Tag: electrical panel cooling

Stop Heat-Related Shutdown Before Summer: Free AC Sensor w/ Purchase of EXAIR Cabinet Cooler

Published on by Tyler DanielLeave a comment

When the temperatures begin to rise and summer is right around the corner, it’s time to begin thinking about the damage this can do to the sensitive electronics installed in your facility’s control panels. An all-too-common site we’ll see is the panel door opened to allow heat to escape, sometimes with even a fan blowing directly into it. While this might work in some cases to keep the temperatures down, you’re then opening the panel up to any debris and dust from the ambient environment.

Simply trading one problem for another isn’t the best way to ensure reliable operation. If you’re looking for a low-cost, maintenance-free method of controlling this heat; EXAIR has the ideal solution. Our Cabinet Cooler Systems are designed to maintain NEMA 12, 4, and 4X integrity. This prevents any of the harmful contaminants or moisture from ever entering the panel and ensures consistent reliability of the electronics installed inside.

EXAIR offers a handy Cabinet Cooler Calculator on the website that’ll aid you in determining the best model for the conditions in your plant. Each system is then offered in continuous operation mode, or thermostatically controlled via solenoid valve. The included auto-drain particulate filter prevents condensate and particulate from the compressed air supply from being passed through the cooler and into your panel. Thermostatically controlled systems then ensure you’re operating the cooler only when necessary, keeping operating costs and compressed air consumption to an absolute minimum.

If you’re located in an ATEX or Hazardous area, there’s a cooler for these instances as well. Both our HazLoc and ATEX Cabinet Cooler Systems have been independently tested and certified for use on purged electrical enclosures.

Backed by our Unconditional 30-day Guarantee and 5-Year Built to Last Warranty, there’s really no excuse for heat-related shut-downs in this day in age. Act now and take advantage of our current Cabinet Cooler Promotion to receive a free AC Sensor with any purchase of a qualified Cabinet Cooler System. It’ll ensure your plant keeps running smoothly even during peak summer temperatures. Once it’s installed, you can count on several years of 100% maintenance-free operation with no intervention.

Finally, a solution that does what it’s designed to do without the need for maintenance. Give us a call today to talk about how EXAIR can help protect your control panels.

Tyler Daniel, CCASS

Application Engineer

E-mail: TylerDaniel@EXAIR.com

X: @EXAIR_TD

EXAIR Cabinet Cooler System Calculator

Published on by John BallLeave a comment
From right to left: Small NEMA 12, Large NEMA 12, Large NEMA 4X

For the longest time, we have been using dimensions, temperatures, fan sizes and calculations to determine heat loads to correctly recommend a suitable Cabinet Cooler System.  While the Cabinet Cooler Sizing Guide works well (and we will still use it), we have been racking our brains to improve this process and get a solution faster than ever.  Now, EXAIR has it!  We created a program on our website that can calculate and give a recommendation quickly for the correct Cabinet Cooler System.  Check it out HERE!!

By providing certain details like the size of the panel, the NEMA rating, the environmental conditions, and the voltage requirement; this calculator will sort through our large selection of Cabinet Cooler® Systems that EXAIR stocks.  It has steps to get the correct information that is needed as well as precautions and warnings.  My colleague Jordan Shouse generated a video blog to go through the steps in “Video Blog: Cabinet Cooler® System Calculator“.

I did get a question about new electrical panels where the internal temperature cannot be measured, but the internal heat load from the electrical components is known.  The calculator does not have this entry for this measurement.  But I can show a quick way to find the “Current internal temperature” to still use this calculator.  For example, if the customer says that they have a panel that has a surface area of 30.18 ft2 and an internal heat load of 100 watts.  We can use the chart below to find the internal temperature.  First, we want to convert the heat load to BTU/hr. 

3.41 BTU/hr = 1 Watts

So, 100 Watts * 3.41 = 341 BTU/hr.  With the surface area of the panel, we get 341 BTU/hr / 30.18 ft2 = 11.3 BTU/hr/ft2.  In the chart below, this will equal to a temperature rise of 30oF.  So, if the current external temperature is 75oF, the internal temperature will be 30oF + 75oF = 105oF.  So, 105oF will be entered in “Current internal temperature”.  Fill out the rest of the information, and you will get the recommended Cabinet Cooler for that electrical panel. 

If fans are installed in your panel, we do need to remove them and close off all openings.  Since we are generating cold air, we will need the Cabinet Cooler to control the environment inside.  We do not want to have any hot humid air from outside the panel to mix with the cold air.  The Cabinet Coolers use the denser cold dry air to push the hot air back through the Cabinet Cooler itself.  With the calculator, we have to add in the amount of heat that the fan can remove. 

At EXAIR, we keep growing with new products, knowledge, and information that can benefit you and your company.  The Cabinet Cooler® System Calculator is one example where you can quickly find a Cabinet Cooler System with confidence.  When production is being interrupted and delayed by electrical shutdowns, EXAIR can provide a fast solution.  You can also contact an Application Engineer for additional information as well. 

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

Cabinet Coolers vs. Air-to-Air Heat Exchangers

Published on by Al WooffittLeave a comment

At EXAIR we are very familiar with the benefits of our Cabinet Cooler Systems, and we would be more than happy to tell you about the many advantages. Our Cabinet Coolers are not the only method of cooling an enclosure, so when there are alternative methods, it is often beneficial to compare and contrast them directly. In this blog I want to take a look at air-to-air heat exchangers, and how they stack up against EXAIR’s panel coolers.

Heat exchanger

An air-to-air heat exchanger works by exchanging (as the name would suggest) the heat from the air inside the enclosure, with the ambient air outside the cabinet. In order for these to be effective, there needs to be a difference in temperature of the two different volumes of air. A closed loop system will continue to exchange heat to maintain a desired set internal temperature. The heat exchange of most air-to-air units relies on a heat pipe, a heat-transfer device which converts an internal refrigerant liquid into vapor by placing one end of the pipe in contact with the hot environment.  The heated vapor travels to the other end of the pipe which is in contact with a cooler environment.  The vapor condenses back into a liquid (releasing latent heat) and returns to the hot end of the pipe and the cycle repeats.

So, how does our system compare to the exchanger? First, as mentioned, the effectiveness of a heat exchanger is directly tied to the temperature difference (ΔT) between the inside of the cabinet, and the ambient temperature of the environment. The lower the ΔT, the less effective the cooling will be. If the temperature in your facility begins to rise, in the summer, for example, the more issues you can run into. Increased cooling can be achieved with larger air-to-air heat exchangers, but these may be even larger than the enclosure itself.

Image by Daniel Roberts from Pixabay

EXAIR Cabinet Coolers rely on the ΔT between the cold air temperature produced by the Cabinet Cooler (typically ~20°F) and the desired internal enclosure temperature (normally 95°F).  Changes in the ambient temperature will not affect the cold air temperature of the Cabinet Cooler. With our systems, the cooling capacity is only affected by the volume of compressed air supplied (and consequently the volume of cold air produced). This means we can dramatically increase the cooling capacity without affecting the overall physical footprint, which is already much, much smaller than an air-to-air type of unit. It also means that our systems can function at ambient temperatures higher than the desired internal temp. Our High Temp models can operate in environments as hot as 200°F, which is not possible with an air-to-air heat exchanger.

Second, dirt in the ambient environment will impact cooling performance with an air-to-air heat exchanger.  In order for the air-to-air unit to effectively remove heat, the heat pipe must have access to the outside environment. This allows for the possibility for the ambient end of the heat pipe to become covered in contaminants such as dust.  This dust will create an insulation barrier between the heat pipe and the ambient air, decreasing the ability for the heat pipe to condense the vapors within.  Because of this, most air-to-air devices use filters to separate the heat pipe from the ambient environment.  But, when these filters become clogged, access to ambient temperatures is reduced, and the cooling capacity of the air-to-air unit is reduced as well.

EXAIR’s NEMA 12 and NEMA 4/4X Cabinet Coolers are dust and oil tight. In addition, with no moving parts to wear out, or any need to be in contact with the ambient air for the purpose of cooling, a dirty environment poses no problem. As long as only clean, moisture-free compressed air is supplied (which can be achieved with the use of a filter separator), our coolers will run maintenance free for many years.

Finally, air-to-air heat exchangers can have very large dimensions. These bulky solutions can be prohibitive when there are space constraints around the enclosure. On top of that, the time involved, and the modifications to the enclosure that are required to install a large air-to-air unit, and the “solution” may end up bringing additional problems related to installation.

As mentioned earlier, the footprints of EXAIR’s Cabinet Coolers are small, and do not change regardless of cooling capacity. The installation is also very straightforward.

There are many advantages to choosing an EXAIR Cabinet Cooler over an air-to-air heat exchanger. I would love to discuss with you about how an EXAIR Cabinet Cooler can solve problems in your facility. Feel free to give me a call!

Al Wooffitt, Application Engineer
EXAIR LLC

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Press Release: EXAIR’s New ATEX Cabinet Cooler Systems in 316 Stainless Steel

Published on by Tyler DanielLeave a comment

Just in time for the hot summer temperatures! EXAIR is pleased to introduce our 316 Stainless Steel ATEX Cabinet Cooler Systems for protecting sensitive electronics in explosive environments.

The ATEX NEMA 4 (IP 66) Cabinet Cooler Systems are engineered and approved for use on purged electrical enclosures located in ATEX Zones 2 and 22. Zone 2 and 22 are for hazardous gases and dust, respectively. These are locations where an explosive atmosphere is not liable to occur during normal operation, or if it does, is only short-lived (such as in the case of a foreseeable abnormal operation).

EXAIR’s ATEX Cabinet Cooler produces a stream of cold air from just a standard ordinary compressed air supply. This cold air is circulated through the inside of the enclosure to prevent overheating, high temperature faults, and costly shutdowns while continuing to maintain the Nema 4/4X integrity of the enclosure.

All Cabinet Cooler Systems come with an included Auto-Drain Filter Separator that ensures the air is clean and dry. This ensures no contaminants pass into the panel from the compressed air system as well as ensures the Cabinet Cooler remains maintenance-free. With no moving parts to wear out and no refrigerants, the ATEX Cabinet Cooler is a completely maintenance-free cooling solution. You can confidently expect to see many years of operation out of these products.

The ATEX Cabinet Coolers, and all other Cabinet Cooler Systems, are available to ship the same day from stock. Reach out to an Application Engineer today for some help to determine which system is right for you!

Tyler Daniel, CCASS

Application Engineer/International Trade

E-mail: TylerDaniel@EXAIR.com

X: @EXAIR_TD