7 Most Common Enclosure Cooling Questions Asked by Thermal Edge Customers

From OEMs to facility managers and lead engineers, our customers ask us questions us common questions about enclosure cooling. Here are seven of those common questions.

1. How Do I Calculate the Heat Load and Why Is It Important?

It’s important to figure the heat load of the enclosure early in the project because this determines the capacity of the cooling system. The easiest method is to use the equipment manufacturers’ manuals and find heat loss figures. Unfortunately, these are not often readily available, so look for the device’s power consumption and multiply by one minus the device’s efficiency to calculate the loss..

2. What Does Closed Loop Cooling Mean?

A closed loop cooling system is one where air inside the enclosure has no direct contact with outside air. Cooling equipment, such as an air conditioner, uses an indirect method of cooling by absorbing heat through the evaporator and discharging it to the ambient air through the condenser coil. An air to air heat exchanger is another example of closed loop cooling. Closed loop cooling is required for sealed NEMA 12, 4 and 4X enclosures.

3. What Is an Air To Air Heat Exchanger?

An air to air heat exchanger uses a heat pipe to remove heat. The pipe is partially evacuated and contains a refrigerant that absorbs heat by boiling. Heat is released to the ambient air at the top of the tube where the refrigerant condenses. The system uses no power apart from two circulation fans.

4. How Can I Cool Equipment in Very Dusty Environments?

The best method of cooling an enclosure in dusty environments is to fit a closed loop cooler to a sealed NEMA 12 or NEMA 4 enclosure. If an air conditioner is used, the condenser inlet must be protected by heavy duty filters so that air flow through the condenser coil is maintained. In less dusty locations a filtered fan system may be adequate.

5. How Do I Get Rid of Condensate from Air Conditioners?

An air conditioner always generates condensate unless the air is very dry. Air passing over the evaporator coil is cooled to a temperature below the dew point and water condenses onto the coil. Many vendors simply discharge the condensate through a drain onto the floor, but Thermal Edge uses a novel energy saving condensate evaporation system that evaporates the condensate into the ambient air.

6. What Causes Condensation in an Enclosure in Winter?

During winter, the relative humidity of the air is high, especially after rain. At night, ambient temperatures fall to a temperature below the air’s dew point and water condenses on the cool internal walls inside the enclosure. This is undesirable and a hazard: the solution is to fit a heater package that will keep the air temperature inside the enclosure above the dew point.

7. How Do I Know if my Enclosure Air Conditioner Has Tripped?

Although Thermal Edge designs its air conditioners carefully, any fault that causes the unit to trip will allow the enclosure to heat up, possibly leading to equipment failure. Thermal Edge offers several solutions. A dry contact for local alarm activation or remote control and monitor systems for PLCs or PCs.that can also send an SMS or email message to maintenance personnel.

Thermal Edge Support

Should you have any other questions, our sales and support staffs are only a phone call away and would be delighted to answer these questions and resolve any concerns you may have about enclosure cooling systems.