Tag: hazardous location air conditioner

Environmental Considerations For Cabinet Cooler System Selection

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

An EXAIR Cabinet Cooler System is a durable, reliable solution for protecting panels with electrical and electronic components from heat damage. They install in minutes, and since they’re solely compressed air operated, there are no moving parts to wear or electrical components to burn out. If you supply it with clean compressed air (by installing the Filter Separator that’s included), it’ll run darn near indefinitely, maintenance free.

EXAIR Cabinet Cooler Systems come with the Cabinet Cooler itself (NEMA 12 – left, NEMA 4 – center, NEMA 4X – right), a Cold Air Hose Distribution Kit, Solenoid Valve & Thermostat, and an Automatic Drain Filter Separator.

We even make selection easy – you can fill out a Sizing Guide and submit the data, and an Application Engineer will use it to calculate the heat load and specify the right system for your panel. You can even call in the data – it only takes a minute to do the calculations, and we do it over the phone all the time. Or, for you control freaks Do-It-Yourself’ers, there’s a calculator on our website that’ll take your data and spit out an answer, right away.

It’s, of course, critical to make sure we get you a Cabinet Cooler System with a cooling capacity high enough to handle your heat load, but it’s just as critical to make sure we supply one that’s suitable for the environment in the area of installation. NEMA (National Electric Manufacturer’s Association, the primary trade association that advocates for the industry, and publishes standards for electrical products) delineates a number of ratings that must be complied with to keep anything detrimental in the environment from getting into the panel. While NEMA defines thirteen Non-Hazardous Location Types, EXAIR has three different designs that meet the requirements of almost any Non-Hazardous Location.

We’ve got UL Classified models for heat protection in hazardous locations as well, so you know.

NEMA 12 Cabinet Cooler products are for general industrial environments where no liquids or corrosives are present. They’re dust tight, oil tight, indoor duty.

NEMA 12 Cabinet Cooler Systems are available in cooling capacities from 275 – 5,600 Btu/hr. Side Mount Kits make for easy installation in tight quarters. On right, a Cabinet Cooler System in place for over 20 years still functions at rated capacity.

NEMA 4 Cabinet Cooler products have a low pressure relief valve that closes when the Cabinet Cooler isn’t operating to seal off against liquid ingress. They’re dust tight, oil tight, splash resistant, indoor/outdoor duty.

With their compact design, NEMA 4 Cabinet Cooler Systems can provide cooling for very small – or very large enclosures in spray down areas or outdoor installations. A Cold Muffler comes with all NEMA 4 & 4X Cabinet Coolers.

NEMA 4X Cabinet Coolers are made of 303SS for corrosion resistance. They offer the same environmental integrity as the NEMA 4 models. They’re also available in 316SS for applications requiring higher corrosion resistance.

NEMA 4X Cabinet Coolers are made of stainless steel for corrosive environments. 316SS is available for protection in particularly extreme environments (and when specified in food/pharma applications). High Temperature models can handle up to 200°F (93°C) ambient temperatures, indoors or outdoors.

If you’ve got an electrical panel with equipment that needs safe & reliable protection from heat, and the environment, we’ve got solutions, whatever that environment might be. To find out more, give me a call.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
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UL and EXAIR

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

UL stands for Underwriter Laboratories, a third-party certification company that’s been around for over a century. UL was founded in 1894 and headquartered in Northbrook, IL. UL is a privately held company with over 14,000 employees and located in over 36 countries*. They certify products with the aim of making the world a safer place for both workers and consumers. Besides testing, they set industry standards to follow when innovating new products. 

EXAIR is UL recognized for our Static Eliminators, Cabinet Cooler Systems and Hazardous Cabinet Cooler Systems. The UL Component Recognized mark below is what you will see on our static eliminated products, including our GEN 4 Power Supplies, GEN 4 Ion Bars and Intellistat Ion Air Gun.

If a product or device carries one of these markings, it’s been evaluated for safety by top professionals in the field.**

This mark is seen least often because it is specifically used on component parts that are part of a larger product system. This component mark is used on a wide range of products, including, but not limited to, power supplies, industrial control equipment and many other products. You will notice the “C” and “US” on either side of the main logo indicating the product has been tested for compliance with both Canadian and US requirements.

EXAIR Cabinet Cooler Systems have the “Listed” UL marking indicating that the product meets the requirements and has passed the testing required to gain the mark for specific characteristics.

EXAIR Cabinet Cooler Systems have the following UL Marking indicating they are UL Listed for both Canada and USA requirements.

If a product or device carries one of these markings, it’s been evaluated for safety by top professionals in the field.

EXAIR has NEMA 12, 4 and 4X Cabinet Cooler Systems and each is UL Listed to maintain NEMA Integrity:

NEMA 12 (IP54) Cabinet Coolers: (Dust tight, oil tight) are ideal for general industrial environments where no liquids or corrosives are present.

NEMA 4 (IP66) Cabinet Coolers: (Dust tight, oil tight, splash resistant, indoor/outdoor service) incorporate a low pressure relief valve for both the vortex tube and cabinet exhaust. This valve closes and seals when the cooler is not in operation.

NEMA 4X (IP66) Cabinet Coolers: (offer the same protection as NEMA 4 but are constructed of stainless steel for food service and corrosive environments.

Note: some cabinet Coolers have thermostats that are UL Listed and Solenoids which are UL Recognized.

Our Hazardous Cabinet Cooling Systems have been tested by UL and meet the stringent UL requirements for service in use in Class I, Group A, B, C and D. Class II, Group E, F and G. and Class III. EXAIR Hazardous Cabinet Coolers have a UL Marking as shown below:

UL Classification for EXAIR Cabinet Cooler Systems

UL’s Marks for our Classification service appear on representative samples of products that UL has evaluated with respect to specific properties, a limited range of hazards or suitability for use under limited or special conditions. In the Classification service, UL determines that a manufacturer has demonstrated the ability to produce a product complying with UL’s requirements with respect to; specific risk, specific conditions, compliance to regulatory codes & standards, and/or other conditions as determined by UL.

All products carrying any UL mark are subjected to UL’s Follow-Up Services program to regularly confirm continued compliance with UL’s requirements.

If you have questions about our UL recognized products, please contact myself or any of our Application Engineers. We have someone here from M-F 7AM-4PM EST.

Jordan Shouse
Application Engineer

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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