indentations and/or back plate indentation.