Tag: panel ac

Critical Equipment Needs Reliable Heat Protection

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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.
  • NEMA 12 (IP54), NEMA 4, or NEMA 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.
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
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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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Class I Div 1, Groups A, B, C, and D – Explained

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There are a number of hazards to be considered when using electrical equipment in areas where flammable, combustible, or explosive elements do (or might) exist.  The National Electric Cod (NEC) has a system to delineate areas by Class, Division, and Group, based on the specific nature of the hazard.  There are three Classes, each with two Divisions, and a number of Groups that may apply to each of those Divisions.  Today, we’re going to learn about Class I, Div 1, and the Groups that EXAIR HazLoc Cabinet Cooler Systems are designed for use in.

“Class I” simply means that ignitable concentrations of flammable gases, vapors, or airborne liquids can exist under normal operating conditions.  Examples of such areas include:

  • Refineries
  • Distilleries
  • Fuel storage facilities
  • Spray paint/coating booths

Now, not every single square foot of such areas have ignitable elements in the atmosphere all the time; Class I just means they can have them.  This is where the Divisions come in.

“Div 1” means that these ignitable elements can exist during normal operations, as opposed to “Div 2” which means it’s possible, but not likely.  A good example of the difference here might be a paint booth: inside a paint booth, normal operation is DEFINED as volatile liquid (paint) being discharged into the atmosphere in a spray of fine droplets – hence, that would be Class I, Div 1.  The area adjacent to the paint booth should only have that spray of fine droplets in the air if, say, the exhaust hood of the paint booth failed, or if an operator inadvertently sprayed paint outside the booth, etc…any event or condition that’s possible, but not likely – hence, that would be Div 2.

Not only are hazardous areas classified by Class (nature of the hazardous material,) and Division (likelihood of existence of it,) but they’re further delineated by the type of hazardous material, and these are sorted into Groups.  For Class I (gases, vapors or airborne liquids,) four Groups are applicable.  Materials fall into these groups (with one exception) based on two properties:

  • Maximum Experimental Safe Gap (MESG) – this is a standardized measurement of how easily a gas flame (produced by the ignition of the material) will pass through a narrow gap, bordered by heat-absorbing metal.  
  • Minimum Igniting Current (MIC) ratio, which is the ratio of the minimum electrical current required to ignite the material, by the minimum current required to ignite methane under the same conditions.

Group A is the above mentioned exception.  Because acetylene, of all hazardous materials detailed across the different groups, results in the most violent explosion when ignited, it gets a group all to itself.

Group B is for flammable gases, liquids, and vapors with a MESG less than 0.45mm, and a MIC ratio of 0.40 or less.  Hydrogen, butadiene, ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, and acrolein are popular examples of such materials.

Group C materials have a MESG less than 0.75mm and a MIC ratio less than 0.80 (but greater than 0.40, which would put it in Group B.)  Carbon monoxide, ether, hydrogen sulfide, morphline, cyclopropane, ethyl, isoprene, acetaldhyde and ethylene are some good examples.

Group D consists of all other flammable gases, vapors & liquids with MESG’s over 0.75mm and MIC ratios greater than 0.80.  Gasoline, acetone, ammonia, and benzene are common examples.  Methane is also in Group D, which gives perspective on the materials in the other Groups, which all have a fractionally lower Minimum Igniting Current than methane…the lower the MIC ratio, the lower the current needed for ignition, and therefore, the placement in a more restrictive Group.

EXAIR HazLoc Cabinet Cooler Systems are engineered and approved for use in Class I, Div 1, Groups A, B, C, or D environments.  If you have an electrical panel that needs heat protection in such an area, give me a call.

Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
EXAIR Corporation
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