The RBX Series: How Republic is Revolutionizing Centrifugal Blowers

Find the right RBX Blower for your application here.

How We Developed a Better Centrifugal Blower

Designing the RBX Impeller with Computational Fluid Dynamics Modeling

BX Centrifugal Blower Impeller

The main functionality of a centrifugal blower is to accelerate air using centrifugal force. The force created by the rotation of the impeller pulls air into the blower and expels it through the blower’s outlet — making the impeller the heart of the machine.

Due to the complexity of the impeller design, Republic employed cutting-edge computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software called Ansys CFX. Ansys CFX is a high-performance CFD simulation application recognized for its outstanding accuracy, robustness, and speed with turbomachinery applications such as pumps, fans, compressors, gas, and hydraulic turbines. This software aided us in statistically mapping air flow interactions with the impeller, calculating how the impeller would behave, and determining where to add power.

When designing aerodynamic components like our impeller, you’re working inside the physics of chaos theory. By modeling and simulating the functionality of the RBX’s impellers, our engineers were able to identify and eliminate all possible inefficiencies, creating a finely-tuned component with unmatched performance. The RBX Centrifugal Blower provides a 80% peak efficiency across the impeller, and the optimized design reduces power consumption by 30 to 40%, thus decreasing energy and operating costs.

Manufacturing the RBX Impeller with the Integrex i-300ST

After the impeller was modeled in Ansys CFX, we utilized the highly-precise Integrex i-300ST to fabricate the impeller according to the exact specifications of the design. The Integrex i300ST combines the capabilities of a high-powered turning center and a full-function machining center to produce parts. The unique design of the RBX impeller requires a machine that can work in five separate axes simultaneously. During the production process, every point on the impeller blades is touched by a ball mill as the machine swings through. We knew that putting this impeller design into production would require the most cutting-edge technology, and the Integrex i-300ST allows us to reach new heights of manufacturing capabilities.

Every Detail Counts: The Functionality of the RBX Centrifugal Blower  

Now let’s get into the practical features of the Republic RBX Centrifugal Blower Series.

Limitations such as temperature and mechanical torque typically reduce the overall efficiency of centrifugal blowers. As we developed the RBX series, we were determined to find a way to solve these problems. So we did.

Enhancing Longevity and Serviceability with Enhanced Bearings & PFPE Grease

Through the product development stage, we focused on the serviceability of the RBX blower. Grease temperature plays a critical role in the maintenance rate of a centrifugal blower—a 15-degree Fahrenheit increase in grease temperature cuts its lifespan in half, causing you to spend more money and time on repair services. Increased temperature also decreases the durability of wear parts like bearings.

We engineered a machine that reduces heat and noise while generating flow up to 4,100 cfm and pressure greater than 150 in.H2O. The RBX uses super-precision ceramic hybrid bearings that can carry the same load with less stress on the raceways. These bearings are permanently lubricated with a unique perfluoropolyether grease formulation. Perfluoropolyethers, or PFPE oils, are synthetic, fully fluorinated materials used as lubricants and coatings in the most critical lubrication applications, including environments with heat, chemicals, solvents, corrosion, toxicity, flammability, and other extreme conditions. This formulation provides eight times the grease life compared to other manufacturers and reduces oxidation, creating a longer-lasting blower and keeping maintenance requirements low. Our optimized bearing design generates less heat allowing the blower to stay at least 45 degrees Fahrenheit cooler and increasing the reliability and longevity of your investment.

Improved Output Efficiency  

We also made improvements to the design of the volute, or the spiral-shaped casing the receives the air expelled from the impeller and directs it to the discharge. As the air comes off the impeller, the surface area within the volute increases, which conserves the angular momentum of the air, minimizes energy loss between the impeller and outlets, and increases the overall energy efficiency of the blower.

Customizable Configuration to Suit Your Application

RBX blowers are operational with NEMA or IEC motors, including washdown, explosion-proof, and inverter duty. The rotatable blower discharge enables the blower to operate in multiple configurations.

Each RBX Series blower is manufactured with lifetime greased ceramic hybrid bearings and plated steel or aluminum alloy wetted components, making our RBX blowers adaptable to a wide range of applications.