Design of an Office Table Solar-DC Powered Fan

A table fan is a small, portable type of fan that is used in various rooms of a home or office. It is more convenient compared to other types, like kitchen exhaust, window, and pedestal fans because of its portability. It serves a number of functions for home owners and office workers such as conservation of energy compared to using air conditioners, removal of heat and unwanted fumes from indoor areas, cooling a room and generation of mechanical noise that helps to distract a person's attention from undesirable background noise so he could focus on his task. The idea of a solar fan has been proven to be a very good especially for a country like Nigeria that enjoys an average of 8 hours of sunlight daily. The same sun that causes heat is made to power an object of
thermal comfort at a low level of sophistication. In this design, a 3-blade table fan of 25 watt capacity capable of 6 hours of continuous operation was powered with just 1.0 Photo-voltaic (PV) module of 80 watt power rating. Also a minimum of 85% efficiency was designed for and the fan runs at a low torque of 0.95 Nm. The fan blade rotates at a tip speed of 500 rpm rotates on a 10 mm diameter shaft. In order to maintain a constant operation during the night and when the sun is not at its peak, a 75 Ah 12 V battery has been considered suitable for power storage assessor. The fan meets up ASHRAE recommendation of thermal comfort range of 50 – 100 cfm for fans.