Process cooling is the function of removing heat in order to control or maintain appropriate temperature levels. Almost every manufacturing process produces a certain amount of excess heat due to friction or process heating. From a shop compressor to the power plant just outside town, process air is required to generate the pressure and airflow necessary to decrease or maintain the proper temperatures.

Fans, both axial and centrifugal, are the primary media to provide such pressure and airflow. While many process implementations exist, this article will explore two centrifugal applications: The fan on an air pollution control unit in a power production facility (for selective catalytic reduction), and the blower on a glass-tempering oven. In both cases, industrial process fans provided effective process cooling.