Heat Exchangers Used as Rugged Thermal Solutions

The pace at which heat exchangers have evolved to keep up with advancing technologies has proven the versatility that they bring to modern electrical cooling and thermal management. From electrical enclosure cooling to providing thermal solutions for innovative and eco-friendly processes, heat exchangers have transformed the way today’s technologies approach thermal management. However, the advancement of heat exchangers into certain fields of operations, such as military, aerospace, oil and gas, and other hazardous fields, has been slightly slower. That’s because such applications not only require high-performance, eco-friendly thermal management, but cooling solutions must also be rugged enough to adequately withstand some of the most demanding conditions.

High-performance cooling in harsh conditions

It’s no coincidence that some of the most hazardous thermal management applications are also those that require the most effective and efficient solutions. For example, military and aerospace technologies are routinely put through rigorous testing before even being deployed. Once in the field, they must perform optimally every time, which relies on a thermal management solution that can keep up with their efforts under such extreme conditions. As such technology advances, it becomes more powerful and applicable for even more hazardous applications. Because heat exchangers operate in ways that make them easy to adapt, ruggedizing them to be applicable for more challenging environments is often simpler and more effective than with more traditional thermal solutions.

The need for rugged thermal management

Heat exchangers naturally provide more efficient and eco-friendly thermal management, but like all technologies, they weren’t originally designed for today’s demanding applications. In fact, heat exchangers first gained popularity as alternative electrical cooling solutions for industrial applications, such as cooling electrical enclosures and control panels situated within warehouses and manufacturing facilities. As they’re popularity grew, however, heat exchangers were customized for more hazardous applications, such as operations within the oil and gas industry. Now, they’re commonly ruggedized to provide the same safe, efficient, and high-performance thermal management benefits to applications such as military and aerospace technologies.

Custom heat exchangers to meet the need

With a wide variety of heat exchanger types and designs, customizing and ruggedizing the right thermal solution for any given application has become almost standard. Advanced capabilities such as collaborative design and rapid 3D prototyping give heat exchanger manufacturers the ability to quickly meet the growing demand for rugged thermal solutions, and to innovate new ones, when necessary. For more information about the value of customizing heat exchangers as rugged thermal solutions, call Noren Thermal Solutions in Taylor, TX, at 866-936-6736.