Design and Characterization of a Bearingless Cross-Flow Fan

This paper presents a high-speed bearingless cross-flow fan particularly suited for applications in chemically demanding environments. In general, bearingless motors convince with a friction-and wear-free operation, unlimited lifetime and a hermetically-sealed encapsulation of the rotor. For the proposed cross-flow fan, a double-sided use of such motors additionally leads to twice the available torque for the blade rotation as well as a highly compact and safe system design. In sophisticated applications (e.g. gas-circulation systems of excimer laser) those arguments are crucial. After a description of the motor topolopy, the novel bearingless cross-flow fan prototype is introduced. To characterize its performance, measurements are performed on a ISO 5801 based test rig.