Tag: heat protection

Electrical Panel Heat Protection: Limitations of Fan Cooling

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In preparation for some labor-intensive outdoor projects, I did some research into heat-related health risks, and their prevention. My first thought on prevention was getting someone else to do it, but my wife made a good case for “pride in ownership”, and I DO have a good many tools suitable for these projects. Also, I am notoriously frugal, so after getting a couple of estimates, I realized the value in a little DIY (do it yourself) and commenced planning.

High on that list of risks was the possibility of heat stroke. It’s recommended that the victim be taken to a cool space (someplace air conditioned, for example). Air flow (like from a fan) can help too, but only if they’re taken someplace where the ambient temperature is less that 95F (35C). If it’s that hot, the air flow can actually make things worse, since heat transfer requires a difference in temperature. If the cooling medium (air, in this case) is the same temperature as the object to be cooled (the human body, in this case), no heat will be transferred – and the heat stroke wins. That’s a bad day in the back yard.

This is, in fact, the exact same limitation with a popular method of electrical panel cooling: fans. We’ve been using mechanical methods of imparting motion to air for cooling purposes for a long, long time: Blowing on a spoonful of soup or a cup of coffee before a warm (but not scalding) sip, waving hand fans at oneself during indoor gatherings, installing electric fans in those same buildings, and the list goes on. Fans are inexpensive to purchase & operate, come in a variety of sizes & configurations, and are oftentimes used to circulate cooling air through occupied rooms, confined spaces, and, of course, electrical & electronic panel enclosures.

These are quite effective for panels with moderate-to-high internal heat loads, as long as the ambient area temperature is less than the temperature you wish to cool the panel’s internal air to. In those situations, the only real concern is the quality of the air in the environment. As you can see in the photo to the right, filters are an absolute “must”, and they’re going to require regular maintenance. This means cleaning or replacing the filters, as well as cleaning the fan grills and blades themselves. It’s still very likely that some of that dust is going to get inside the enclosure, and while we’re on the subject of environmental contamination, so will humidity. I probably don’t need to tell you that dirt and/or water, and electricity, don’t mix.

There are other methods of cooling (panel a/c, thermoelectric coolers, water cooled heat exchangers, heat pipes, etc.) that limit environmental contamination, but they’re still going to need periodic (oftentimes frequent) attention: filters will clog, refrigerant coils will get fouled and corrode, moving parts will wear, motors & switches will burn out, etc. Even with the advances made in refrigerant technology, the leaks that panel a/c and heat pipes are prone to are still bad for the environment.

If this sounds like your environment, and you’re looking for safe, dependable, durable heat protection, look no further than EXAIR Cabinet Cooler Systems. Using the Vortex Tube phenomenon, they generate cold air from your compressed air supply, with no moving parts to wear or electric devices to burn out. Systems are on the shelf & ready to ship in cooling capacities to 5,600 Btu/hr. We also “tailor-make” systems for higher heat loads, from stock products, that can usually ship right away as well. Once installed on a sealed enclosure, the only thing the internals of that enclosure are ever exposed to again is clean, moisture free, cold air. All of our Cabinet Cooler Systems come with an Automatic Drain Filter Separator – the only preventive maintenance that’s ever required for the systems is the periodic replacement of the filter’s particulate element.

Inside, outdoors, high temperature, dirt/dust/humidity, corrosive and classified environments are no problem for EXAIR Cabinet Cooler Systems

We can quickly and accurately specify a Cabinet Cooler System to meet your needs with just a few key pieces of information – you can fill out a Sizing Guide (or complete one online) and send it in to us, or you can call an Application Engineer with the data. It only takes a minute to do the calculations, and we do them over the phone all the time. Installation is straightforward and usually only takes a matter of minutes. We have a number of short “how to” videos on our website that cover all aspects of installation, and if you ever have specific questions or concerns, an Application Engineer is a phone call away. We look forward to hearing from you!

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
EXAIR Corporation
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Non Hazardous Purge Cabinet Cooler Systems

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Last fall, when our youngest “flew the coop” and moved into a dormitory to begin his college experience, my lovely bride and I also embarked upon an exciting adventure: finding, purchasing, and moving in to our “empty nest” dream house.  While packing up the contents of the house where we had raised a United States Marine AND a hippie college student, I moved my trusty laptop from its perch on a desk in a dark basement corner, where it had resided, in that one spot, for more than a couple years.

As I was looking for its carrying case, I noticed the fan grill was almost completely obscured with more than a couple years’ worth of environmental contamination (or dust).  I vacuumed out the grill, but wondered how much more environmental contamination (dust) had made its way into the deep recesses of the laptop…and more importantly, what might it be doing to the sensitive electronics inside my trusty internet browsing device?

If a computer’s fan in a residential environment can get this dusty, imagine how much worse a control panel on a factory floor can get.

I know I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know, but electronics and dust don’t mix.  We have this conversation a LOT with callers inquiring about our Cabinet Cooler Systems.  The protection they offer against environmental contamination is integral with the protection they offer against heat.  In the panel cooling market, our Cabinet Cooler Systems are unique in that respect: a total protection solution.

When properly installed on a sealed enclosure, the only thing the inside of that enclosure is ever exposed to is cold, clean, moisture free air.  But what if the enclosure can’t be completely sealed?  One option is to use a Continuous Operation Cabinet Cooler System.  It works just as the name implies:  cold air is continuously flowing into the enclosure, creating a constant purge flow…if that cold air is blowing out of any openings in the enclosure, there’s no way for environmental contamination to get in.  Problem solved.

Well…almost.  Something else I’m sure you already know is, compressed air is costly.  Organizations like the Compressed Air & Gas Institute (CAGI) and the Compressed Air Challenge (CAC), who are devoted to optimizing industrial use of compressed air, have lists of “inappropriate uses of compressed air”, and panel cooling is on that list…EXCEPT when they’re thermostatically controlled.  At EXAIR, we couldn’t agree more, and if a caller asks any of us Application Engineers about a Continuous Operation Cabinet Cooler System, they’re inviting us in to a conversation about that.

Sometimes, the initial question is cost…well, we have to pay for the components that make up the Thermostat Controls, so we ask our customers who want those products to as well.   A quick conversation about the operating cost of continuous operation vs thermostat control is usually all that’s required in those cases.

Other times, a panel that can’t be sealed is installed in a particularly dusty or dirty environment, and they want the continuous flow of cold air, as described above, to keep those contaminants out.  A Continuous Operation Cabinet Cooler System will, of course, do that.  But EXAIR wants you to get the most out of your compressed air use, so we developed a “best of both worlds” solution: Non-Hazardous Purge Cabinet Cooler Systems.  Here’s how they work:

  • Based on a few key pieces of data that you can submit in our Cabinet Cooler Systems Sizing Guide, we’ll specify the appropriate Cabinet Cooler System to manage that heat load.
  • The system will be thermostatically controlled: a bimetallic Thermostat, mounted inside the panel, will open and close the Solenoid Valve plumbed in the compressed air supply to operate the Cabinet Cooler as needed to maintain temperature inside the panel.
  • The Solenoid Valve is modified to pass a small amount of air flow (1 SCFM) even when it’s closed.  This saves you from using the full rated air consumption of the Cabinet Cooler when cold air isn’t required, and still maintains enough purge air flow to prevent environmental contaminants from entering a less-than-ideally-sealed enclosure.

Whatever you do, DON’T do THIS to your panel.

The Non-Hazardous Purge option is just one way that EXAIR Corporation can help you address specific environmental challenges that may be presented in electrical and electronic panel cooling applications.  If you’d like to find out more, give me a call.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
EXAIR Corporation
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Reliable Heat Protection Right Now: The EXAIR Cabinet Cooler System

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Electrical and electronic devices can be finicky creatures.  Shutting them away inside a sealed enclosure keeps dust, fumes, and humidity away, but it’s about the worst thing you can do to them, heat-wise.  If you don’t provide some means of cooling, they’re going to simply burn up, and you’ll have to replace them.  If they’re critical for your operation, you better keep a spare, because they’re not always on the shelf, and they’re not even always in the country.

Conventional wisdom, then, says you should provide some method of cooling.  You can use a vented enclosure, with a fan & louvers, assuming it’s not in a spray down/wash down area.  But if it’s in a dusty and/or humid and/or fume-ridden area, well, you’ve just compromised the reason you put them in an enclosure in the first place.

Refrigerant based panel coolers are prolific…they come in all shapes & sizes, and they’re probably sold by the folks you got the electrical panel from.  Thing is, they can be susceptible to the same dust, fumes, and humidity that you’re trying to keep from wrecking what’s inside the enclosure.  If the filters get clogged, the tubes get fouled, a refrigerant leak develops, the motor burns out, the compressor fails (just to name a few potential problems,) we’re back to recommending keeping spare parts around, or, even worse, opening up the panel for emergency cooling…

Don’t let this happen to you, or your control panels!

We talk to folks all the time who are looking for a better method of heat protection for the finicky gear inside their control panels, and the one common factor is reliability.  They all simply want something that works.  All day and every day.

So we introduce them to EXAIR Cabinet Cooler Systems.  They’re compressed air operated and have no electric motor to burn out.  They have no moving parts to break down, no filters or tubes to clean, no refrigerant to leak.  They install in minutes, and if you supply them with clean, moisture free air, they’ll run darn near indefinitely maintenance free.  And the only thing the inside of your panel will ever see is cold, clean, moisture free air.

Oh, and there’s no need for spare parts…other than filter elements for the compressed air supply.  Barring catastrophic physical damage, again, there’s really nothing to go wrong with them.

One last thing, which prompted me to write this blog today:  They’re on the shelf and ready for immediate shipment, unlike the refrigerant based panel cooler that a caller earlier today was looking to replace…their vendor was 2-3 weeks away from getting them one, which was 2-3 weeks longer than they could afford to wait.

This NEMA 4 Dual Cabinet Cooler System protects a critical equipment panel on a hot roll steel line.

It’s getting warmer by the day here in the Northern Hemisphere, so I expect calls about panel cooling will be increasing.  Not to worry; we’re ready for it.  If you want to find out more about reliable heat protection for your electronics, drives, and other critical components, give me a call.

Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
EXAIR Corporation
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EXAIR’s Cabinet Coolers Provide Heat Protection 24/7

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

I had the pleasure of speaking with the Maintenance Manager at a manufacturing plant for a global automotive supplier earlier this week. They have a whole factory floor full of machinery that operates from PLC controls. The space is not climate controlled, and the temperature broke 100°F the day before. This triggered some high temperature warnings on several control panels, but that was the worst thing that happened…luckily.

It should go without saying that the automotive industry is a big deal in the United States…maybe even a bigger deal here in the Middle Atlantic region, and a HUGE deal for those of us within a few hour’s drive of Detroit, Michigan…the home of the Big Three.  Disruptions in their supply chains can affect not only the final production of automobiles, but also other suppliers, vendors, and service providers in separate “links” of that chain.  So, if my caller has a breakdown and can’t ship parts, many other suppliers’ lines may be slowed or stopped, because if Detroit can’t make cars without one supplier’s parts right now, they won’t need the others’ parts right now either.  That means reliability is paramount.

Even in extremely aggressive environments, an EXAIR Cabinet Cooler System is a durable, reliable heat protection solution for your sensitive electronics and controls.

This is a “textbook” situation for EXAIR Cabinet Cooler Systems.  They’re installed in minutes, have no moving parts, and require only a supply of compressed air for operation.  If that air is clean & dry, they’ll operate darn near indefinitely, maintenance free.  Thermostat Control turns them off & on as needed.  I’ve talked to more than a few users who were (pleasantly) surprised when a Cabinet Cooler System activated on the first hot day in the spring, after not seeing it come on at all, after that last hot day near the end of the previous summer.

Back to the situation at hand – the Maintenance Manager had gathered Sizing Guide data for a couple of enclosures.  You can submit it through our website, or email it in, but it only takes a minute; we do it over the phone all the time.  So I did, and quoted the appropriate Cabinet Cooler Systems, which were ordered soon after.  They were installed the next day, with a promise of more to come.

EXAIR Cabinet Cooler Systems are widely recognized as an ideal solution for electrical & electronic panel heat protection.

As if quick, easy, and reliable heat protection for sensitive and critical electronics isn’t enough, we’re sweetening the pot this summer:  order any EXAIR CAbinet Cooler System by July 31, 2018, and we will include a FREE AC Sensor, suitable for testing breakers, receptacles, switches, fuses, junction boxes, power cords – if it’s got (or should) have AC voltage going through it, the AC Sensor will light up and sound off (or not) to let you know for sure.

Click here for full details on this promotion!

If you have electrical or electronic equipment enclosures that need heat protection, EXAIR has the solution.  Call me.