Tag: Cabinet Cooler

Rule #1 – Always Look Cool

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

The past two weeks here in Cincinnati have reminded me just what humidity is all about. While the static charge in my garage at home is at an all-time low, the humidity is enough to make me wish I had gills to breathe. Even rucking before work has become a rather sweaty event. When I am rucking, one of the 4 Rules of Rucking is, #1 Always Look Cool. This is an idiom as in don’t let people see you sweat. If you are stressed, just stay cool, keep a level head and look the part. A good pair of aviators always helps to hide what your eyes can’t.

Then I open my garage fridge, because every Midwesterner has their old kitchen fridge in the garage, right? Grab a nice cold aluminum can out. And before I can put it in a thermal insulating housing, I see the condensation of the humidity forming on the aluminum. This makes me think of some of the electrical panels I encountered during my time in machine shops.

I once approached a vertical machining center whose spindle chiller, with a thermo-couple failure, had been cooling the spindle continuously during the summer months. This spindle looked like the ice-cold aluminum can I had sitting out on my workbench yesterday. Fully covered in condensate from the humidity in the air. Condensate collected on an aluminum can and leaving a ring of water on a workbench is one thing. Water running down a high-speed spindle and causing issues with a dry machining process is another. This also reminded me of a recent call where a new customer wanted help sizing a Cabinet Cooler System to replace an air-to-air heat exchanger that had failed. When walking through the information needed to size the panel, I reached the Internal Temp Desired field, and there was a pause. While I thought maybe they were checking their notes, they came back with 72°F. I wrote down the value on my notepad, then asked, “That’s oddly specific. Is there a piece of equipment that alarms out over 72°F that we are trying to protect?” The response I received was no. So I asked what the need was for this low set point.

I dug further with them, and it turned out that’s what they kept the engineers’ office set for in the summer, so they thought my question was odd and figured, if they are comfortable there and their computer on their desk operates well, then it must be a good temperature. This is not an incorrect statement. The control cabinet for the machine would operate just fine at 72°F; however, all the electronics that were in the panel were rated up to 104°F before they overheat, so it doesn’t quite make sense to extend the cooling capacity needed to reach that 72°F requested set point. Once we talked this over, we settled on the standard of 95°F for the internal set point with the understanding that by using a thermostatically controlled system, they could adjust it down lower if they really wanted to. In the end, we saved them some energy by sizing the Cabinet Cooler System to meet the demands of their industrial electronics, not what makes a person feel comfortable.

This isn’t always the case; occasionally, there is a panel that requires a low maximum temperature in order to keep a critical piece of equipment stable. This is why we ask the questions to validate any concerns with the data we are viewing as Application Engineers. This is also why we have built in a number of warnings/alerts on our Online Cabinet Cooler Sizing Calculator.

If you have a panel that needs to be cooled, the online calculator has fields for all the information we need. If you want to walk through the math behind the calculator and talk through the reasons we ask for the information that we do, you can either call, email, or even live chat with an Application Engineer, and we will gladly walk you through our process and the math to determine which Cabinet Cooler System is right for your needs.

Brian Farno, MBA – CCASS Application Engineer

BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

EXAIR Cabinet Coolers for Cooling Motor Control Centers

Published on by John BallLeave a comment

Motor Control Centers, or MCCs, are designed to protect motors and equipment in a single enclosure.  They help to start/stop electrical motors as well as protect them from over-voltage.  MCCs are used in many types of industries, like manufacturing plants, the oil and gas industry, water treatment facilities, and power generation companies. They are crucial for controlling pumps, compressors, fans, and other equipment powered by electric motors.  They can improve the efficiency of motors, increase safety, monitor the system for faults, and reduce down-time. 

A customer contacted me about their MCC as they were overheating.  They contained twelve direct starters to control 15KW motors.  The A/C panel cooler that they were using failed due to corrosion in the heat exchangers.  They wanted to try something different and more reliable as it was costly for replacement units.  Also, the shutdowns caused a loss in productivity.  They contacted EXAIR to see if we could help with our Cabinet Cooler Systems. 

EXAIR NEMA Type 4/4X Cabinet Cooler System

Cabinet Coolers are powered by an EXAIR Vortex Tube which only uses clean dry compressed air to generate cold air.  This phenomenon does not have any moving parts, no Freon to leak, or refrigerant compressors to fail.  So, they are very reliable for a long time.  We offer cooling capacities ranging from 275 BTU/hr (80 Watts) up to 5,600 BTU/hr (1,641 Watts) with different NEMA (IP) ratings.  These simple, but effective, cooling devices can be used in the toughest of environments.  They can quickly be installed and start cooling your electrical components in less than an hour. 

For the company above, they needed corrosion resistance to protect against the salty air from the sea.  EXAIR offers Cabinet Coolers in both 303SS and 316SS with NEMA 4X (IP66) protection.  They opted to get the highest corrosion resistance, which was 316SS.  They sent a list of electrical components inside, and I was able to calculate the internal heat load.  EXAIR has other methods to determine heat loads, like with our Cabinet Cooler Sizing Guide and Cabinet Cooler System Calculator.  I gathered some additional information about maximum temperatures, panel sizes, and external heat loads, and I was able to recommend a model 4880SS-316-240 Dual Cabinet Cooler System. 

This system includes a 316SS Cabinet Cooler that produces 5,600 BTU/hr (1,641 Watts) of cooling, NEMA 4X protection, a filter, a cold air distribution kit, a thermostat, and a 240Vac solenoid valve to turn off compressed air when cooling is not required.  Instead of replacing the A/C unit with another unit that would fail, they removed it and started using the EXAIR Cabinet Cooler System.  The ease of installation and temperature consistency made the company and maintenance crew very happy. 

EXAIR offers a variety of protection, materials, and hazardous and non-hazardous units in stock for quick delivery.  For our U.S. customers, we are offering a promotion.  You will receive an AC Sensor, a $76.00 value, for free as a promotional item from now until the end of August 2025 with qualified purchases.  How can you not give them a try?  If you are having trouble with electrical components over-heating, you can contact an Application Engineer at EXAIR.  The company above Motor Control Centers was glad that they did.

John Ball
Application Engineer
Email: johnball@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jb

Cabinet Coolers: How to Determine Heat Loads

Published on by John BallLeave a comment

As the weather starts warming up, electrical panels will start to feel the “heat”.  Freon-based coolers can be less effective in higher ambient conditions; and opening the electrical panels to have a fan blow inside creates a dangerous hazard.  The circuit industry states that for every 10oC rise above the operational temperature, the life of an electrical component is cut in half.  To reduce premature equipment failures and loss in production, it is important to keep electrical components cool.  The EXAIR Cabinet Cooler Systems are designed to do just that. 

To find the correct type and size, we need some information about your electrical panel.  EXAIR makes it easy with the Cabinet Cooler Sizing Guide.  This sheet goes over the important details to find heat loads, proper NEMA type, and options for easy installation.  With a filled-out form, we can make sure that the correct model is recommended.  First, we have to start with the surface area of the electrical panel.  From here, we can do some heat load calculations to compare it with the proper cooling capacity. 

To properly reduce the temperature internally, we need to calculate how much heat is being generated.  Heat loads come from four main areas; internal, external, fan, and solar.  From these four, we can add them together to get the total heat load.  So, on the hottest day of the hottest month, the EXAIR Cabinet Cooler System will still keep your electronics cool.  Here are some methods to find the information needed for heat load calculations.

Internal Heat Load:  The internal load is the heat generated from inside the electrical panel.  This heat is produced by the inefficiencies of electrical devices.  There are two main ways that we can figure out the internal heat load.

Step A: The simplest way is by hanging a piece of metal like a washer inside the panel for about 15 minutes.  We can get an average temperature inside.  In the sizing guide, you can mark the temperature next to “Internal temperature now”.  To calculate the heat load, we will also need the external temperature at the same time as you measured the piece of metal.  This temperature difference can determine the internal heat load per surface area of the panel.  See the chart below.

Step B:  if you know the electrical components inside that generate heat, a list can be made with volt/amp ratings, or watts.  This is very useful for new panels.  The major devices would be VFDs (Variable Frequency Drives), power supplies, UPS, transformers, thyristors, etc.  We can calculate the inefficiency of the electrical components which will give us the internal heat load. 

External Heat Load:  To keep the electronics cool on the hottest day, we will need to know the highest external temperature that the panel will see.  This can include the temperature that is near an oven.  This can be marked in the Max External Air Temperature Possible.  We can compare this to the Max Internal Air Temperature Desired.  Most electrical components are designed to operate at 95oF (35oC).   With the same chart as above, you can use the temperature difference to determine the external heat load per surface area of the panel.

Panel Fans:  To control the environment inside the electrical panels, we need to block all openings and vents.  And this will include removing panel fans.  The Cabinet Cooler System will blow dry cold air to push out the hot humid air from the electrical panel back through the Cabinet Cooler.  Since we are removing a “poor” cooling device like the panel fan, we still need to add this to the heat that is being removed.  You can either give the diameter of the fan or the flow of the fan. 

Solar Heat Load:  The solar heat is only needed if the panel is located outside without cover and exposed to sunlight.  For this type of heat load, we will need to know the color of the electrical panel.  Lighter colors will not absorb as much heat as darker colors.

EXAIR makes it easy to help correctly size the Cabinet Cooler.  We have the Cabinet Cooler Sizing Guide which you can submit to the Application Engineers to review.  And we have released the Cabinet Cooler System Calculator.  It will give you a quick recommendation to order online.  For our U.S. and Canadian customers, you will receive an AC Sensor for free, a $76.00 value, as a promotional item from now until the end of August 2025 with qualified purchases.  How can you not give them a try?  If you have any questions about Cabinet Coolers, the Sizing Guide or Calculator, you can contact an Application Engineer at EXAIR.  We will be happy to help you to keep your machines operating.

John Ball
Application Engineer
Email: johnball@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jb

Who Wants to Save on Compressed Air?

Published on by Al WooffittLeave a comment

At EXAIR we pride ourselves on helping our customers optimize their compressed air usage. Our intelligent compressed air products are engineered to be quiet and efficient, saving you on compressed air consumption. This is just one of the six steps that we recommend in order to optimize your compressed air system.

The first step we would recommend is to measure your air consumption. If you are going to attempt to reduce air consumption in your facility, it is necessary to know what is using it. If you know the consumption of your compressed air-operated products, you can make note of this. A more comprehensive solution would be to install some of our Digital Flowmeters in branch lines in your facility. The flow data provided by this will help you narrow down the high consumption areas and processes.

The second step we would suggest is to find and fix leaks. Our Ultrasonic Leak Detector is perfect for this. According to the Compressed Air and Gas Institute, leaks should not exceed 5-10% of your system’s air supply (we would obviously want 0%, but realistically this is unachievable). However, it is not uncommon to see leaks account for over 30% of many facilities’ compressed air supply being lost through leakage. That’s a potential for a 25% gain in compressed air supply!

The third step would be to upgrade your blowoff, cooling and drying operations using engineered compressed air products. All of EXAIR’s products, like our Super Air Knives, or Super Air Nozzles, are designed with efficiency in mind. Upgrading to an efficient EXAIR product is going to reduce your consumption, sometimes dramatically so!

The fourth step is to turn off your compressed air when not in use. This may sound obvious, but it is not uncommon for compressed air products to be left running continuously. We offer many solutions here, from a simple ball valve (found in many of our Drum Vac Kits), to a solenoid valve (found in our Cabinet Cooler Systems), to our Electronic Flow Controllers – combining a solenoid valve and photoelectric sensor.

The fifth step would be to use intermediate storage near the point of use. If you are controlling your compressed air usage through the use of valves and controls, then your consumption won’t be constant. This fluctuation in demand can be evened out with the use of secondary storage, like our Model 9500-60 Receiver Tank. This will ensure you have the volume and pressure when and where you need it.

Finally, our sixth step is to control the operating pressure. More specifically, to reduce the pressure to the minimum required to get the job done. Simply installing a pressure regulator at the point of use will lead to big savings.

If you would like to start optimizing your compressed air system, then give me a call!

Al Wooffitt
Application Engineer

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