The Importance of Selecting an Electrical Enclosure with Cooling Equipment in Mind

Enclosure-Sizing-for-Electrical-Equipment

Winning the battle of electrical enclosure cooling comes down to heat dissipationand moving that heat away from equipment. Many factors, such as the electrical equipment generating the heat or having the enclosure located outside in a hot environment, will need to be figured into your plans, but the another factor here is the enclosure itself.

Why is proper selection important?

Research clearly shows that for every 18°F rise above the normal temperature of a room, the reliability of electronic components drops by half.

Once a properly sized enclosure for your equipment is selected, you can select the proper cooling system for maintaining the right temperature. An oversized cooling system will cycle too frequently, allow undesirable temperature variation, and will bump up operating costs. Too small of a system will not provide the proper cooling needed inside the enclosure and means you could be risking reduced life of components or even a catastrophic failure.

Those two negative outcomes mean lost production time, and added replacement cost or even worse, a safety issue.

Problems arise from poorly planned enclosures and cooling systems

Careful planning from a design and budget perspective for enclosures and their cooling systems is important because it helps prevent common problems including:

  • Losing efficiency – Oversized cooling systems cool the space too quicly causing the system to operate more frequently and eat electricity. Cycling on and off more frequently wears on everything.
  • Shorter system life – Undersized cooling systems that do not meet the need will allow heat to rise above maximum operating temperatures. No one needs to be told that too much heat leads to failures. You will be replacing electronic components and the small cooling system soon.
  • Controlling humidity – Moisture is not a good thing for electrical components and air conditioners control the humidity. Once again, installing the wrong size air conditioner could allow the humidity inside the enclosure to rise. Moisture leads to corrosion in the enclosure and that will knock out expensive hardware. In addition, many air conditioners do not have the proper disposal system when moisture is removed. Enclosure cooling systems that include an energy saving condensate evaporation system will help resolve this problem and eliminate the need for water drains.

Think about the electrical equipment, the enclosure and the cooling system together

Often, the electrical components consume much of your planning time. However, it is critically important to consider early on what type of cooling system will be needed for thermal management of electrical equipment. The enclosure in which you house these components also has an impact on temperatures, which is why it is important to plan with the electrical components, enclosure, and the cooling system in mind.

In almost all cases, the manufacturer of the cooling system will be able pair the right enclosure with the right cooling system for your equipment. Plus, if you use a cooling system and enclosure from the same manufacturer, most of the measurement and guesswork is eliminated as the electrical enclosure cooling combo has been properly engineered.

Thermal Edge professionals stand ready to assist you in determining the best choices for electrical enclosure cooling. Bring us your next project and we will show you how a great system will add life to your components and save your business money in the long run. The best way to get started is by requesting a quote.