Tag: panel cooler

ATEX Rated Cabinet Cooler Systems Now Available From EXAIR!

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

In 1815, Sir Humphrey Davy patented an oil lamp for use in coal mines, and coincidentally pioneered the movement to provide safe and reliable products for use in explosion-prone environments. In the days before electricity, miners used lamps that burned fuel oil for lighting. The problem with that was, deposits of underground coal are almost always accompanied by methane gas pockets which, when mixed with coal dust in proximity to an open flame, created terrible and deadly explosions. Davy’s design incorporated a brass net around the wick chamber that let the light out, and let oxygen (necessary for combustion of the fuel oil) in, but if methane entered the wick chamber, it’d extinguish the flame and prevent ignition of the gas outside the lamp.

Industrial growth and the proliferation of electricity that (literally) powered it introduced new hazards in a number of industries other than just mining…which grew exponentially through the 19th century, since coal was the main fuel in electric generating plants. As hazards were identified (usually, unfortunately, by a tragic accident), new and safer products were developed, and eventually, industry professionals implemented controls & standards to make sure these new and safer products were designed, manufactured, and used for the prevention of future tragic accidents.

In North America, the National Electrical Code’s (NEC) system of Classes and Divisions specifies requirements of electrical product testing & use to ensure safety in this regard. In 2014, the European Union created the ATEX Directive, which specifies similar (but not identical) requirements, also aimed at mitigating explosion risks in industrial environments. In 2019, EXAIR introduced our HazLoc Cabinet Cooler Systems, which comply with certain NEC requirements, and we just recently introduced ATEX Cabinet Cooler Systems to comply with that directive.

Both the HazLoc (left) and ATEX Cabinet Cooler Systems are available from stock in NEMA 4 and NEMA 4X ratings.

Like our HazLoc Cabinet Cooler Systems, their ATEX counterparts have been subject to stringent UL testing to ensure compliance with the ATEX Directive. They’re approved for use in areas defined by the Directive as:

  • Zone 2 (an atmosphere where a mixture of air and flammable substances in the form of gas, vapour or mist is not likely to occur in normal operation, but if it does occur, will persist for a short period only) and
  • Zone 22 (an atmosphere where a mixture of air and flammable substances in the form of powder or dust is not likely to occur in normal operation, but if it does occur, will persist for a short period only.)

This fall, EXAIR will celebrate 40 years of dedication to safety and efficiency in engineering & manufacturing compressed air products for a wide range of applications. If you’d like to find out how our Cabinet Cooler Systems – or any of our Intelligent Compressed Air Products – can increase safety and efficiency, and lower sound levels for your compressed air usage, give me a call.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
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Vortex Based Cabinet Coolers vs. Air to Air Heat Exchangers

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

An air-to-air heat exchanger uses the temperature differential between the ambient air surrounding an enclosure and the hot air inside an enclosure to create a cooling effect.  A closed loop system exchanges the heat inside the enclosure with the outside air in an effort to maintain a set internal temperature.  The heat exchange of most air-to-air unit relies on a heat pipe, a heat-transfer device which converts an internal refrigerant liquid into vapor by placing one end of the pipe in contact with the hot environment.  The heated vapor travels to the other end of the pipe which is in contact with a cooler environment.  The vapor condenses back into a liquid (releasing latent heat) and returning to the hot end of the pipe and the cycle repeats.

But, this type of solution does give some cause for concern, especially when considering their use in an industrial environment.  Here are the key points to keep in mind when comparing an air-to-air cooler to an EXAIR Cabinet Cooler.

Cabinet Cooler Family
EXAIR Cabinet Coolers

Required temperature differential based on ambient air temp

An air-to-air heat exchange relies on the ΔT between the ambient air temperature and the internal enclosure air temperature to produce cooling.  If this ΔT is low, or the ambient temperature rises, cooling is diminished.  This means that as the temperatures in your facility begin to rise, air-to-air heat exchangers become less and less effective.  Larger air-to-air heat exchangers can be used, but these may be even larger than the enclosure itself.

EXAIR Cabinet Coolers rely on the ΔT between the cold air temperature from the Cabinet Cooler (normally ~20°F) and the desired internal enclosure temperature (normally 95°F).  The cold air temperature from the Cabinet Cooler is unaffected by increases in ambient temperatures.  The large ΔT and high volume cold air flow produced by a Cabinet Cooler results in more cooling capacity.  And, we can increase cooling capacity from a Cabinet Cooler without increasing its physical footprint, which is already much, much smaller than an air-to-air type of unit.

Cooling in high temperature environments

Due to their nature of operation, an air-to-air heat exchanger must have an ambient temperature which is lower than the desired internal temperature of the enclosure.  If the ambient air has a higher temperature, air-to-air units provide zero cooling.

Cabinet Coolers, on the other hand, can be used in hot, high temperature environments up to 200°F (93°C).

EXAIR's High Temp Cabinet Cooler Systems
High temperature Cabinet Coolers

Cooling in dirty environments

Dirt in the ambient environment will impact cooling performance with an air-to-air heat exchanger.  In order for the air-to-air unit to effectively remove heat, the heat pipe must have access to ambient air.  With any exposure to the ambient environment comes the possibility for the ambient end of the heat pipe to become covered in ambient contaminants such as dust.  This dust will create an insulation barrier between the heat pipe and the ambient air, decreasing the ability for the heat pipe to condense the vapors within.  Because of this, most air-to-air devices use filters to separate the heat pipe from the ambient environment.  But, when these filters become clogged, access to ambient temperatures are reduced, and cooling capacity of the air-to-air unit reduces as well.

Cabinet Coolers have no problem operating in dirty environments.  In fact, it is one of their strengths.  Without any moving parts to wear out or any need to contact ambient air for cooling purposes, a dirty environment poses no problems.  In fact, check out this blog post (and this one) about EXAIR Cabinet Coolers operating maintenance free for years in dirty environments.

exair-cabinet-cooler-03-2002-2008
NEMA 12 Cabinet Cooler in a Dirty Environment

Size and time required to install

Air-to-air heat exchangers vary in size, but even the smallest units can have large dimensions.  Many applications have limited space on the enclosure, and a large, bulky solution can be prohibitive.  Couple this with the time and modification required to the enclosure to install a large air-to-air unit, and the “solution” may end up bringing additional problems.

Another key aspect of the Cabinet Cooler is its size.  Small, compact, and easy to mount on the top or side of an enclosure, Cabinet Coolers install in minutes to remove overheating problems.

Heat within an electrical cabinet can be a major issue for manufacturing companies. The costs associated with downtime and repairs on sensitive electronics that fail due to heat or environmental contaminants, are an unnecessary burden. If you have any questions about how an EXAIR Cabinet Cooler can solve problems in your facility, contact an EXAIR Application Engineer.

Jordan Shouse
Application Engineer

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Video Blog: Cabinet Cooler® System Calculator

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

In may I wrote a Blog Announcing our new Calculator tool on EXAIR.COM! You can read it here!

The Video below will walk you through how to get the information you need to fill the form in, and take you all the way to final where you can add it to your cart!

By providing certain information like size of the enclosure, NEMA rating needed, and environmental conditions, this new calculator will sort through our large selection of ready-to-ship Cabinet Cooler® Systems and provide instant feedback on the best model number for any applicable electrical enclosure.  Taking the guess work out of the equation, EXAIR’s Calculator ensures the customer that they can be confident in selecting the correct product for their unique specifications. You can even Print the form for your records!

If you have any questions or need additional support with the Sizing Calculator please reach out to one of our application Engineers give us a call. Or shoot us an email to techelp@exair.com

Jordan Shouse
Application Engineer

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Electrical Panel Heat Protection: Limitations of Fan Cooling

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

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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