Discover How FLEBU Cuts Design Time and Develops New Product Lines

FLEBU International in Norway, one of the leading fan and blower manufacturers in Northern Europe with major subsidiaries in Finland, Sweden and Estonia, has been supplying to a global market since 1955.

Primary market segments include maritime, offshore applications and increasingly demanding industrial and process applications worldwide. Their product line includes all layouts and combinations of centrifugal fans and blowers in a vast variety of materials from Black and Stainless Steel to Duplex and Hastelloy. FLEBU has remained at the forefront of its industry with a consistent dedication to always offering the best technical solution for each project, with the concept of ‘tailor-made’ fans being their guideline. This long-established aspiration has been consistently achieved by working in close cooperation with the customer in all phases of each project, from initial design to final delivery. This strategy has resulted in achieving high success in all processes and activities from design and engineering to manufacturing.

Fig. 1. Single and Dual Stage Combustion Air Fans.

FLEBU has recently incorporated the use of TURBOdesign1 by Advanced Design Technology as a primary design tool to improve and enhance their increasingly growing product range. Historically, FLEBU developed their fan designs with classical fan theories and a multitude of capacity tests which were carried out throughout the prior years of development. Although this approach produced designs with reliable performance and efficiency, it had always remained difficult to radically explore new designs, especially when attempting to integrate the acquired experience of existing fan theory with new younger design engineers to ensure a quick and highly productive turn around. In the past there was always a natural tendency to stick to well-known solutions, but the advent of recent legislative changes to marine cabin noise and emission controls proved an opportunity to further investigate new tools.

Fig. 2. Explosion-Proof Fans.

The decision to incorporate TURBOdesign1 followed an in depth evaluation of all available turbomachinery design software on the market. The choice fell on TURBOdesign1 for multiple reasons; a solid reference portfolio, ease of use and nonetheless very competitive pricing.

The case study explains how they did it and what made them choose TURBOdesign Suite in the first place. It also goes on to discuss the key requirements when designing fans, including reliability and responding to the latest emissions' legislation.