Daily Broadcaster

Shenzhen, Guangdong, China – October 22, 2026

1, Let’s understand two key concepts: air volume and static pressure.

Many people when choosing a Fan only focus on CFM (air volume). In fact, for industrial equipment:

Static pressure is often more important than air volume.

1）Airflow

It refers to the volume of air passing through the fan within a unit of time.Common units include: CFM (cubic feet per minute) and m³/h (cubic meters per hour).The greater the airflow, the stronger the fan’s ability to convey air, which can be compared to the “transport capacity” of a logistics system.

2）Static Pressure

It represents the fan’s ability to overcome system resistance (e.g., filters, heat sinks, ducts).Common units include: Pa (pascal) and mmH₂O (millimeters of water column).This parameter can be analogized to a vehicle’s “climbing capacity” — reflecting its capability to maintain airflow under resistance.

For example:

Fan A (200 CFM, 50 Pa) has a stronger air sensation in an open environment;

Fan B (120 CFM, 500 Pa) has a higher static pressure and can penetrate more resistance in enclosed and complex air ducts such as communication cabinets, photovoltaic inverters, energy storage systems, and servers, resulting in better heat dissipation performance.

2. Reasons for the Large Airflow of Axial Fans

The airflow of axial fans enters and exits along the axis of the motor, with the direction of the air intake and the air outlet being the same. The blades rotate at high speed, directly pushing the air to flow axially. Hence, it is called “axial fan”. This structure has a short path and low resistance, and can output a larger airflow under the same power.

The greatest advantage of axial flow fans: large air volume

Due to the shortest air flow path and no loss in direction change, they have high energy utilization efficiency; under the same size, they usually have the largest air volume.

Why is the static pressure low?

Because the impeller structure is similar to a propeller, mainly promoting the axial flow of air rather than compressing the air; therefore, when encountering system resistance, the air volume significantly decreases.

Applicable scenarios:

• Communication power supply
• UPS
• Industrial control cabinet
• Photovoltaic inverter
• Charging station
• Server chassis
• Open cooling system

3. Reasons for Higher Static Pressure of Centrifugal Fans

The airflow of centrifugal fans is radially directed: Air is drawn in from the center, accelerated by the impeller, and then expelled towards the periphery from the side. This process results in a significant conversion of kinetic pressure to static pressure, hence the higher static pressure.

Working process:

Air is drawn in from the center of the impeller, accelerated by the high-speed rotating impeller, and then flung towards the periphery under the action of centrifugal force; the volute collects and guides the airflow, achieving acceleration, compression and flow direction control, and finally outputs a high static pressure airflow.

The air undergoes acceleration, compression and flow constraints within the chamber, thereby generating higher static pressure.

Characteristics of centrifugal fans

• Higher static pressure than axial fans—up to 10× for same-size units
• Better suited for complex ducts: HEPA filters, heat sinks, air guide covers, and long-distance ducts
• Widely used in medical devices, air purifiers, outdoor digital signage, energy storage systems, laser equipment, and telecom cabinets

4. How to choose between the two types of fans?

The following table is the easiest to understand.

5. Common Misconceptions of Engineers

Project failures often occur due to the neglect of static pressure rather than insufficient air volume.

For example: A certain equipment requires a 100 CFM air volume. The engineer selects a centrifugal fan with a nominal air volume of 120 CFM – theoretically it meets the standard, but due to the high resistance of the heat sink, the actual air volume is only 30 CFM, resulting in excessive temperature rise; if a fan with a nominal air volume of 80 CFM is used instead, although the air volume value is lower, due to higher static pressure, the actual air volume passing through the heat sink is actually larger.

6. Conclusion

Axial fans, centrifugal fans and blowers fan do not have a distinction of being advanced or not. The core difference lies in the emphasis on performance:

• Axial fans: High air volume, low static pressure → Suitable for cooling in open spaces;
• Centrifugal fans: Medium to high air volume, high static pressure → More suitable for equipment with filters, heat sinks, and air deflectors that have moderate resistance;
• Blowers: High static pressure, precise air distribution → Specifically used for high resistance ducts, local pressurization, and precise air flow control scenarios.

The key to an excellent cooling design is not to choose the fan with the largest air volume, but to match the system impedance curve. Therefore, in the industrial fields such as communication equipment, energy storage systems, photovoltaic inverters, charging piles, and medical equipment, a three-dimensional assessment model of “air volume + static pressure + system impedance” has been widely adopted instead of relying solely on the comparison of air volume parameters.

About Us

Shenzhen Fuqingda Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. was established in 2006 in Shenzhen, China. It is an enterprise that integrates product design, research and development, production, and sales.

Media Contact
Company Name: Shenzhen Fuqingda Electronic Technology Co., Ltd.
Contact Person: Media Relations
Email: Send Email
Country: China
Website: https://www.fqdfan.com/