One of the most reputable companies in the refrigeration sector is Noctua, which has high-performance fans and heatsinks for a wide variety of uses. The NF-A14 IndustialPPC are Noctua's solution to improve the cooling of advanced and professional systems, such as servers. These robust design and high speed fans offer, among other things, great aerodynamic efficiency and the use of a three-phase motor, offers a great air flow at great pressure.
These fans have been designed for environments where a lot of heat is generated, therefore it is required that they have a high operating speed, but Noctua has among its most outstanding characteristics, offering silent systems and these fans are a great example, in addition, of offer great energy efficiency. The NF-A14 are built with a polyamide reinforced in fiberglass, in addition to having a certification of protection against water and dust, making them ideal for extreme environments.
The IndustrialPPC NF-A14 and the IndustrialPPC NF-F12, work at a voltage of 24V and are characterized by offering PWM support. PWM technology is characterized by offering a dynamic regulation of the fan speed, which allows it to work at various speeds, depending on the temperature and what the motherboard to which it is connected requires. These fans also offer us something very important, such as IP67 protection.
This type of protection protects sensitive parts, such as the rotor and motor, as well as the SSO2 bearings, against the entry of solid objects and water. This element allows the protection of the internal parts of the entrance against dust in a strong way (level 6), which prevents the entrance of dust under any circumstances, while the second figure is the protection against water. Level 7 protects against complete immersion at 1 meter for 30 minutes, ideal for high temperature areas where heat is generated and humidity can be generated.
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NOCTUA NF-F12 INDUSTRIALPPC-24V-3000 IP67 PWM
NOCTUA NF-A14 INDUSTRIALPPC-24V-3000 IP67 PWM
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Fans normally use two systems, bearings and bearings. They both have problems. The bearings are very quiet in their first moments, but wear increases the noise and the useful life of the fans that incorporate them is very short and the bearings make a lot of noise, although they have a fairly long useful life. Noctua has looked for a solution that has a very long useful life and the noise level is minimal and they developed the SSO, a system of self-stabilized bearings of pressurized oil, which has been revised for improvement.
The development of this system is based on its low noise level and the quality demonstrated and tested in many products, in a large number of products. This system is based on an interesting concept of hydrodynamic oil-based bearings that integrate a magnet, which has the function of automatically stabilizing the rotor shaft. Stabilized by a magnetic field, these bearings allow for improved precision and longevity over ball bearing solutions, plain bearings and even traditional hydrodynamic systems.
Noctua has optimized and improved the SSO system in this update called SSO2. Metallic bearings and an injection molding system have been used for this renewed system. They have a magnet closer to the rotor shaft, generating a higher magnetic force on it. It offers, thanks to this system, greater stabilization, precision and durability of the fans.
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Noctua has opted for offering quality in its products and instead of using systems of single-phase four-pole motors, it has opted for these Noctua IndustrialPPC, a system based on three-phase six-pole motors, which allows a smoother movement, without less shocks, thus reducing vibrations and energy losses, making them more efficient, if possible.
Most of the fans on the market use single phase type motors with a four slot stator and a four pole permanent magnet magnetic rotor ring. This system is known as a 1: 1 system, where the slots and poles are equal in number. When the coils of the first pair receive current, they generate a magnetic field inverse to that of the magnet, attracting it. This attraction becomes repulsion when the magnetic fields are equalized (they would be south-south, for example) and the magnet looks for the next pair that attracts the magnet by having a reverse polarity (north-south, for example)
This system, by changing the polarization of the magnet, allows a 90º turn for alignment. The problem of this jump, generates a high torque of the motor when the rotor poles are between the stator slots, this being 45º, descending when the poles are aligned at 90º, which increases again when the next pair of poles, generating an angle of 135º.
Noctua fans make use of three-phase motors with a six-slot stator and a four-pole permanent magnetic ring, thus creating a 3: 2 slot-to-pole system. Thanks to this configuration, two fundamental advantages are obtained. The first advantage is that, thanks to the increase in the number of grooves and that they are grouped in trios, instead of in pairs, a more efficient switching between grooves is allowed, reducing torsional vibration, making them more stable.
As a second improvement, and this being the most outstanding, is the ratio of inequality between slots and poles, assuming this an improvement in the system of poles and slots. As there is no situation between the poles and the grooves, they align, the torque is not completely reduced, which allows the fan to rotate more smoothly, without the need for the torque to rise again, since it is stable.
By not having a single phase of actuation, the zone of decreases in torque between peaks, the motor has three phases that overlap and contribute to a stable torque. The total torque, thanks to this system, is significantly reduced, generating a more stable total voltage than in single-phase motor systems. The stable and continuous torsion allows a much smoother stable operation, significantly reducing the vibrations generated by the torsion and a reduction of the energy consumption.
The NF-F12 and NF-A14 fans used the Noctua NE-FD1 motor system, but for those fans, in order to improve efficiency and performance, Noctua has developed the Noctua NE-FD2 IC for IndustrialPPCs, which they offer a 10% efficiency improvement over the previous version. The NF-A14s required 2.25W to run at 2000RPM, while the IndustrialPPCs require only 2W to run at 100% power. Thanks to this improvement in efficiency, they become an ideal solution in automotive systems, aeronautics and even in household appliances, where efficiency is very important.
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One of the main problems when operating with fans is that they generate turbulence. These turbulences affect airflows, which is a problem. It usually occurs, above all, in the separation of the delimiting layer on the suction side, in the fan blades, specifically, which causes significant noise due to the vortex and this causes a decrease in energy efficiency due to the flow of the air.
Noctua, to solve this problem, has modified its Noctua A Series fans, with the technology of accelerated circulation channels in the suction part. The arrangement of these channels increases the air flow distribution on the suction side, which improves air flow in the crucial outer regions of the blades. Flow separation is likely to occur when the flow speed in the fan is low, when the fan is operating at low revolutions. Thanks to Flow Acceleration Channels technology, speed is increased, resulting in significantly reduced flow separation, which reduces noise in the vortex and improves airflow efficiency.
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The Focused Flow Frame has been designed to obtain improved performance in applications that require increased pressure, such as heatsinks and radiators. This frame has eleven blades that straighten, channel and direct the airflow, allowing the NF-F12 fans, which allows these fans to compete in performance against conventional fans when operating at high speeds.
These blades of the NF-F12, are arranged in a variable angular distance and have the Vortex-Control Notches system, notches in the fan that improve the control of the air vortex. This allows to improve the distribution of the sound emission in a wide spectrum of frequencies, which makes the noise of this fan more pleasant to the human ear.
As the stator blades move, the fan blades create pressure pulses. This interaction between the rotor and the stator contributes significantly to the overall emission of the fan noise. The uniform distribution of the blades, the relatively geometric constellation of the rotor blades, and the blades are identical each time the rotor moves to the next blade. When one of the rotor blades passes one of these blades, the same pressure pulses are created.
These period pulses, acoustically, produce fewer sounds at different frequencies that are manifested in frequency peaks within the acoustic spectrum of the fan, which provides a more distinguishable and tonal character. Noctua, to minimize this phenomenon, the blades of the NF-F12 have a variable angular distance between 31º and 37º. This measure causes the geometric situation between the parts of the rotor and the stator to be slightly different each time the rotor moves over the next blade, which generates aerodynamically different pressure pulses. This allows a reduction in sound that is distributed over a wide frequency range. Generating an acoustic profile with a wider bandwidth and less tonal, the vanes in variable angular distance, make this fan more pleasant to the human ear and mix more efficiently with the background noise.
This technology was first implemented in a NF-P12 ventilator. These vortex control samples are aerodynamically designed measurements for two different purposes: the first is the vortex control notches causing the air flow to pass through the suction and pressure side of the mixing blades or blades. more easily at the end of the shaft, which allows a reduction in turbulence and a reduction in speed loss. It allows the fan an increase in the higher energy frequency and a reduced noise emission.
The second improvement is based on the vortex control notches, which make the acoustic profile of the fan more pleasant to the human ear. Thanks to these notches, the vortices are reduced, each generating slightly different tones. This is due to the effect that they have a variable angular distance from the blades, insofar as the sound emission is better distributed over a broader spectrum of frequencies and this makes it possible to reduce the frequency peaks. This sound pattern is perceived by the user in a way that is much less disturbing and pleasing to the human ear.
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These Noctua fans are designed to be as quiet as possible and that is why an AAO frame has been manufactured for them. The advanced acoustic optimization framework has built-in anti-vibration pads, as well as a step-by-step input design and internal surface microstructures, developed by Noctua, leading to a further improvement in energy efficiency and performance. fan performance.
STEPPED INLET DESIGN
The fans of this professional series have been designed step by step type. This allows Noctua an advanced measure of aerodynamic design first introduced in the NF-F12 fans. This allows adding turbulence to the air inlet of the fan, designed in a step-by-step system that facilitates the transition from laminar to turbulent flow. This measure has an effect very similar to the external structure of golf balls, which allows an improvement in the attachment of the flow of the frame, which allows the impulsion when more air is introduced and therefore, improves the overall efficiency of the air flow.
These improvements offer some aerodynamic improvements, which has a step-by-step input design, which also reduces input tonal noises caused by the input of a laminar flow. Thanks to this modification in the turbulent flow design, it produces a noise profile with a higher bandwidth. Thanks to this improvement in the design of the step-by-step entrance, it contributes to the improvement of the acoustic qualities of said fan, which allows it to integrate better with background noise and be more pleasant to the human ear.
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Noctua fans support different plugins. These accessories are rubber corners that reduce vibrations and improve noise and a system of rubber supports, which have the same functionality, reducing noise and vibrations.
Noctua NA-SAVP1 are corners, which we can choose from in a variety of colors. These Chromax variations allow users to customize the color of the fans, identifying the system for which it is intended or the function they have within the system. This kit has sixteen NA-AVP1 anti-vibration panels compatible with 120 / 140mm fans. It is made of a soft silicone, to minimize the transition of small vibrations, while maintaining compatibility with standard fan screws.
Noctua NA-SAV2, are a set of brackets to install the fans in the chassis without screws. The NA-SAV2s have a total of twenty of these brackets to anchor five fans. When the fan screws are replaced, thus allowing quick and easy installation, reducing vibration in the fan anchor holes on the tower. They have a double-sided design, so that they can be easily installed in confined spaces and thanks to the use of these high-quality rubbers, they have the characteristic of being soft and resistant. The replacement of the screws for fans, by this system, significantly reduces the noises programmed by solid structures and makes this set the ideal complement for the fans that we are analyzing.
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The Noctua IndustrialPPC NF-A14 and NF-F12 are very powerful and efficient fans that offer great performance. These fans, with significant improvements in performance and noise level, compared to other solutions on the market. These fans have unique features, such as the SSO2 bearings, which offer less wear and less noise, the placement of the blades, considering the reduction of sound is a fundamental factor and having a stator, formed by a three-phase motor, which prevents loss of force when the sine wave passes through zero.
One thing we have come to realize is that not all motherboards are capable of handling these fans well. This is because most fans on the market use single-phase motors and IndustrialPPCs are three-phase. The motherboards in many cases are not ready to support them, this causes that they do not interact correctly in motherboards designed for the average user. It should be noted that they are designed for professional environments and they usually support this type of fans without problems.
These new IndustrialPPCs are not only better soundly, the improvements made to this fan have given it an improvement in terms of energy efficiency. These fans are more efficient, but without reducing power. Something increasingly fundamental is that the fans have PWM support. This allows the fan in question to vary the operating speed within a range, established in this case by Noctua, allowing energy savings and noise reduction due to the reduction in operating speed.
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