Which to Choose: Cabinet Coolers Vs. Coolant Driven A/C Units

From ancient times humans have sought ways to cool themselves down, from the invention of the manual fan in ancient times to the modern A/C systems that are used to cool down entire buildings. Anymore these days there is a cooling system for just about anything; gaming PC’s have there own cooling system, personal fans that mist water for cooling down people, climate-controlled boxes for artifacts in museums, etc. But what about your electrical cabinets in your facility? Electrical cabinets that overheat can cause expensive shut downs and lead to unsafe operations where the doors are left open with fans blowing in. When it comes to electrical cabinets there are two well-known ways that are used to cool down electrical cabinets which are fans and A/C units. But there is a third option you can go with which is EXAIR’s Cabinet Coolers.

EXAIR’s High Temp Cabinet Coolers

Cabinet Coolers are compressed air powered cooling units that utilize a source of compressed air and vortex tubes to cool down enclosed areas. But why would you choose a Cabinet Cooler over an A/C coolant driven system? Each system has pros and cons that can be weighed against each other.

A/C Coolant Driven Systems:
Pros:
Can produce higher cooling loads effectively

Cons:
Expensive up front
Constant maintenance

Cabinet Coolers:
Pros:

Inexpensive upfront cost, lower lifetime cost
No moving Parts / No actual maintenance

Cons:
Smaller range for effective cooling

Even in extremely aggressive environments, EXAIR Cabinet Cooler Systems provide reliable heat protection for your sensitive electronics and controls.

A/C Units operate in most cases using a chemical known as Dichlorodifluoromethane more commonly referred to as Freon (Freon is a registered trademark of Chemours Co.). By compressing and decompressing the liquid you can cause significant temperature drops in the surrounding air that can be blown into an area. This process requires a lot of moving parts that will eventually wear out and need to be replaced at a cost. Cabinet Coolers don’t have that issue, since they use vortex tubes there are no moving parts to wear out. As long as you provide clean dry air to a Cabinet Cooler the system will run indefinitely. Another thing to keep in mind is that although Dichlorodifluoromethane is a safer version of the older CFC’s , the chemical is not completely safe. Freon can be harmful to the environment as it can breakdown ozone, and due to its its density it will displace oxygen and can cause rapid suffocation.

Cabinet Coolers use compressed air, air which we breath and is all around us. So, no hazards with its energy source.

How the EXAIR Cabinet Cooler System Works

Lastly, although A/C units are cheaper to run they are much more expensive upfront cost and upkeep cost. This means in the long run it is actually cheaper to use a Cabinet Cooler because it does not have any upkeep cost for maintenance and repairs, along with being much cheaper to begin with.

EXAIR’s Cabinet Coolers are currently on promotion – receive a free AC Sensor with the purchase of any Cabinet Cooler.

Take advantage of our promo today!

If you have any questions or want more information on EXAIR’s Cabinet Coolers or like products. Give us a call, we have a team of application engineers ready to answer your questions and recommend a solution for your applications.

Cody Biehle
Application Engineer
EXAIR Corporation
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EXAIR’s Cabinet Cooler Systems Cool Electrical Enclosures

One of the main focuses for Cabinet Cooler Systems is to cool electrical enclosures that are overheating due to inadequate cooling, failing air conditioners, or heat exchangers that are not performing due to high ambient conditions.  Another focus is the fact that the Cabinet Cooler Systems don’t require refrigerant based coolants, or fans that can move dirty ambient air into the cabinet. This is the portion I would like to focus on today.

If there are vents on the enclosure then these are sometimes covered with a filter media that is an easily forgotten maintenance item –  sometimes they are even removed.  This is an issue as it starts to allow the contaminants from the surrounding area to begin to enter the inside of an enclosure.  In case you have never seen a circuit board that is covered in oil mist and metal chips, it is terrifying to see a maintenance person that is trying to troubleshoot the machine for failures.  Not only does this present a fire hazard but it also presents the internals of the panel with a strong probability of failure.

Another item I have personally seen fail in the field are small fans mounted within enclosure vents to help circulate air through the enclosure.  This is a great idea if the ambient environment is climate controlled and has no dirt or debris in the air.   Even in a facility that is climate controlled there is still potential for airborne debris, dust, and contaminants to enter the cabinets. These are merely accelerated into the cabinet by the fan and distributed throughout the entire enclosure instead of just coming in and covering the area just inside of the vent.

The solution to all the problems above which can easily save thousands of dollars worth of damaged circuit boards or drives is an EXAIR Cabinet Cooler System.  The Cabinet Coolers will all provide a slight positive air flow within the enclosure and will help to keep those external ambient conditions out of the cabinet and away from valuable electronics.  Even with our thermostatically controlled systems (which turn on and off as needed to maintain internal temperature AND save air) we offer a Non-Hazardous Purge option which will permit a 1 SCFM flow of air through the Cabinet Cooler to always keep a slight positive pressure within the enclosure. When the cabinet needs to be cooled, it will open the solenoid valve and provide the full rate of cooling from the Cabinet Cooler System.  The Non-Hazardous Purge function is available for all three NEMA types of Cabinet Cooler Systems, 12, 4, and 4X.

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If you would like to discuss the other benefits of utilizing EXAIR Cabinet Cooler Systems and which model is right for your enclosure, please contact us.

Brian Farno
Application Engineer Manager
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

What Is A NEMA Rating?

With the Summer heat upon us here in Ohio the inquiries for our Cabinet Cooler Systems are increasing by the day.  A question we always ask customers with Cabinet Cooler Sizing Guides is, “What NEMA Type is your enclosure?”  There are quite a few times where no one truly knows what a NEMA rating is. So what exactly is a NEMA rating?

NEMA is the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, one of the many standards they publish is the NEMA rating standard for electrical enclosures up to 1000 Volts.  This standard is where NEMA Types such as 12, 4, and 4X come from (you will also see an international standard reference as “IP”, more on that later).  It categorizes the enclosures by their ability to protect the internal components from things such as corrosion, dust, oil, even external air quality. These standards are reviewed every five years and the last review was done in 2013.  The reviews are generally based on improving safety, clarity of the standard, and testing methods.

So what NEMA ratings does EXAIR offer?  For our Cabinet Cooler Systems, EXAIR offers three very common NEMA types to try an offer a selection to fit the needs that we most commonly encounter.  The NEMA types and their descriptions are below.   For a full list of the Non-hazardous location NEMA enclosure types, click on this link.

EXAIR NEMA 12 Cabinet Cooler System w/ Side Mount Kit

Type 12 (IP54): General purpose, indoor use.  Protects against falling dirt and circulating dust, lint, fibers, and flyings.  Protects against ingress of dripping and splashing water. Rust-resistant Type 12 enclosures do not include knockouts.

 

EXAIR NEMA Type 4 Cabinet Cooler System
EXAIR NEMA Type 4 Cabinet Cooler System

Types 4, 4X (IP66): Water-tight, dust-tight, sleet-resistant.  Resistant to windblown dust.  Indoor or outdoor use.  Also provides protection against splashing and hose-directed water.  The “X” designation indicates corrosion-resistance.

EXAIR's High Temp Cabinet Cooler Systems

The EXAIR Cabinet Cooler Systems also reference an equivalent IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission), IP code.   This is a code from the IEC system which specifies the ingress protection which classifies and rates the degree of protection provided against intrusion (body parts such as hands and fingers), dust, accidental contact, and water by mechanical casings and electrical enclosures. They are a two digit number that represents the level of protection against physical objects and he ingress of water.   Coorelation between NEMA ratings and IP codes is not always possible.  EXAIR has ensured that we also meet the equivalent IP codes shown in the NEMA descriptions above.

If you have a hot enclosure and you are not sure how much cooling is needed or what the NEMA type is, contact us.  We will gladly help you gather the information needed to calculate the heat load requirements and help determine the correct NEMA rating.

Brian Farno
Application Engineer Manager
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

What If Your Cabinet Is In An Extremely Hot Area?

As the weather starts to warm up we have already started getting calls about customers that are preparing for Summer time by installing Cabinet Cooler Systems on their enclosures.   This is not a lengthy process, in fact, we can hold races in the office to see who can do the calculations the fastest.  If we have a few simple pieces of information, we can even do the calculations and have a recommendation for the correct Cabinet Cooler System for your cabinet while you are on the phone with us.  What kind of information might we need you ask, just take a look at the Cabinet Cooler Sizing Guide below.  The only tools you will need are a tape measure and a thermometer.

EXAIR's Cabinet Cooler Sizing Guide
EXAIR’s Cabinet Cooler Sizing Guide

So what happens if your ambient external air temperature is above 125°F?  For EXAIR, that is not a problem.  We offer a full line of High Temperature Cabinet Cooler Systems.  These are ideal for those really hot environments that may be near a furnace, boiler, or other hot process.  The best part is, we will know whether this is needed without you even having to ask for it.  All we need is the information on the Sizing Guide.

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EXAIR’s Dual High Temp Cabinet Cooler System Stands Up To Extreme Conditions

 

Whether your enclosure is in an everyday machine shop, out building with pumps and sensors, or right next to a steel mill, EXAIR will provide the best possible solution to keep the internals safe. Don’t let the summertime heat sneak up on you and cause you problems all you have to do is contact myself, or any one of my team members and we will help as quickly as possible.

Brian Farno
Application Engineer
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF