Q:

Wouldn't placing an inductor instead of a capacitor have the same effect in fans?

A capacitor is kept in the circuit of a fan to overcome the trouble of having torques in both directions. I would like to know if the capacitor could be replaced with an inductor without resulting in any change in operation of the fan ?

A:

I'll give you a quicky answer until an EE shows up. 
No, that won't work. The motor itself is mostly an inductor. To get a phase change you need the capacitor. At least it will be much more effective, smaller and cheaper. 

