20150104294 | Fan Inlet Air Handling Apparatus and Methods - Particular embodiments of the inventive technology may be described as an air handling shroud for establishment at the inlet area of a fan, the shroud adapted to realign and/or redistribute fan inlet flow so as to reduce fan-generated noise without unacceptably impairing fan efficiency and/or performance. Certain embodiments present a lattice arrangement of cells through which air flows; the shroud may protrude up from an inlet face lying in a plane defined by the fan (e.g., by the fan housing or an inlet cone). It may have a hemispherical shape and a lower resistance-per-area sector at the pole (or polar region) thereof. Optional componentry includes but is not limited to a flow obstructer established at a fan proximal portion of the shroud, and acoustic material established on surfaces of the cells of the shroud. | 04-16-2015 |