Mechanical Fan

Overview

A mechanical fan drives air mechanically through a vessel's ventilation ducting, supplementing or replacing the passive airflow a cowl vent alone provides, necessary wherever a space's heat load, fume level or occupancy calls for a controlled, continuous exchange of air. Engine room fans in particular are sized against combustion air demand as well as cooling, since the space has to supply enough air for the engines to run properly and not only enough to keep it comfortable for crew. In spaces where flammable vapour can accumulate, the fan and its motor are specified to an explosion-protected rating, since an ordinary motor's own sparking is exactly the ignition source that ventilation is meant to prevent.