Tag: panel cooler

New Press Release: Aluminum ATEX Cabinet Cooler Systems

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

EXAIR Cabinet Cooler Systems have been providing durable and reliable heat protection for electrical & electronic panels for decades. With no moving parts to wear or electrical components to burn out, as long as you supply them with clean, moisture-free compressed air, they’ll operate darn near indefinitely, maintenance free.

From right to left: Small NEMA 12, Large NEMA 12, Large NEMA 4X

Among the options we’ve offered with our Cabinet Cooler Systems are:

  • Three levels of NEMA integrity to suit the environment it’ll be installed in:
    • NEMA 12 (dust tight, oil tight, indoor duty)-for general industrial environments where no liquids or corrosives are present.
    • NEMA 4 (dust-tight, oil-tight, splash-resistant, indoor/outdoor duty)-for wash down areas, outdoor installations, etc. Basically, anywhere the panel could get wet.
    • NEMA 4X (dust-tight, oil-tight, splash-resistant, corrosion-resistant, indoor/outdoor duty)-for NEMA 4 environments where the panel is also exposed to corrosive elements. These are also popular (and oftentimes specified) in food and pharmaceutical uses. We offer them in either 303SS or 316SS.
  • Thermostat Control:
    • Our standard offering is a bimetallic probe thermostat, preset to 95°F (35°C) that gets wired in to the ‘hot’ lead of the Solenoid Valve, which gets plumbed to the compressed air supply line. We have 120VAC, 240VAC, and 24VDC Solenoid Valves.
    • ETC Electronic Temperature Control is a digital system with an LED readout for continuous display of the panel’s internal temperature, and the ability to change the temperature setpoint via push button control. ETC systems come in 120VAC and 240VAC configurations.
  • High Temperature Cabinet Cooler Systems. These are rated for use at ambient temperatures from 125°F to 200°F (52°C to 93°C).
  • Non-Hazardous Purge (NHP) Systems. These are Thermostat controlled, but they provide a slight positive pressure in the enclosure even when the Solenoid Valve is closed. They’re particularly well-suited for dirty environments where contamination could enter through small holes, conduits, etc. that cannot be positively sealed.

Over the last few years, we’ve also offered the NEMA 4 & 4X Cabinet Cooler Systems for UL Classified areas. Our HazLoc Cabinet Cooler Systems are rated for Class I Div 1, Class II Div 1, and Class III areas, and they meet the safety standards published by UL in the United States and Canada.

Our latest offering for hazardous locations is our ATEX Cabinet Cooler Systems. ATEX (an initialization of the French term “ATmosphères EXplosives” (explosive atmospheres) refers to a directive by the European Union aimed at safety in such environments. This month’s EXAIR Press Release details our Aluminum ATEX Cabinet Cooler Systems:

NEMA 4 ATEX Cabinet Cooler System safely cools a panel in a Zone 2 (explosive vapor) area of a battery plant.

NEW PRODUCT:  Protect Sensitive Electronics in Explosive Environments with New Aluminum ATEX Cabinet Cooler Systems

            EXAIR’s ATEX Cabinet Cooler® Systems deliver a powerful and affordable solution for keeping electrical enclosures cool in hazardous ATEX classified areas—and they’re now available in durable aluminum construction. Engineered for use in Zones 2 and 22, these coolers are UL-tested, CE compliant, and meet stringent ATEX standards for purged and pressurized enclosures.

            With cooling capacities of up to 5,600 Btu/Hr., ATEX Cabinet Coolers are ideal for preventing overheating in electrical cabinets exposed to explosive atmospheres. Whether you’re dealing with industrial control panels, application-specific electrical boxes, or simply sensitive electronics in hazardous locations, these systems ensure your equipment stays cool, safe and operational. Designed for quick and easy installation, the ATEX Cabinet Cooler mounts through a standard electrical knockout and maintains NEMA 4 integrity even in demanding environments. Optional thermostat controls reduce compressed air usage, while cold air distribution kits ensure even cooling throughout the cabinet.

            EXAIR offers a comprehensive lineup of Cabinet Cooler Systems for NEMA 12, 4, 4X, hazardous location and ATEX applications. Built with no moving parts, every system is CE compliant, UL-listed, and designed for long-term reliability in the most challenging conditions. From control panels and motor centers to laser housings and surveillance equipment, EXAIR Cabinet Coolers protect your investments and keep your operations running smoothly. Prices start at $1,615.

If you have electrical or electronic panels that need cooling in hazardous environments, EXAIR has safe, durable, and reliable solutions. 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

It’s Heating Up!!! EXAIR Cabinet Cooler Promo!!!

Published on by jasonkirbyLeave a comment

It’s that time of year again… Cabinet Cooler season!!! With the temperatures ramping up, so are our promotions! Now through the end of August, with the purchase of any Cabinet Cooler System, you will receive a free AC Sensor. The EXAIR Model 7929 AC Sensor offers a reliable method for non-contact verification of voltage presence. When voltage is detected, the sensor’s tip emits a bright red glow accompanied by an audible alert, ensuring users can easily confirm power to their electrical devices. This versatile tool is suitable for testing various components, including wall receptacles, switches, fuses, and junction boxes. Additionally, it can detect electricity through insulation, making it effective for identifying breaks in power cords and wires.

Now for the Cabinet Coolers!!! EXAIR’s Cabinet Cooler employs Vortex Tube technology to generate cold air from standard compressed air supplies, effectively keeping enclosures free from debris and moisture. Installation is straightforward, taking only minutes through a typical electrical knockout. The Cabinet Cooler Systems come with Nema 12 (IP54) ratings and are offered in various materials, including Aluminum, 303 Stainless Steel, and 316 Stainless Steel, suitable for Nema 4/4X (IP66) rated enclosures. For installations where top mounting is not feasible, Side Mount Kits in the same materials are available. This year, EXAIR has broadened its product range by introducing Hazardous Location Cabinet Coolers and ATEX Cabinet Coolers, catering to customers with specific ATEX compliance needs.

From right to left: Small NEMA 12, Large NEMA 12, Large NEMA 4X

These systems offer cooling capacities ranging from 275 to 5,600 Btu/hr. To simplify your selection process, we provide a Cabinet Cooler Sizing Guide that helps us recommend the most appropriate model for your cabinet. By taking a few quick measurements, we can accurately assess the heat load that needs to be managed and present you with a straightforward solution.

If you have questions about the EXAIR Cabinet Cooler Promo, or anything regarding EXAIR and our products, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Jason Kirby
Application Engineer
Email: jasonkirby@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jk

Critical Equipment Needs Reliable Heat Protection

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

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
Visit us on the Web
Follow me on Twitter
Like us on Facebook

Hot Off The Press (Release): EXAIR Catalog #35

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

If you’re a registered user on our website, you likely got word of this already through our August 15, 2023 Press Release. If not – or even if you did and want some more details – read on, and I’ll tell you all about it.

Like all of our previous catalogs, Catalog #35 provides specification, dimensional, and performance data on all of our stock products. Many of them include detailed descriptions of “textbook” applications for those products. You’ll also find:

  • Efficiency Lab (page 6): If you want a full performance report on a compressed air device you’re using right now, this is a free service we offer. Contact an Application Engineer and arrange to have it sent in. We’ll test it for compressed air consumption, force applied, and sound level, and send you a report on it. It’ll include, of course, the EXAIR engineered product(s) that we’ll recommend, along with performance data on them, as a comparison.
  • Our Six Steps (page 7): The first page of our Optimization section details the Six Steps To Optimizing Your Compressed Air System. It’s not necessary to follow them in order, and not all of them are applicable to every single compressed air system. But if you’re serious about reducing your compressed air costs, this is a comprehensive plan on how to do it for sure.
  • OSHA Maximum Allowable Noise Exposure table & typical Air Consumption values of common “homemade” blow offs (page 53): We put this here so you can turn the next few pages and see what a difference engineered products like EXAIR Super Air Nozzles can make.
  • Droplet Size data (page 98): Use this to determine the suitability of our Atomizing Spray Nozzles for liquid spraying applications.
  • Vortex Tube Specification and Performance tables (pages 201-202): If you know how much cold air flow you need, and at what temperature you need it, you can use these tables to determine which EXAIR Vortex Tube (or other Spot Cooling Product) to use.
  • Cabinet Cooler System Sizing Guide (page 220): Just fill in the blanks & send this in, and we’ll quickly & accurately calculate the heat load of your electrical/electronic enclosure, and specify the right Cabinet Cooler System for you.

Now, if you’ve ever had any of our previous catalogs, you might have noticed that those were already in there, and that’s all pretty great. What’s REALLY great about Catalog #35, though, is some of the new features:

  • Line Vac Conveyance Data (pages 176-177): While there’s WAY too many variables in bulk conveyance applications to accurately calculate conveyance rates. We’ve done some controlled, in-house testing with several different materials, several different Line Vacs, at several different lengths & heights, though, and we’re proud to publish that in the new catalog. This shouldn’t be considered a guarantee of performance, but if you’re wondering how much of a particular bulk material you can convey, this table will certainly get you in the right ballpark.
  • Best Practice for Using EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air Products (pages 239-240): This information has always been in the Air Data files on our website, along with an ABUNDANCE of data that’ll help you get the most out of your compressed air system. Now, it’s at your fingers.

Of course, I’d be remiss if I wrote a whole blog on the new catalog without mentioning the new products:

  • Model 9207 Ultrasonic Leak Detector (pages 18-19): This serves the same function as the now-obsolete Model 9061, but with some handy upgrades like a LED display, a sleek new body, and high quality ear buds.
Use the Model 9207 Ultrasonic Leak Detector’s parabola to find the vicinity of the leak, and the tubular extension to identify its exact location.
  • 1/2 NPT HollowStream Cone Atomizing Nozzles (page 105): With five new distinct models at the high-flow end of our already comprehensive line of Liquid Atomizing Spray Nozzles, these provide up to 53 gallons per minute of liquid flow, and are capable of passing particulate up to 0.344″ in diameter.
The Hollow Cone spray pattern is ideal for cooling, cleaning, foam breaking, rinsing, and dust suppression. It also uses considerably less liquid than the OmniStream models, when higher flow rate isn’t necessary.
EXAIR’s ATEX Cabinet Cooler Systems provide heat protection for electrical enclosures in potentially explosive atmospheres, like those found on offshore drilling platforms, petrochemical plants, mines, flour mills, etc.

Like our previous catalogs, Catalog 35 is now available for download (in product line sections due to file size) from the PDF Library at EXAIR.com. You can also request a copy to be mailed to you, or you can contact an Application Engineer to have individual product line sections (again, because of file size) email to you right away.

As always, if you’d like to talk about how to get the most out of your compressed air system, our team of Application Engineers are here Monday to Friday, 7am to 4pm Eastern, to help with that. Give me a call.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
Visit us on the Web
Follow me on Twitter
Like us on Facebook