Early Planning Helps Avoid Problems Later!
At Kooltronic, we recognize that common components used in electronic and industrial equipment enclosures produce unwanted heat. This presents the problem of dissipating the heat generated before damage can occur to sensitive parts. In many cases, the problem can be solved by ventilation -- using simple air moving devices such as enclosure cooling fans and blowers. However, in an increasing amount of applications, the available ambient air is contaminated or too warm to be used for the safe dissipation of the unwanted heat. Under these conditions, the life expectancy and performance of sensitive electronic components may be adversely impacted, often causing equipment malfunctions, slowdowns, or failures. For such applications, where ambient air cannot be used, a heat exchanger or enclosure air conditioner is the best choice.
In order to create the optimum environment for the application, an evaluation of the anticipated operating conditions and thermal requirements of the equipment (or system) must be completed.
Here are some good questions to ask:
After all of the application-specific factors are determined, a decision can be made about the type of ventilation or cabinet cooling required, and which equipment provides the most appropriate performance and cost-effective solution. A little time and effort spent early in the design process to choose the optimum cooling equipment can save a lot of trouble and expense later, as this would prevent the need to retrofit with proper thermal management devices in the field.
Fans: Enclosure cooling fans occupy minimal electrical cabinet space and will move a substantial volume of air where flow is virtually unimpeded. Packaged fans can be used for filtered panel or rack-mounted cooling in such applications.
Blowers: Centrifugal and radial blowers are designed to operate against higher static pressures. Packaged blowers provide compact, filtered, rack-mounted cooling in a variety of airflow configurations.
Heat Exchangers & Air Conditioners: In applications where equipment operating temperatures must remain near or below that of the surrounding ambient air, or where airborne contaminants pose a threat to electronic components, the enclosure interior must be isolated from the external environment. For such applications, a sealed enclosure with a heat exchanger or closed-loop air conditioning unit is required. Heat exchangers are recommended for equipment which can tolerate operating temperatures moderately higher than ambient, while air conditioners are required where equipment temperatures must be maintained at or below ambient.
