Low-Noise Fan Inspired by Owl Wings

Innovation: Industry

ZIEHL-ABEGG

2015

Image: Richard Lee / Unsplash / CC BY SA - Creative Commons Attribution + ShareAlike

Move in/Through Gases

Living systems must move through gases (which are less dense than liquids and solids) such as those in the earth’s atmosphere. The greatest challenge of moving in gases is that because the living system is heavier than the gas, it must overcome the force of gravity. Moving efficiently in this light medium presents unique challenges and opportunities for living systems. As a result, they have evolved countless solutions to optimize drag and increase lift so that they can stay aloft and take advantage of variable currents. Additionally, they must overcome gravity when moving from a liquid or solid into the air. The fairyfly, the smallest known insect, is a tiny wasp that must move through the air. To the wasp, air feels like a heavy liquid and to move through it, it uses special feathery oars rather than wings.

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Manage Turbulence

A turbulent force occurs when air or water creates a chaotic or irregular motion. The source can be such things as wind, waves, and eddies caused by obstructions to air or water flow (such as that created by a rock in a stream). Because the force is irregular, it acts in unpredictable ways on multiple parts of a living system at any given time, decreasing the living system’s efficiency. Strategies used to manage turbulence include dampening the amount of turbulence, having flexibility to handle sudden changes, and making quick adjustments. An example is the mucus on aquatic organisms, such as barracuda sharks, that can reduce turbulent friction of seawater by 66%. In doing so, it decreases drag and increases the sharks’ swimming efficiency.

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Brochures

FE2owlet: Nature Meets Technology
649.4 KB PDF

Patents

US20200173284A1
1,020.8 KB PDF

FE2owlet from Ziehl-Abegg is an efficient, low-noise fan that has winglets and serrated edges to reduce noise and save energy.

Benefits

Reduced costs
Reduced energy consumption
Decreased noise
Increased flexibility
Increased efficiency

Applications

HVAC
Refrigeration

UN Sustainable Development Goals Addressed

Goal 11: Sustainable Cities & Communities

The Challenge

Energy generation is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gases, but it’s necessary for many day-to-day operations. Fans are often hidden, but essential, elements of many appliances, and require a large amount of energy to be kept constantly running. Additionally, the noise of fans in many facilities can lead to occupational noise exposure.

Innovation Details

The FE2owlet fan is an improvement on previous models. It features winglets added to the blade tip and serrated trailing edges on the individual fan blades, similar to the design of owl wings. These updates resulted in a more aerodynamic fan that uses less energy and creates less noise.

Biological Model

Owls are able to approach their prey silently at high speed by managing turbulence. Most of the noise that occurs as an object moves through the air originates at the trailing edge, as air flowing above and below the object meet. This can also increase drag. Many owls have a flexible fringe on the trailing edge of their wing feathers which serves to minimize that noise-generating turbulence.