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.
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