What if it’s hot – I mean, really hot – in the area? The performance of other methods of cooling such as panel a/c, recirculating fans, or heat pipes is directly affected by the ambient temperature: the higher it gets, the lower their cooling performance. This is not the case with Cabinet Cooler Systems – the only variables to their cooling performance are the pressure and temperature of the compressed air supply. And if the temperature can exceed 125°F (52°C), we can provide High Temperature Cabinet Cooler Systems that are suitable for use in environments where the ambient temperature can be as high as 200°F (93°C). These are available, from stock, in cooling capacities of 1,000 Btu/hr and up.
High Temperature Cabinet Cooler Systems are available, from stock, in cooling capacities of 1,000 Btu/hr and up.
Regardless of where your critical electronics or control panels are located, if you need durable, reliable heat protection for them, EXAIR Cabinet Cooler Systems can provide just that. If you’d like to find out more, give me a call.
Russ Bowman, CCASS
Application Engineer Visit us on the Web Follow me on Twitter Like us on Facebook
Electricity and water don’t mix. Electrical and electronic components don’t like many contaminants that can be found in industrial settings, either. Exposure to moisture or dirt are surefire ways to “let the smoke out” – it can be just as bad as letting them overheat. Once that’s happened, replacement of the failed components is usually the only option. THAT can get expensive not only in the cost of the component, but also in the downtime waiting for it to come in…which can be a REAL problem if they’re not in stock.
Luckily, there’s no shortage of cooling devices for electrical panels. They all have certain areas/situations where they’ll work just fine, but most have areas/situations that can cause real problems:
Panel air conditioners work a lot like the a/c in your home or office, and if you’ve ever used window a/c units, they work EXACTLY like those. Since they cool the air as they recirculate it through the space, they have filters to catch any particulate. If the panel isn’t sealed tightly, this filter may very well require regular attention. They also use air from the surrounding environment to condense the hot refrigerant gas:
Evaporator: heat from inside air is transferred to a refrigerant, flashing it from liquid to gas. Compressor: pressurizes low pressure refrigerant gas. Condenser: transfers heat from hot, high pressure refrigerant gas to outside air. Expansion valve: lowers pressure (and temperature) of condensed refrigerant, sending it to the evaporator to continue the heat transfer cycle.
If the condenser coils are exposed to contaminants (dust, oil, chemical vapors, etc.), they’ll be subject to fouling & corrosion, making panel air conditioners more prone to failure in more aggressive environments. Also, since they use air from the environment as a heat sink for the refrigerant, their cooling capacity is inversely affected by the ambient temperature.
Heat Pipe systems also use refrigerant, but they don’t have any moving parts to wear. Since they don’t have a compressor or expansion valve, though, they’re incapable of cooling the panel below ambient temperature. The evaporator fins or coils are also still subject to environmental contamination, so they have the same limitations as a panel a/c system…and are further limited in hot spaces.
Panel fans are easily the least expensive cooling method. They’re usually fitted with filters for the outside air that they move through the enclosure. Like heat pipes, they can’t cool the enclosure to a temperature below ambient for the area, and the filters are still subject to clogging from airborne particulate, and since those filters have to be coarse enough for the fan’s cooling air flow, smaller particulate can still make it inside the panel….along with any vapors or gases that could condense, or worse, corrode components inside the panel. If the fan on a home computer can get as dusty as the one in the photo to the left, imagine how much worse the one on a control panel on a factory floor can get.
Liquid to Air coolers use liquid – the most common being chilled water – for cold fluid flow through coils inside the panel to remove heat, which is then transferred to ambient through a refrigerant chiller, or a fan & radiator. The inside coils are subject to fouling and condensation if the panel isn’t sealed tightly, and the refrigerant chiller has the same limitations as a panel a/c unit. If it uses a fan & radiator, it (like panel fans or heat pipes) can’t cool the panel to less than ambient temperature in the area.
EXAIR Cabinet Coolers have no moving parts and use compressed air as the sole cooling medium, so they’re not affected at all by environmental conditions. When they’re properly installed on a sealed enclosure, the only thing the inside of the enclosure ever sees is clean, cold, moisture-free air. Wherever your panel is, and regardless of the environment, EXAIR has a wide selection of cooling capacities, features, and materials of construction. Consider:
Cooling capacities from 275 to 5,600 Btu/hr. Call me if your heat load is outside this range…we can look at customized solutions too.
Side Mount Kits where space is limited above the panel.
316SS construction for particularly aggressive environments.
UL Classified systems for hazardous locations: Our HazLoc systems are approved for Class I Div 1, Class II Div 1 & Class III areas, and ATEX systems are approved for Zones 2 & 22.
Inside, outdoors, high temperature, dirt/dust/humidity, corrosive and classified environments are no problem for EXAIR Cabinet Cooler Systems
If you need heat protection for electrical/electronic panels, EXAIR has solutions. To find out more, give me a call.
Russ Bowman, CCASS
Application Engineer Visit us on the Web Follow me on Twitter Like us on Facebook
EXAIR now offers from stock ATEX Cabinet Coolers independently tested and certified for installation on purged and pressurized electrical enclosures located in ATEX Zones 2 and 22. Using nothing but an ordinary supply of compressed air, our Cabinet Coolers produce a stream of cold air that’s ducted and directed towards the heat-generating components inside your control cabinets.
Using Vortex Tube technology, these coolers are the ideal cooling method when looking for a maintenance-free solution. As the coolers have no moving parts or refrigerants to leak, you can count on year after year of reliable performance when they’re supplied with clean, oil-free compressed air.
Hot air from inside the panel exhausts through the Cabinet Cooler itself, ensuring that the panel remains sealed off from any environmental contaminants. The ATEX Cabinet Cooler is offered in (8) different cooling capacities ranging from 1,000 Btu/hr – 5,600 Btu/hr. They’re offered in Aluminum, 303 stainless steel, and 316 stainless steel.
Take a look at a previous video for a closer look at the ATEX Cabinet Coolers and how quickly they can be installed:
We have these on the shelf and ready to ship. If you’ve been delaying implementation of a Cabinet Cooler, act fast before we’re in the middle of summer and the blistering heat is causing shutdowns across your plant. Same-day shipping is available with orders placed before 2:00 ET!
I took a call the other day from a customer asking where a replacement Cabinet Cooler could be obtained, immediately, as the control panel on a machine critical to their operation was faulting out due to high temperature. I told him the Model 4030 NEMA 12 2,000 Btu/hr Cabinet Cooler (the one that was installed on the panel) was in stock, and he could have it first thing in the morning.
I also told him we should consider that to be “plan B”, as there were some simple troubleshooting steps that could very well restore the Cabinet Cooler System to proper operation right away. Per the Installation & Maintenance Instructions, the caller installed a pressure gauge at the compressed air inlet of the Cabinet Cooler:
I highlighted “clogged filter elements” for a reason. Turns out, while the header pressure was still 110psig (they had a gauge just upstream of the drop for the Cabinet Cooler supply pipe), the inlet to the Cabinet Cooler was only 65psig, meaning they were only getting about 650 Btu/hr instead of the rated (and required) 1,000 Btu/hr. Since nothing had changed in the compressed air system, they checked the Element in the Filter Separator, and found it was in need of replacement. Luckily, they had a spare element (fortune does indeed favor the prepared), so they were back up & running in a matter of minutes.
Automatic Drain Filter Separators like Model 9004 shown above have 5 micron particulate elements, and centrifugal elements for moisture removal. They’re included with all Cabinet Cooler Systems, and are properly installed upstream of the Thermostat Control’s Solenoid Valve.
This story highlights a major benefit of our compressed air operated Cabinet Cooler products: with no moving parts to wear, or electrical components to burn out, they’ll run darn near indefinitely, maintenance free, as long as they’re supplied with clean compressed air. The customer is leaving the pressure gauge installed on this Cabinet Cooler, with plans to monitor it on a regular basis so they’ll know at a glance when to replace that Filter’s Element.
Good engineering practice calls for point of use filtration and moisture removal, such as that provided by EXAIR Filter Separators.
EXAIR Cabinet Cooler Systems are available, from stock, to suit almost any electric/electronic panel heat protection need:
Cooling capacities from 275 to 5,600 Btu/hr. Call me if your heat load is outside this range…we can look at customized solutions too.
NEMA 12 (IP54), 4, or 4X (IP66) ratings.
Thermostat Control – Standard, or Electronic Temperature Control.
Non-Hazardous Purge for contaminant exclusion on less-than-ideally sealed enclosures.
High Temperature models for ambient temperatures from 125°F (52°C) to 200°F (93°C).
Side Mount Kits, where space is limited above the panel.
316SS construction for particularly aggressive environments.
UL Classified systems for hazardous locations: Our HazLoc systems are approved for Class I Div 1, Class II, Div 1 & Class III areas, and ATEX systems are approved for Zones 2 & 22.
If you have an electrical/electronic panel that needs durable, reliable, and safe heat protection, EXAIR has Cabinet Cooler Systems on the shelf that installs in minutes. If you’d like to find out more, give me a call.
Russ Bowman, CCASS
Application Engineer Visit us on the Web Follow me on Twitter Like us on Facebook
