09/10/2026
The same fan can behave differently at different temperatures.
When selecting a fan, airflow and static pressure are usually the first parameters engineers look at. But these values are also affected by the temperature of the air being moved.
As air temperature increases, its density decreases. This changes the relationship between the fan, airflow and pressure — particularly in applications handling heated air.
But temperature affects more than the air itself.
Higher operating temperatures also increase the thermal load on the motor. If a fan is installed inside compact equipment with limited heat dissipation, the actual temperature around the motor can be significantly higher than the ambient room temperature.
This makes the temperature inside the equipment an important selection parameter.
For example, a fan installed in:
- an air handling unit,
- a refrigeration or heat pump system,
- an electrical enclosure,
- industrial cooling equipment,
may operate under very different thermal conditions even if the surrounding room has the same ambient temperature.
So when selecting a fan, it is worth asking not only "What airflow and pressure do we need?", but also "At what temperature will the fan actually operate?"
Because the correct fan selection depends not just on the required airflow — but on the conditions under which that airflow has to be delivered.