Whether the generator sets blow or suck air

Justin from Wrico recommends that air blows out through the radiator rather than sucking in through the radiator. In my case, that could mean trying to blow air out the side of the bus.

Diesel generator sets need water to cool the engine during operation. There is a large fan in front of the engine to blow air for the radiator of the water tank. If the doors and windows are closed in the engine room, the air cannot form a good circulation, which will affect the heat dissipation.

For example, looking at the front end of the diesel engine, if the fan's air pressure surface (concave arc surface) faces you, it is a blowing type. Otherwise, when the non-pressure air surface (convex arc surface) faces you, it is a suction type.

It is generally better to blow cool air in to an enclosure, room or attic, because then the cool air hits things and cools them. If you just suck hot air out, it doesn't cool the objects inside the enclosure (room, attic) as well. Blowing in would be best, but for electronics, you need a dust filter.

The genset and rad are on the driver's side. If you walk around the bus with the genset running, you can feel the warm air flow standing by the RR duals, but there's no air flow near the LR duals. So the louvered vent is doing what it's supposed to do - blowing the hot air away from the intake area.

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6 FAQs about [Whether the generator sets blow or suck air]

Does a pusher fan suck air?

If it's a pusher fan with curved profile blades, and is running running backwards, it will suck air, but not near as efficiently as would be rotating proper direction. Just a thought. If the fan is sucking, it is sucking 180 F or higher air over the engine as the air must go through the rad.

Where should airflow be located in a gen set?

If air curtains are used, the airflow should gather this radiant heat just above the gen set, which offers greater efficiency and less exposure to high air velocities in other areas of the gen set room. Airflow should be upward around each engine or in the case of engines with mounted radiators, across the back of the engine to the front.

Should I blow cool air in or out?

How do you remove radiant heat from a gen set?

The most efficient method of removing this heat is with a system that pulls air past switchgear, then over the engine, from back to front. If air curtains are used, the airflow should gather this radiant heat just above the gen set, which offers greater efficiency and less exposure to high air velocities in other areas of the gen set room.

Why would a reversible fan blow out?

The most important reason at least in the older machines for it to blow out was to reduce wear on the radiator from particles of dirt and sand that would be sucked in from the front of the machine, especially on a track loader. We also had a reversible fan on one machine and it would provide a lot of heat in the winter.

How does air temperature affect gen set cooling system sizing?

Altitude, air temperature and velocity greatly affect cooling ability and performance. Following are some rules of thumb that may be used in general gen set cooling system sizing exercises: For every 304.0m (1,000 feet) above sea level, deduct 1.38C (2 F) from the observed ambient temperature for a better indication of the air’s cooling ability.

Whether the generator sets blow or suck air