What Is a Panel Cooler?
A panel cooler is a device used to cool electrical control panels and electronic equipment.
Electrical control panels are devices used to control machines and processes, and there is a risk of internal equipment malfunctioning due to high temperatures or overheating. Panel coolers are used to maintain the temperature inside such control panels within an appropriate range.
Many products use a heat exchanger or cooling system to exhaust the heat inside the control panel to the outside. Simpler products are also available that simply use a fan to draw in outside air. This ensures that the ambient temperature inside the control panel does not rise and that the temperature conditions necessary for equipment operation are maintained.
However, when installing a panel cooler, it is important to provide adequate space and ventilation. It is necessary to ensure that there are no obstructions around the cooler and that proper air flow is maintained to maximize the cooling effect.
Uses of Panel Coolers
Panel coolers are widely used in the following applications:
1. Manufacturing Industry
Panel coolers for industrial machinery are also important in the control panels of machines used in factories and manufacturing sites. These machines operate under high loads, and rising temperatures inside the control panels can be a problem.
Examples include the control panels of automobile assembly lines and metalworking machinery. Panel coolers ensure the stable operation and reliability of machines by maintaining the temperature inside the control panel within an appropriate range.
2. Buildings and Offices
Panel coolers are widely used in automatic control systems in buildings and facilities. These systems include elevators, heating and cooling systems, lighting controls, and security systems. Panel coolers can improve system efficiency and reliability by properly controlling the temperature inside the control panel.
3. Power Distribution
Power supply and distribution systems often require panel coolers as well. They are used inside control panels for power control and protection equipment in power generation, substations, and transmission facilities. These control panels generate heat due to high power loads and power conversion.
Panel coolers for control panels can control the temperature inside the control panel to prevent overheating and functional degradation of the equipment. This ensures stability and reliability of power supply and distribution.
4. Telecommunications and Network Equipment
Panel coolers are important for control panels in telecommunication and network equipment such as telecommunication base stations and data centers. Because these devices require advanced processing capabilities, they are prone to generate heat and require appropriate cooling.
Panel coolers properly control the temperature inside the control panels of telecommunication and network equipment to ensure stable and reliable operation of the equipment. They are used particularly effectively in data centers to cool large numbers of servers and network equipment.
Principle of Panel Coolers
Panel coolers use a cooling principle to remove heat. Cooling principles often include forced convection cooling and cooling using heat exchangers. The cooling effect is achieved by forcibly circulating air using a fan.
Fans are used to exhaust the heat inside the control panel to the outside. Hot air in the control panel is sucked in by the fan and discharged to the outside, thereby lowering the temperature inside the control panel. Panel coolers for control panels may incorporate a heat exchanger.
The heat exchanger transfers heat from the hot air inside the control panel to the cooling medium, which then dissipates heat to the outside, causing the temperature inside the control panel to cool.
How to Select a Panel Cooler
When selecting a panel cooler, the following factors should be considered:
1. Cooling Capacity
The cooling capacity of a panel cooler should be selected based on the heat load in the control panel and environmental conditions. It is important to accurately evaluate the heat load in the control cabinet and select a cooler with appropriate cooling capacity.
Add up the heat generated by the CPU and other components installed in the control panel, and select a cooling capacity that will keep the temperature inside the control panel below the allowable temperature. In most cases, the allowable temperature of electronic components is about 40°C, so the cooler should be designed to keep the temperature below 40°C. In some cases, a fan with a large air volume is selected and used by turning it on and off with an in-panel thermo switch.
2. Atmosphere
Select equipment in consideration of the atmosphere around the control panel. If the control panel is installed in a location where the outside air is clean, use a fan for the control panel. In coastal areas, where corrosion due to salt damage is a concern, a panel cooler that circulates internal air is used.
3. Refrigerant
When selecting a control panel cooler with internal air circulation, attention should be paid to the type of refrigerant. In the past, many CFC gas coolers were used, but now many non-CFC coolers that use carbon dioxide and other gases are sold as alternatives.
4. Power Supply
The type of power supply should be selected. There are various types of single-phase power supplies and three-phase AC power supplies. Select a power supply that can be supplied after satisfying the cooling capacity.