CASE STUDY: CUSTOMER SPECIFICATION/CHALLENGE
A manufacturer buys large blocks of self-adhesive foam tape and cuts them into narrower strips to meet customer requirements. A water-based mist is used as a lubricant for the cutting machines. Fans were installed in the cutting machine control panels to keep the electronics cool. During the summer months, the fans simply drew hot, humid, and misty air into the control panels, causing short circuits in the air conditioning drives and power supplies. This resulted in production stoppages and delivery delays until the control panels could be repaired.
THE SOLUTION
The system and process manager contacted us and spoke with an application engineer. Together, they determined the total heat load in the housing based on the inputs and the compressed air conditions. The best solution was the Vortex A/C 7715 The NEMA 4/4X enclosure cooler is a model that uses 15 scfm of compressed air to generate 900 btuh of cooling and requires no electricity to operate. A built-in mechanical thermostat maintains the enclosure temperature between 80 and 90 °F (27 to 32 °C). In addition to cooling the panel, the 7715 also provides a slight pressurization during operation to keep humid air, mist, and other contaminants out of the enclosure, protecting the internal electronics.
THE RESULT
The company bought the Vortex A/C 7715 and installed it on the first cutting machine controller. Mounting the Vortex A/C required only a single 49mm hole in the enclosure, making installation quick and easy. Although the 7715 is self-venting (to prevent overpressure), they installed a second vent to monitor the temperature and humidity of the air exiting the enclosure. The results were immediately apparent: the relative humidity inside the enclosure dropped from 55% to 10%, and the temperature remained between 26 and 28°C.
HOW A/C COOLERS WORK
The Vortex A/C The Vortex A/C uses compressed air and vortex tube technology to generate clean, dry, cold air at low pressure to cool the electronic enclosure. It employs a built-in, non-adjustable mechanical thermostat to monitor the temperature inside the enclosure. The thermostat regulates an air valve to the Vortex cooler to maintain the enclosure temperature between 27 and 32°C. The Vortex A/C incorporates vents that release the cooled air from the enclosure once it has cooled down. The cold air slightly pressurizes the enclosure to keep out contaminants or moisture. All models can be mounted on the top or side of an enclosure and can be installed in minutes.
All Vortex air conditioning models They are UL listed and classified as UL Type 4/4X. They are available with cooling capacities from 900 to 5000 BTUH (263 to 1465 watts).
Vortec also offers UL Type 12, HazLoc and ATEX case coolers.
Are you unsure what would make sense for your production? Contact us – one of our application engineers will be happy to assist you with product selection!
Source: Vortex Cooling Ensure Low Cabinet Humidity (vortec.com)