Surge in Demand for Fans in Potential Markets

With China’s rapid economic growth, especially the steady development of the machinery industry in recent years, the fan industry has embraced rare development opportunities. Fans are among the most widely used products across all sectors of the national economy. According to industry surveys, the application share of fans in major sectors is as follows: construction 38.08%, environmental protection 15.93%, light industry 7.52%, metallurgy 6.79%, mining 6.67%, shipbuilding 4.58%, cement 3.96%, power 3.87%, metro and tunnels 3.79%, textiles 2.95%, coal 2.26%, chemical industry 2.21%, petroleum 1.28%, air separation plants 0.1%.

However, many fields remain untapped or will soon be penetrated, representing the potential market for fans. The following sectors will drive a sharp increase in fan demand in the coming years.

Comprehensive Utilization of Coal Gangue

In the past, coal gangue was discarded as waste, occupying land and polluting the environment. It can now be recycled for power generation. For example, Huaibei Mining Group plans to install two 75 t/h circulating fluidized bed boilers, consuming 240,000 tons of coal gangue and 100,000 tons of low-grade coal annually, with an estimated annual power generation of 144 million kWh, requiring 6 boiler fans. Similarly, Huozhou Coal Electricity Group plans coal-gangue power generation, needing 18 fans.

Technical Renovation of New Dry-process Clinker Production

The cement industry will phase out outdated wet-process kilns and adopt advanced technologies to build 2,000 t/d clinker production lines. Each line will produce 680,000 tons of high-grade cement annually. Heat consumption for clinker firing will drop from 6294 kJ/kg to 3262 kJ/kg, integrated power consumption to 110 kWh per ton of cement, and dust emission at kiln tail to below 100 mg/Nm³. Each line requires about 25 fans.

Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD)

Boiler flue gas from thermal power plants contains large amounts of SO₂, causing acid rain. All power plants must install desulfurization systems. For instance, Tangshan Power Plant plans limestone-gypsum wet FGD for 300 MW units, achieving over 95% desulfurization efficiency and annual emission reductions of 12,732 tons of SO₂ and 4,774 tons of dust.

FGD systems require corrosion-resistant desulfurization fans, often with rubber-lined impellers. Both retrofits of existing plants and new FGD-equipped power plants will drive strong demand.

Waste-to-Energy Cogeneration

Urban waste disposal has shifted from landfilling and composting to waste incineration for power and heat. Each unit requires 6 fans, creating large nationwide potential.

Clean Briquette Demonstration Projects

Beijing Clean Coal Co. uses automated control for coal blending and briquetting, achieving 10% coal saving, 60% sulfur fixation, and 10% less dust emission. Each project needs 4 fans.

Energy Saving & Resource Utilization in Metallurgy

Echeng Iron & Steel plans to build 100,000 m³ coke oven gas holders and 150,000 m³ blast furnace gas holders, reducing gas release rate below 1%. The project requires numerous gas delivery fans and dust removal fans.

Blast Furnace Coal Injection Upgrading

Coal injection systems need a 15,000 Nm³/h oxygen plant, air compressors, coal injection fans, and gas collection fans.

Dry Quenching (CDQ)

Traditional wet quenching wastes energy and pollutes. Dry quenching uses nitrogen cooling and waste heat for power generation, requiring circulating nitrogen fans. Most steel plants plan CDQ projects, representing a huge market.

Clean Coal Gasification Projects

Coal gasification for liquid fertilizer production requires air compressors, CO₂ compressors, and ammonia compressors for air separation and gas compression.

Blast Furnace Gas Combined Cycle (BF-CCPP)

Blast furnace gas is recovered, purified, and compressed for fertilizer or power production. The process requires centrifugal compressors for gas pressurization.

Mixed-firing Gas Combined Cycle Power Generation

Gas turbines fueled by mixed blast furnace gas require gas compressors for pressurization, a key energy-saving route for steel mills.

Fruit & Vegetable Deep Processing

Fresh produce dehydration and controlled-atmosphere storage use fans for argon circulation and cold storage ventilation, offering broad market space.

Greenhouse Fans

Greenhouses use fans for uniform heat circulation, especially with electric heating and thermostats. The massive number of agricultural greenhouses ensures unlimited potential.

Poultry House Ventilation

Modern livestock and poultry housing requires low-noise ventilation fans for heating, cooling, and air exchange.

Heat Treatment Industry Upgrading

Switching from electric heating to natural gas requires fans for waste heat recovery, opening a new market segment.

Coking Plant Renovation

Coking plants are upgraded for desulfurization, gas purification, wastewater treatment, and dust removal, requiring various specialized fans.

Blast Furnace Energy-saving Retrofits

Angang’s new 3200 m³ blast furnace includes hot blast stoves, blower stations, TRT (top pressure recovery turbine), and coal pulverizing systems. Similar retrofits across steel enterprises drive fan demand.

Metallurgical Environmental Control

Upgrades include dust removal for cast houses, converter sludge recovery, and steel slag granulation. These require dust extraction fans and CO₂ recovery fans.

Aircraft Engine Vehicle-mounted Cooling Fans

Military aircraft engines require vehicle-mounted cooling fans before storage, representing a military high-tech potential market.

Thawing Fans

Fans separate frozen fish from ice in cold-chain processing, an emerging application area.

Small Air Separation Units in Steel Plants

Small air separation plants use two Roots vacuum pumps in series. Widespread application will sharply boost Roots blower demand.

Underground Coal Gasification Fans

Underground gasification requires Roots blowers for gas delivery, with enormous potential if widely deployed.

Landing Craft Fans

Modern landing craft (hovercraft) use high-power axial fans for lift generation. This high-end military market demands high quality and advanced technology.