Your electrical equipment needs to be sheltered from harsh environments and extreme conditions. Electrical enclosures do a great job of keeping the electronics shielded from contaminants, such as dirt or moisture. But what about the heat produced by the equipment themselves? Choosing the right cabinet cooling system will help decrease unplanned maintenance by keeping the equipment in proper operating conditions. Continue reading →
When you are looking for an efficient method for enclosure cooling, a heat exchanger is a good solution for a few different reasons. Not only is a heat exchanger energy efficient, but it allows you to maintain a completely closed loop enclosure cooling solution. The way a heat exchanger operates is by employing a heat pipe principle to exchange heat from an electrical enclosure to the outside. The waste heat is actually the engine that drives the system.
If you want to extend the life of expensive electrical equipment and keep it running efficiently for years to come, you need to consider thermal management solutions that are reliable.
As you know, thermal management is becoming more and more critical as many components and control panels have higher heat loads than in the past. That heat needs to be dissipated properly and efficiently in order to maintain a reliable electrical system. When planning your next project, consider these thermal management solutions in your industrial electrical design plans:
When you require enclosure cooling for your sensitive electronic equipment, dealing with the outdoor elements can complicate things slightly. Without the constant ambient environment present as in most indoor facilities or the shelter provided by the building to shield the enclosure from precipitation and other outdoor elements, the enclosure can be subjected to much more extreme conditions when placed outdoors. Here are some things to keep in mind when planning and designing your electrical enclosure cooling system to be located outdoors.
A NEMA type 4 or 4X closed loop cooling system will prevent any moisture from entering the enclosure during closed-door operation, and dirt and dust from the surroundings will also be kept out. Even so, any time the door is open for emergency repairs or routine maintenance, contaminants have an opportunity to enter the enclosure.
When constructing the enclosure, consider the prevailing wind direction, and orient the door away from the wind, so dirt and dust will not be blown directly into the enclosure. Also consider a secondary shield, such as a tarp or awning that can be erected around the enclosure when repairs will be performed. This way the enclosure will remain cleaner and drier when the door is open.
The use of electrical equipment has revolutionized the electrical industry by reducing costs and making sophisticated electrical control systems practical. Examples include variable frequency drives, PLCs, and electrically controlled circuit breakers. Continue reading →
If you are a project or maintenance engineer needing to purchase enclosure cooling systems, it is important that you spend time preparing a detailed specification before initiating an inquiry. This relatively simple task will ensure you get a cooling system that will meet your needs with appropriate approvals. Here are some tips for writing a specification for enclosure cooling systems. Continue reading →
The pervasive use of electronics in control systems requires not only technical maintenance of functionality and software, but it raises the priority of temperature control inside electrical enclosures to the top of your to-do list. Continue reading →
Electrical control panels, working in busy industrial applications, serve as the nerve center for many businesses. They are a critical piece of equipment that can ring up some expensive downtime if they are not monitored, maintained and cooled properly.
Most of the enclosures that house electrical control panels find themselves in hot and dusty areas, two potentially damaging factors that must be mitigated when choosing to employ the right enclosure cooling techniques.
Depending on who you might speak with, more than 100,000 new materials have been developed over the last 50 years. If the task facing you involves material selection for electrical components working in an industrial application, that job could be complicated to say the least. Continue reading →
