AMCA 250
ANSI/AMCA Standard 210/ASHRAE Standard 51 and
ISO 5801 provide methods to measure airflow, but not
thrust. While measuring airflow is accurate for ducted
products, this method does not consider the unducted
application of jet fans. Jet fans produce an impulse of
air that increases the momentum of air moving within
a tunnel or parking garage space. This impulse of air,
known as thrust, is difficult to predict with measured
airflow. Furthermore, this high velocity of air entrains
additional air volume around the fan’s air discharge,
and is quantified as the induction factor. ANSI/AMCA
Standard 250, revised in 2022, specifically addresses
the performance of jet fans by offering methods to
measure the thrust a jet fan produces.
This paper clarifies why ANSI/AMCA Standard 250
(which will now be referred to as AMCA 250) is
the most accurate 3rd party certification for testing
thrust and airflow performance in jet fans. With
trusted, certified data, designers can have confidence
that their designs are not only accurate, but safe.
What Is the Goal of 3rd Party Certication?
The goal of certifying fan performance through a
3rd party is to eliminate any manufacturer bias from
published fan performance. Eliminating manufacturer
bias assures designers that a product’s performance
was veried with industry approved testing methods.
These testing methods, provided by a 3rd party
certication association like AMCA, are included
in specically-designed testing standards. These
standards provide testing methods that can replicate
many end applications. Therefore, when certifying fan
performance with AMCA, manufacturers must certify
their fan data using the AMCA test standard that most
accurately replicates the end application of a product.
systemair 5