Voglio sapere a riguardo di…

69550

Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 232 / Tuesday, December 7, 2021 / Proposed Rules
mixing in the heating season, and the blade shapes of ACFHs do not lend themselves to great utility in the reverse direction. AMCA was also not aware of any ACFHs that were reversible and stated that consumers also do not purchase ACFHs for winter-mode i.e., reverse direction use. AMCA, No. 3
pp. 78

DOE performed an independent analysis using available test data from past DOE rulemakings and manufacturer-provided data in support of this test procedure rulemaking to calculate the diameter-to-maximum operating speed to determine whether the currently regulated fans in the test sample had a diameter-to-maximum operating speed ratio of greater than
0.06, as AMCAs provided data suggests.
The analysis confirmed that HSSD, standard, and hugger ceiling fans have a diameter-to-maximum operating speed ratio of greater than 0.06 in/RPM, while those fans identified as ACFHs have a diameter-to-maximum operating speed ratio of less than or equal to 0.06 in/
RPM.

TABLE III.1SUMMARY OF DOE INDEPENDENT CF DEFINITION ANALYSIS
Number of ceiling fans Hugger
Standard
HSSD
VSD

42
49
11
8

Minimum diameter-tomaximum-operatingspeed ratio 0.098
0.105
0.078
0.008
Maximum diameter-tomaximum-operatingspeed ratio
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with PROPOSALS4

ACFH

In regards to VSD ceiling fans, all VSD
ceiling fans, for which DOE had available test data, had a diameter-tomaximum operating speed ratio of less than 0.06 in/RPM, indicating that a threshold value of 0.06 in/RPM would not distinguish all VSD ceiling fans from ACFHs. VSDs are discussed further in the discussion that follows.
In this SNOPR, DOE proposes to define the term circulating air, as it is used in the ceiling fan definition and include a specification that ceiling fans with a maximum operating speed ratio of greater than 0.06 in/RPM is considered to provide circulating air.
EPCA does not define circulating air, but DOE understands that the term can generally be understood as the discharge of air in an upward or downward direction with the air returning to the intake side of the fan, i.e., the air is circulated within a space. In contrast, directional airflow targets the discharged air at a specific location and the discharged air does not return to the intake side of the fan, i.e., directional airflow moves air but does not circulate it within the space. A fan that provides directional airflow, as opposed to circulating air, would not be a ceiling fan as that term is defined in EPCA.
DOE tentatively concludes that the diameter-to-maximum operating speed ratio of 0.06 in/RPM is appropriate to distinguish fans with directional airflow from circulating airflow. Data submitted by commenters as well as DOEs analysis indicate that a ratio of 0.06 in/
RPM would distinguish fans that
VerDate Sep<11>2014

19:07 Dec 06, 2021

Jkt 256001

circulate air from fans that provide directional airflow and therefore are not ceiling fans. With the exception of certain VSD ceiling fans, as described further in the following paragraph, application of this ratio will continue to include within scope LDCF, HSSD, and LSSD ceiling fans, as these fans provide circulating airflow.
As described, certain VSD ceiling fans have a diameter-to-maximum operating speed ratio less than 0.06 and thus would be excluded from the scope of ceiling fans because of the proposed definition for circulating air. DOE
identifies these VSD ceiling fans as high-speed VSD ceiling fans because the tip speeds of the VSD ceiling fans discussed in Table III.1 all exceed the LSSD definition tip speed threshold defined in section 1.16 of Appendix U, regardless of the thickness of the blades.
Therefore, these VSD ceiling fans would not meet the LSSD ceiling fan definition. Further, as DOE discussed in the September 2019 NOPR, the current DOE test procedure provides a method of testing only those VSD ceiling fans that meet the LSSD ceiling fan definition. 84 FR 51440, 51445. DOE
proposed in the September 2019 NOPR
to specify explicitly that VSD ceiling fans that do not also meet the LSSD
definition are not required to be tested pursuant to the DOE test method for the purposes of demonstrating compliance with DOEs energy conservation standards for ceiling fans or representations of efficiency. Id.
With regard to consideration of circulating air, DOE understands
PO 00000

Frm 00008

Fmt 4701

Sfmt 4702

35

0.029

based on the physical characteristics of the fans that these high-speed VSD
ceiling fans provide consumers with directional high-speed airflow and do not circulate air within the space.
Specifically, because of the small size i.e., smaller blade span compared to other small-diameter ceiling fans and the higher speeds i.e., tip speeds above the LSSD ceiling fan definition thresholds, the function of these highspeed VSD ceiling fans is more akin to air circulating fan heads in that airflow is targeted in a specific direction without the air returning to the intake side of the fan. For this SNOPR, DOE
initially determines that these highspeed VSD fans were inappropriately covered and that because they provide directional airflow and are not circulating air, they would not be considered ceiling fans. Further, DOE
notes that VSD ceiling fans as a whole represent less than one percent of the total ceiling fan market.
As discussed, the available data indicates that a diameter-to-maximum operating speed ratio of 0.06 in/RPM
would distinguish between fans that provide air circulation and fans that provide directional airflow. The proposed definition for circulating air, which would incorporate this ratio into the definition, would explicitly exclude from the ceiling fan scope ACFHs and high-speed VSDs having a diameter-to-operating speed ratio of less than 0.06 in/RPM. Therefore, including a definition for air circulating fan heads in DOEs test procedure would be unnecessary. DOE is therefore
E:FRFM07DEP4.SGM

07DEP4