Brush-less Fans, aka Cooling Systems

[Yay!Gurrr]

Brush-less Fans
What say ye!
Any OEM vehicles ?
Aftermarket ?
or wait another few years.... and go with a standard brush fan........
Help!!!

 

[Fabrik8]

They've been around for a long time, why the hesitation? This post is confusing.
Most high perf/supercar fans are brushless, pretty much all racecar fans at any decent level race series are all brushless, probably most all hybrid and electric vehicle fans, etc...

I mean, even all of my ceiling fans are brushless DC. Works great.

 

[adamk]

They've been around for a long time, why the hesitation? This post is confusing.
Most high perf/supercar fans are brushless, pretty much all racecar fans at any decent level race series are all brushless, probably most all hybrid and electric vehicle fans, etc...

I mean, even all of my ceiling fans are brushless DC. Works great.

Wouldn't a brushless motor require a driver of some sort whereas a brushed motor you can simply apply a single power and a ground (keeping this very simple)?

 

[Bebop]

Wouldn't a brushless motor require a driver of some sort whereas a brushed motor you can simply apply a single power and a ground (keeping this very simple)?

Yes... ish

They need a controller. Usually built in the fan motor.

Depending on the controller you can hard wire the fan to function in discrete mode (classic on/off) or you can feed it a PWM signal to modulate the fan speed. Said PWM signal usually comes from the ECU or Spal sells a sender that gets welded in the rad and will PWM the output without any action on your end. Pretty nifty setup.

My Holley ECU is programmed to output the PWM signal directly to the fan so I don't need the sender.

Highly recommend the Spal brushless lineup. they are (very) pricey but work amazingly. The soft start function is amazing and being speed controlled, you almost don't hear them operate most of the time.

Edit : If you're after the variable speed function but do not want to change your fan to a brushless setup, there are inexpensive ways to do that too. C6 controller comes to mind.

 

[adamk]

Thanks for the clarification Frenchie. I only know of brush vs brushless when it comes to RC cars but have only dabbled in the "science" behind it.

 

[Bebop]

If you have any question about them, let me know, I've been down the rabbit hole before.
Using a monster 850W 18.5" Spal unit on my new cooling setup. It makes a volvo fan looks like a dinky lil thing. 6AWG wire to the fan

 

[Yay!Gurrr]

I have many question, the rabbit is calling me....
That is what the thread is for....... Please educate me/us
.
I'm look to cool a cummins 5.9 and i have limited space...
.
How about a pic of your setup ?

 

[Jeff B]

Yes... ish

They need a controller. Usually built in the fan motor.

Depending on the controller you can hard wire the fan to function in discrete mode (classic on/off) or you can feed it a PWM signal to modulate the fan speed. Said PWM signal usually comes from the ECU or Spal sells a sender that gets welded in the rad and will PWM the output without any action on your end. Pretty nifty setup.

My Holley ECU is programmed to output the PWM signal directly to the fan so I don't need the sender.

Highly recommend the Spal brushless lineup. they are (very) pricey but work amazingly. The soft start function is amazing and being speed controlled, you almost don't hear them operate most of the time.

Edit : If you're after the variable speed function but do not want to change your fan to a brushless setup, there are inexpensive ways to do that too. C6 controller comes to mind.

This is similar to what we are using on the asphalt pavers hydraulic coolers. Move a lot of air, low amperage draw and low inrush.

 

[Bebop]

I have many question, the rabbit is calling me....
That is what the thread is for....... Please educate me/us
.
I'm look to cool a cummins 5.9 and i have limited space...
.
How about a pic of your setup ?

Diesels are easier to cool vs gas engines.

Options for the Spal fans are above.

No offense, but "limited space" doesn't mean much, pull a tape measure and give us some dimensions.

FYI the Hoonicorn cools down a 1400hp turbo race engine with 2 Spal 14" 500W fans and no airflow. That's how effient they are.

This is similar to what we are using on the asphalt pavers hydraulic coolers. Move a lot of air, low amperage draw and low inrush.

I'm not familiar with the system you're talking about but I'm sure we're talking about a similar thing.
CAT started using Spal brushless fans on their equipment too. I think I've got a CAT PN somewhere.

 

[Yay!Gurrr]

180hp
radiator 27wx24h
2.5" to nub on fun pulley (2.75" cut off)
I have more room, just not there...
.....
edit; Ahhhh yes...... you forgot to add this....
Parts:
SBL-TS-165P: 140°F to 165°F 12VDC temperature sensor
SBL-TS-185P: 165°F to 185°F 12VDC temperature sensor
SBL-TS-195P: 175°F to 195°F 12VDC temperature sensor
SBL-TS-215P: 190°F to 215°F 12VDC temperature sensor
SBL-YAZ-PT10 Harness with a Yazaki connector on one end that plugs on to the fan's connector. One is required for each brushless fan.
SBL-TS-HARN Harness to attach the SBL-TS** temperature sensors to the SBL-YAZ-PT10 brushless fan connector. One can be used for multiple fans.
Spal 30107125 GEN2 300W 15.2" Flush Mount Curved Blade Brushless Puller Fan, MFG Number: VA91-ABL326P/N-65A 12V
Spal 30107102 GEN2 500W 14" Drop In Curved Blade Brushless Puller Fan, MFG Number: VA116-ABL505P-105A 12V
Spal 30107087 GEN2 300W 12" Drop In Saw Blade Brushless Puller Fan, MFG Number: VA89-ABL320P/N-94A 12V
Spal 30107089 GEN2 300W 10" Flush Mount Curved Blade Brushless Puller Fan, MFG Number: VA109-ABL321P/N-109A/S 12V
.
AND squirrel cage fan........ hmmmmm

 

[Bebop]

The Spal "flush-mount" line up is installed like a usual aftermarket fan.

The "drop-in" brushless lineup has a different way to be installed on a shroud They are recessed into it, not bolted in front :

It makes for a very efficient system, but far from behind low profile. I'd say you need 4" behind the rad at the very least.

Other thing I realized during my fan research, basically, every thin fan is junk. You need big blades to move a lot of air and there isn't much you can do about it.

Given the room you have, I'd move the radiator forward. I don;t think there is any room in here to locate an efficient cooling system in there. Just a shroud should have a 1" depth minimum. And you won't have anything left for a fan. Even the crappiest slimiest one you can find.