Calculating Heat Loads to Cool Electronic Cabinets

 With the hot summer months upon us, elevated temperatures can cause shutdowns and interference with electrical systems.  For every 10 deg. C rise above the operational temperature, the life of an electrical component is cut in half.  With Freon-based coolers, higher ambient conditions make them less effective; and opening the electrical panel to have a fan blow inside creates a dangerous hazard as well as blowing hot, humid, dirty air inside the panel.  To reduce loss in production and premature equipment failures, it is important to keep the electrical mechanisms cool.  The EXAIR Cabinet Cooler Systems are designed to do just that.

To find the correct type and size, we need some information about your electrical panel.  EXAIR makes it easy with the Cabinet Cooler Sizing Guide.  This sheet goes over the important details to find heat loads, proper NEMA type, and options for easy installation. The EXAIR Cabinet Coolers range from 275 BTU/hr (69 Kcal/hr) to 5,600 BTU/hr (1,411 Kcal/hr) in cooling capacities.  And with the filled-out form, we can make sure that the correct model is recommended.  In this blog, I will cover a section of the sizing guide, the heat loads.

To properly cool, we need to calculate how much heat is being generated.  Heat loads come from three main areas; internal, external and solar.  Here are some methods to find the information needed for heat load calculations.

Internal Heat Load:  The internal load is the heat generated from inside the electrical panel.  This heat is produced from the inefficiencies of the electrical devices.  There are three ways that we can figure the internal heat load.

Step A: The simplest way is by hanging a piece of metal like a washer inside the panel for about 15 minutes.  We can get an average temperature inside.  The best place for the washer will be toward the top half of the panel, as heat rises.  In the sizing guide, you can mark the temperature next to “Internal temperature now”.

Step B:  if you know the electrical components inside that generate heat, a list can be made with volt/amp ratings, or watts.  This is very useful for new panels.  The major devices would be VFD (Variable Frequency Drives), power supplies, UPS, transformers, thyristors, etc.  We can calculate the inefficiency of the electrical components which will give us the internal heat load.

Step C:  If you know the amount of power going into the panel, and the amount of power leaving the panel, the difference will tell us the amount of power that remains for the electrical components.  We can take a 5% average as the heat loss.

External Heat Load:  The external heat load is attributed to the environment surrounding the electrical panels.  This is a standard temperature reading in oF or oC.  Only with Step A above, we will need to know the external temperature at the time that you measured the internal heat measurement.  This needs to be placed in “External Temperature Now”.  The difference to the internal temperature will give us the heat load per square feet (square meter).  Reference chart below.  We will also need to know the highest external temperature that the panel will see.  So, during the hottest day of the hottest month, the EXAIR Cabinet Cooler will still be able to keep your electronics cool and operational.

Solar Heat Load:  The solar heat is only needed if the panel is located outside without cover and exposed to sunlight.  For this type of heat load, we will need to know the color of the electrical panel.  Lighter colors will not absorb as much heat as darker colors.

Because there is so much information that is critical for proper sizing, the Cabinet Cooler Sizing Guide is the best tool to use to facilitate the calculations.  I gave examples above to find different ways to get the proper information.  Electrical shutdowns are expensive and annoying.  If you have interruptions from high internal temperatures, EXAIR Cabinet Coolers are a great solution.  They can be installed quickly and easily.  With no moving parts or costly preventative maintenance needed, they can run for decades in keeping your electronics cool.  For our U.S. and Canadian customers, you will receive an AC Sensor for free, a $58.00 value, as a promotional item from now until the end of August 2020 with qualified purchases.  How can you not give them a try?  If you have any questions about Cabinet Coolers or the Sizing Guide, you can contact an Application Engineer at Vivek Engineers.

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Safety Air Guns For Convenience, Ergonomics, and…Safety!

 

Today’s blog, dear reader, is all about how easy it is to be using EXAIR Safety Air Guns in your facility.  Because we are all about easy. Here we go:

• Easy hookup: there’s not much to it – all you need is an air hose to run from your compressor, or header, to the Safety Air Gun itself.  These come in different shapes and sizes, depending on what you’re using, and what you’re using it for:
• Compressed air hose: EXAIR can provide reinforced synthetic rubber supply hose in 3/8″ or 1/2″ ID’s, up to 50ft long.  We offer them with 1/2 or 1/4 MNPT fittings.  The 3/8″ ID hoses with 1/4 MNPT fittings are perfect for most of our Safety Air Guns.
• Coiled hose: For convenience and portability, we also have a selection of 12ft long Coiled Hoses, with 1/8, 1/4, or 3/8 MNPT swivel connections.

Easy reach: Sometimes the debris you’re blowing off with a handheld device is just out of reach…or maybe even farther:

• Rigid extensions are available for our Variblast and Soft Grip Safety Air Guns in lengths from 6″ to 72″.  Super Blast Safety Air Guns are about 10-15″ long, but can be fitted with 3ft or 6ft extensions as well.
• You can also get around corners, behind, over, or under obstacles by using a Soft Grip Safety Air Gun fitted with a Stay Set Hose.  You just bend it to the angle you want to blow at, and it “stays set” (as advertised) until you bend it again.

• Easy safety: No matter what kind of day you’re having, if you make it through without needing first aid, you’ve had a better day than some.  While they DON’T take the place of proper eye protection, Chip Shields fitted to an EXAIR Safety Air Gun can prevent sharp pieces from flying back and cutting you.  They also keep chips, dirt, coolant, oil, grease, etc., from getting all over your clothes.

If you want to talk about how EXAIR Safety Air Guns – or any of our engineered Intelligent Compressed Air Products – can make life easier for you, Contact us.

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	Vivek Engineers #22, 1st Floor, 1st Cross, Adj. to IIMB Compound, Bilekahalli Indl. Area,  Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore - 560 076  Ph : 080 -  2648 1309, 4170 1145. Mob : 097404 39220
	Email: sales@vivekengineers.net ,          durga@vivekengineers.net

Super Blast Safety Air Gun Improves Cleanup Process

Normally, calls involving cleanups involve a discussion of how Exair Industrial Housekeeping Products might replace an electric shop vacuum or sump pump, but this one was about replacing a broom…with a Super Blast Safety Air Gun.

Now, the folks at Compressed Air Challenge have a list of Inappropriate Uses Of Compressed Air.  Using compressed air for cleaning is on that list, and Exair couldn’t agree more…as a blanket statement, that is.  Of course, the last paragraph of their document makes it clear that good judgement can, and should, always rule the day: “if safety enhancements, significant productivity gains, or labor reductions will result,” they say, a compressed air solution is certainly worth considering.

See, he works in an equipment service shop.  Their technicians make the company money through billable labor – the time they spend fixing their customers’ equipment.  Of course, they have to spend time on tasks that aren’t billable to jobs…like tool maintenance, paperwork, and keeping a clean shop.  A particular item from a shop audit that caught his attention was the amount of time spent sweeping the floor in the welding area.  Not only did slag & dust get all over the floor out in the open, it accumulated under tables and behind the welding machines themselves.  This meant that technicians had to get down on their hands & knees, and reach brooms under those tables.  Not only was this cumbersome; it wasn’t even 100% effective…when replacing a machine recently, they discovered a surprising amount of debris in a “blind spot” that the broom just couldn’t reach.

After a discussion of the engineered Super Air Nozzles that are available on the Super Blast Safety Air Guns, the caller liked the idea of the Model 1213-7-3.  The hard hitting, tight air flow pattern of the Super Air Nozzle Cluster at the end of a 3 foot extension gave the perfect combination of power & reach for his application.
So, at the end of the day, (literally…that’s cleanup time, right?) a task that previously took about 10 minutes for them was reduced to just under two minutes.  Of course, that doesn’t figure in the cost of the compressed air.  We didn’t need to get in to payroll records, employee benefit packages, etc., to realize that an 80% reduction in labor, improved cleanup (air reaches where the brooms couldn’t,) and worker satisfaction (no more crawling along the floor beside the tables) was worth a nickel a day.

The Super Blast Safety Air Gun can be fitted with a variety of Super Air Nozzles, from our Model 1112 3/4 NPT Super Air Nozzle (4.5lbf at 12″) , to our Model 1120 1-1/4 NPT Super Air Nozzle (23lbf at 12″).

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	Vivek Engineers #22, 1st Floor, 1st Cross, Adj. to IIMB Compound, Bilekahalli Indl. Area,  Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore - 560 076  Ph : 080 -  2648 1309, 4170 1145. Mob : 097404 39220
	Email: sales@vivekengineers.net ,          durga@vivekengineers.net

How to Pick the Right Atomizing Spray Nozzle

 Atomizing spray nozzles atomize fluids with compressed air to create a fine spray in a variety of patterns for a variety of uses. They are commonly used to mark products, paint or coat, cool, reduce dust, lubricate and clean parts.

With the numerous types of Atomizing Nozzles, it can be challenging to sift through all the information. But with a few basic questions you can narrow down the right nozzle type for you and your application:

Are you using a pressurized liquid feed? In some cases, a pressurized liquid source is not available for the nozzle, so you would have to rely on a gravity or siphon fed nozzle. While you lose the complexity of having a liquid pump pressurizing your liquid, you do have a few draw backs. Your siphon height is typically with in 36” so your liquid source has to be fairly close to your nozzle. Siphon fed nozzles are hard to turn off and on, they are best used for applications where you are continuously spraying a low viscosity liquid with a low gph. 

What is the viscosity of the fluid? Another deciding factor is the viscosity of the liquid you are spraying. Different nozzles are designed for different viscosity. For example, two of the main nozzle types are internal mix nozzles and external mix nozzles. They function just like they sound, internal mix nozzles mix the compressed air and liquid source inside the nozzle. And because of this they typically can not spray liquids over 300 cP. And because external mix nozzles mix the liquid and air outside the nozzle, they can handle liquids well above 300 cP.

What is the liquid flow rate in gallons per hour(gph)? Another factor in choosing the right nozzle is if your application has a set gph you are looking to achieve. Some nozzles are designed to flow more liquid then others. For example, the external mix nozzles inherently flow more liquid then the internal mix. As there is less restriction on the liquid flow. If you are looking for even higher gph you can source a liquid only atomizing nozzle, its going to give you a large bump in gph. But your droplet size will suffer with the liquid only nozzles.

What droplet size are you looking for? Fine droplet sizes are one of the primary reasons atomizing nozzles are used. Benefits of small droplet sizes include even coating and liquid conservation. Internal mix nozzles will do the best at providing the smallest droplet size possible. While external mix and liquid only will give you larger droplet sizes but they will give you a larger gph some applications need.  

Should I use a No-Drip option?  The No-Drip option positively shuts off liquid flow when the    compressed air supply is shut off.  One benefit of this is appreciated in coating applications, where an errant droplet of liquid would mar an otherwise smooth, even coating.  Operationally, though, it also means you can precisely turn the liquid flow on & off, in short, quick bursts, up to 180 times a second.
If you are in the need for a Liquid Nozzle to assist in your facility, please reach out!

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	Vivek Engineers #22, 1st Floor, 1st Cross, Adj. to IIMB Compound, Bilekahalli Indl. Area,  Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore - 560 076  Ph : 080 -  2648 1309, 4170 1145. Mob : 097404 39220
	Email: sales@vivekengineers.net ,          durga@vivekengineers.net

Offshore Pipe Welding Cooled with Series of EXAIR Super Air Nozzles

One of the services we provide to our customers, is assistance in selection of the most suitable product solution for their application.  For most applications we have solutions readily available from stock, though that wasn’t the case in the solution shown above.

This configuration of model 1122 Flat Super Air Nozzles is used to cool pipe welds in an application located off the coast of France.  Pipes with an OD of 450mm (~18”) are welded together, and in order for the welds to be of the highest quality, they must be cooled.  To cool the welds, this customer needed to blow ambient temperature air over the pipes.

Initially, we explored a Super Air Wipe solution.  A Super Air Wipe can provide a full 360° blow off for this pipe, but there was an aspect of the application which led to a better solution through nozzles; an irregularity in position of the pipe.

The diameter of the pipes in this application is relatively constant, but there is some fluctuation in position as the pipe is moved.  If using a Super Air Wipe, this could mean contact with a precision machined surface, resulting in a change to the performance of the unit.  But, what if we could find a way to allow the blow off solution to have some “flex”.

“Flex” in this solution is provided through the use of EXAIR model 9053 swivel fittings, shown above with red circles, each used to mount an 1122 Flat Super Air Nozzle (16 of each).  These allow for proper placement of the nozzles, and also for movement if anything should ever contact the blow off solution.

An additional benefit of the EXAIR 1122 nozzles used in this application, is the ability to exchange shims inside the nozzle to increase or decrease the amount of force delivered from the nozzle.

Understanding the critical requirements of the customer led to this semi-custom solution using EXAIR Super Air Nozzles.  If you‘d like to explore an EXAIR blow off solution for your application, contact an Vivek Engineers Application Engineer.

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	Vivek Engineers #22, 1st Floor, 1st Cross, Adj. to IIMB Compound, Bilekahalli Indl. Area,  Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore - 560 076  Ph : 080 -  2648 1309, 4170 1145. Mob : 097404 39220
	Email: sales@vivekengineers.net ,          durga@vivekengineers.net