Staying Cool: Increasing the Lifespan of Your Electrical Components

Warm temperatures can wreak havoc on electrical components and other manufacturing machinery. Internal heat will cause the temperature of an enclosure to rise to unacceptable levels if it is not removed. High temperatures affect  drives, PLC's and other automation equipment in a very detrimental way. Heat may cause system failure, thermal aging and reduction in thermo-mechanical cycle life. To prevent catastrophic equipment failure, it is important to be familiar with potential issues and choose possible solutions. By putting these solutions in place in advance of equipment problems, facilities can insure that equipment failures and other negative effects are minimized or even eliminated entirely.  Being proactive is the key and knowing available options before issues occur will insure a positive outcome for important components during the hottest times of the year.

Brands offering products that can support enclosure cooling efforts for manufacturing facilities include Cosmotec, Pfannenberg, Pentair, Ice Qube and Thermal Edge Inc. There are many systems and solutions available for proactively reducing the effects of extreme heat in enclosures.

Enclosure Air Conditioners: designed to work directly inside an enclosure, air conditioners for enclosures can be installed in various positions depending upon need and space availability. They are environmentally friendly and can have features such as digital temperature alarms. There are even enclosure air conditioners designed for hazardous environments.

Enclosure Water to Air or Air to Air Heat Exchangers: These specialized cooling systems convert hot air to cool air or utilize water to convert hot air to cooler temperatures. These unique units operate effectively when mounted vertically, horizontally, internally or externally. The units use a closed-loop system that provides cooling within sealed electronics or industrial enclosures, making them an ideal choice for use in dirty or oil-laden environments. 

Ventilation Systems: There are a large variety of blowers and fans designed to help clear out or circulate air to cool down an enclosure. There are systems from single centrifugal simple blowers to quadruplex centrifugal systems including high pressure varieties as well. These systems are designed to provide airflow in various applications. They are easy to install and operate with equal effectiveness in any mounting position. Blowers and fans come in a variety of sizes and can be installed in many applications making them a very versatile solution.

Condensation Reduction Systems: When condensation accumulates on the interior surface of an electrical enclosure, the chances of damage or failure become considerably higher. Condensation can result in premature aging, corrosion, and short circuiting - if not complete equipment failure.  In order to offset the chances of equipment failure, engineers should implement preventative measures in their enclosure designs. Internal heating systems or light bulbs can help reduce some moisture but has to be balanced so as not to damage the electronics with unnecessary heat. Moisture can be removed through the use of a dehumidifying system which can also help with condensation. The bottom line is that moisture exists and has to be managed in some way so equipment is not damaged.

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