Logo
Contact Us! 609-466-3400
  • Home
  • Products
    • Air Conditioners
    • Centrifugal & Packaged Blowers
    • Fans and Fan Trays
    • Heat Exchangers
    • Custom Cooling Design
    • Enclosure Accessories
    • Spare/Replacement Parts
    • Product Documentation
  • Industries
    • All Industries
    • Self-Service Kiosk
    • Food & Beverage
    • Water Treatment
    • Industrial Manufacturing
    • Medical Technology
    • Infrastructure
    • Hazardous Locations
  • Sizing
  • About Us
    • About Kooltronic
    • Kooltronic and the Environment
    • Virtual Tour
    • Kooltronic Timeline
    • Quality Standards
    • Services
    • Careers with Kooltronic
  • Contact Us
    • Sales Team
    • Contact Us
    • After Sale Kare (ASK)
  • Blog

Kooltronic Blog

Heat Exchangers: The Mysterious Cooling Alternative


Heat Exchangers: The Mysterious Cooling Alternative Photo

When discussing cooling options, heat exchangers are a product that is often overlooked. The reason for this is many people are simply not as familiar with them compared to other options, such as air conditioners or fans. Yet, in many cases, this option may be the most economical and efficient solution to cooling. So, what exactly is a heat exchanger? How do they work? For which applications are they best utilized? What guidelines need to be considered?

 

While air conditioners are required when equipment temperatures must be maintained below ambient, heat exchangers are recommended to cool equipment that can tolerate operating temperatures marginally higher than ambient. Both of these options can be considered for enclosures located in areas where airborne contaminants pose a threat to the internal electronic components, and the enclosure interior must be isolated from the external environment.

One of the most important factors in determining whether a heat exchanger will satisfy the requirements of a specific application is the temperature that needs to be maintained.  For installations that can operate at above-ambient temperatures, heat exchangers provide a moderate-cost closed-loop cooling option. Available in both air-to-air and water-to-air versions, there are models covering a wide range of cabinet sizes and performance capacities. Depending upon the model selected and the heat load, near-ambient temperatures are often achievable.

 


 

There are different methods Kooltronic heat exchangers use to discard heat:

 

 

 

AIR-TO-AIR

Advanced air-to-air heat exchanger designs for cooling enclosures include two types of heat transfer methods. One design consists of a finned-tube coil which contains liquid refrigerant. The warm air exhausted from the equipment cabinet to the heat exchanger is directed past the coil, causing the refrigerant to boil and absorb heat. The resultant refrigerant vapor rises to the upper portion of the tubes, where the heat is removed by the cooler ambient air and the refrigerant condenses back to liquid, completing the cooling cycle in a continuous process. Some heat exchanger designs employ high-efficiency heat transfer elements fabricated of embossed convoluted metal foil or thin-film polymer material, constructed into two separate air paths. The air leaving the hot enclosure is directed through one side of the exchanger, where the heat passes through the element walls into the ambient-side air stream and is dissipated. Figure 1 illustrates heat transfer in air-to-air heat exchanger applications.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WATER-TO-AIR

If ambient air cannot be utilized directly as a cooling medium, another cost-effective method of cooling is a water-to-air system (Figure 2). In this system, water is used to remove heat from air circulated within the electrical enclosure. Cooling water is circulated through a finned-tube coil, which is installed in a compartment isolated from the enclosure to protect the contents from possible leakage. As the heat-laden air circulates through the coil, the heat is absorbed by the water and carried away, in a continuous process. Water-to-air systems are easy to install and usually require minimal maintenance. The water used must be reasonably clean and cold enough to ensure proper operation of the cooling system under the most severe anticipated conditions. In some cases where ample cold water is available, below ambient-temperature cooling can be achieved.

 

 

 

 

Topics: Cooling Basics, Heat Exchangers

Steve Coulton Photo
Written by Steve Coulton

Steve is Sales and Marketing Manager at Kooltronic

Posts by Topic

  • Air Conditioners (14)
  • Case Studies (1)
  • Cooling Basics (16)
  • Fans and Blowers (8)
  • Heat Exchangers (7)
  • Kiosk Cooling (5)
  • Maintenance (5)
  • Testimonials (1)
Most Popular Posts

  • Heat Exchangers: The Mysterious Cooling Alternative
  • The Challenges of Cooling Enclosures in Outdoor Applications
  • Best Practices for Cooling Outdoor Kiosks
  • Common Enclosure Cooling Terms You Should Know
  • Electrical Enclosure Heaters - The Cure For Condensation
  • Everything You Need to Know About NEMA Ratings When Cooling an Enclosure
Free eBook link
Contact Us link
Footer logo
Monday, January 25, 2021  
©2021 Kooltronic, Inc. - All rights reserved.
Terms of Use
Contact Info:
Kooltronic, Inc.
30 Pennington-Hopewell Road
Pennington, NJ 08534 USA
609-466-3400
800-321-KOOL
Contact Us
Popular links:

Product Sizing and Selection
Catalogs/Brochures
Virtual Plant Tour
Sales Team
Kooltronic Blog

LinkedIn profile icon Twitter profile icon YouTube profile icon Facebook profile icon Kooltronic Blog icon
ISO-9001 logo Made In USA logo