Definitions
Article 2
For the purposes of this Regulation, the following definitions shall apply: (1) ‘fan’ means a rotary-bladed machine that receives energy and utilises it by means of one or more impellers to maintain a continuous flow of air or other gas passing through it and, with a specific ratio lower than 1,1 and an output air velocity lower than 65 m/s, which can be of the following categories: axial, centrifugal, cross-flow, mixed-flow or jet, and made of at least an impeller, a motor and a stator, and includes any other significant elements that are supplied with the fan; (2) ‘significant elements’ means the elements of a fan that contribute to the continuous conversion of electric power into air volume flow rate and pressure, or that influence the efficiency of that conversion, namely: (a) impeller(s), including all rotating elements that have an aerodynamic influence; (b) electric motor; (c) stator; (d) other stationary aerodynamic elements that have an aerodynamic influence, including: (i) inlet cone; (ii) inlet or outlet guide vanes; (iii) diffuser; (e) other stationary elements that have an aerodynamic influence, including: (i) mechanical transmission (aerodynamic influence and influence on efficiency); (ii) electrical transmission (aerodynamic influence and influence on efficiency), such as cable conduits, frequency inverter, variable speed drive, terminal box, AC/DC converter; (iii) structural components that hold the assembly in place and may interfere with the airflow (such as brackets supporting the motor or the bearings); (3) ‘best efficiency point’ (BEP) means the best energy efficiency point for fan operation, as declared by the manufacturer and specified by the fan speed, expressed in revolutions per minute (rpm); (4) ‘impeller’ means the rotating part of the fan that is imparting energy into the gas flow and is also known as the fan wheel; (5) ‘electric motor’ or ‘motor’ means a device that converts electrical input power into mechanical output power in the form of a rotation with a rotational speed and torque that depends on factors including the frequency of the supply voltage and the number of poles of the motor as applicable; (6) ‘inlet cone’, also known as venturi inlet, inlet bell, inlet radius, means a device that steers the air into the impeller and reduces the vena contracta and turbulence that would occur at the entrance of the impeller; (7) ‘inlet guide vanes’ means vanes positioned before the impeller to guide the gas stream towards the impeller and which may or may not be adjustable; (8) ‘outlet guide vanes’ means vanes positioned after the impeller to guide the gas stream from the impeller and which may or may not be adjustable; (9) ‘diffuser’ means a device that influences the fan performance through static recovery; (10) ‘protective guard’ means a grid placed at fan inlet or outlet designed to prevent relatively large foreign bodies or human body elements from reaching the moving parts; (11) ‘stator’ means the stationary part of the fan that interacts with the air stream passing through the impeller and, within the geometrical air-stream envelope between defined fan inlet and outlet sections, includes any element that may increase, and excludes any non-fan element that may decrease, the fan efficiency; (12) ‘drive system’ means electric motor, transmission or direct drive and a variable speed drive if supplied; (13) ‘direct drive’ means a driving arrangement for a fan where the impeller is fixed to the motor shaft, either directly or with a coaxial coupling, and where the impeller speed is identical to the motor’s rotational speed; (14) ‘transmission’ means a driving arrangement for a fan that is not direct drive, including using a belt drive, gearbox or slipping coupling; (15) ‘variable speed drive’ (VSD) means an electronic power converter, integrated or functioning as a separate unit, that continuously adapts the electric power supplied to a single motor, or multiple motors in order to control the motor’s mechanical power output according to the torque-speed characteristic of the load driven by the motor, by adjusting the power supply to a variable frequency and voltage supplied to the motor, including EC (electronically commutated) motors’ internal controllers, excluding variable voltage controllers where only the supply voltage for the motor is varied, including all integrated protection devices and auxiliaries; (16) ‘specific ratio’ means the stagnation pressure measured at the fan outlet divided by the stagnation pressure at the fan inlet at BEP; (17) ‘fan flow angle’ means the angle between incoming and outgoing gas flow direction of the fan impeller, expressed in degrees, as set out in Annex III; (18) ‘axial fan’ means a fan with a fan flow angle < 20°, as set out in point 4 of Annex III; (19) ‘centrifugal fan’ means a fan with a flow angle ≥ 70°, as set out in point 4 of Annex III; (20) ‘mixed flow fan’ means a fan with a flow angle ≥ 20° and < 70°, as set out in point 4 of Annex III; (21) ‘centrifugal blade angle’ means the blade angle β 2 of a centrifugal fan, expressed in degrees, as set out in point 5 of Annex III; (22) ‘forward curved fan’ means a centrifugal fan with a fan blade angle β 2 > 90°, as set out in point 5 of Annex III; (23) ‘backward curved fan’ means a centrifugal fan with a fan blade angle β 2 where 0°< β 2 ≤ 50°, as set out in point 5 of Annex III; (24) ‘backward inclined fan’ means a centrifugal fan with a fan blade angle β 2 where 50° < β 2 ≤ 90°, as set out in point 5 of Annex III; (25) ‘cross-flow fan’ means a fan in which the gas path through the impeller is in a direction essentially at right angles to its axis both entering and leaving the impeller at its periphery; (26) ‘jet fan’ means an axial, centrifugal or radial fan that produces a high velocity jet of air in a space (thrust), unconnected to any ducting, where the jet of air induces movement of the surrounding air, creating an overall air flow through the space, and that is designed for operation with open inlets and outlets rather than operating against pressure, including radial and centrifugal jet fans with an angle entrance of ≤ 90° to the outlet; (27) ‘declared values’ means the values provided by the manufacturer, importer or authorised representative for the stated, calculated or measured technical parameters in accordance with Article 4, for the verification of compliance by the Member State authorities; (28) ‘equivalent model’ means a model that has the same technical characteristics relevant for the technical information to be provided, but which is placed on the market or put into service by the same manufacturer, importer or authorised representative as another model with a different model identifier; (29) ‘model identifier’ means the code, usually alphanumeric, which distinguishes a specific product model from other models with the same trademark or the same manufacturer’s, importer’s or authorised representative’s name; (30) ‘multiple speed motor’ means a motor of which the rotating speed can be varied by energising different motor windings; (31) ‘air-circulating fan’ means a fan that is unconnected to any ducting, without a stator or with a stator that cannot be connected to ducting, used for moving air within a space, such as a room or open-air area. There is no partition between inlet and outlet and the air circulates freely from outlet to inlet, it operates against zero external pressure and is not a jet fan and is not marketed as such. Its measurement arrangement is as per measurement category E. Fans for which performance information at any pressure different than zero Pa is provided on the manufacturer’s website, catalogues, brochures, technical documentation, or other relevant means are not air circulating fans.