6 Applications Suitable for a Cabinet Cooling Fan
The cabinet cooling fan is the simplest and most economical thermal management solution for electrical equipment. While its use is limited by the magnitude of heat dissipation in the enclosure and environmental factors, there are certain applications that are best suited for its simplicity and cost-effectiveness. All the applications discussed in this post share common characteristics detailed below:
- Low to moderate heat dissipation.
- Ambient temperature is lower than the desired internal temperature of the enclosure.
- Low relative humidity in the ambient air.
- Little to no particulate contaminants in the air.
- No risk of exposure to potentially harmful environments.
- Compatible with UL Types 12, 1 and 3R enclosures.
Applications for the Cabinet Cooling Fan
Telecommunications
Low power equipment such as routers and telecom receivers are housed in UL Type 12, 1 or 3R enclosures since they have no mechanical moving parts and are not susceptible to damage by deposition of dust or dirt on their shells. Cabinet cooling fans are well-suited to remove the low heat dissipated by this equipment.
Portable Compressor Drives
Variable frequency drives for small compressors used in clean floor applications such as laboratories can be easily cooled by cabinet cooling fans. Filtered fans can handle a small amount of particulate matter in the air. Both metal and plastic filtered fans have easily removable grilles facilitating easy cleaning and replacement of filters.
Small Indoor Data Servers
Data servers and their accessories such as network switches and routers for a small organization can be cooled by a cabinet cooling filtered fan if they are located indoors and not exposed to humidity and contaminants in the air. As the size of the server racks increase, more cooling fans can be added to the enclosure to aid in efficient cooling.
Power Conditioners
Cabinet cooling fans can deliver spot cooling required for most Surge-protectors, Uninterrupted Power Supplies and switches. Positioning a cooling fan in the enclosure over the central transistor bank in these devices ensures that the source of heat dissipation is always exposed to convective heat transfer. Hot spots can be avoided by using internal circulating fans that mix the air in the enclosure.
Media Equipment
Media equipment such as AV receivers, entertainment consoles, and antenna substations typically dissipate low to moderate heat. They are mostly housed indoors in a UL type 1 enclosure that facilitates the use of a cabinet cooling fan.
Control Panels
Industrial control panels for large machinery have a large number of switches, transistors and junction boxes that dissipate a lot of heat. Cabinet cooling fans can be used to remove the heat from these systems. In case a single fan is not able to provide the CFM required for heat dissipation, a bank of fans can be used for cooling. The modularity of cooling fans makes it easier to adapt them to different applications.
If you are looking for a simple, economic and efficient thermal management solution for your application, the cabinet cooling fan is your best bet. To find out if a cooling fan is suitable for your application, contact our expert sales team at Thermal Edge. In addition to filtered cabinet cooling fans, we offer heat exchangers and enclosure air conditioners.
