Creating Below-Ambient Cooling without Chilled Air

For most common systems, the maximum operating temperature of a given application is much higher than the ambient temperature around it. Therefore, for such applications, there is no pressing need to have to chill the inside of electrical enclosures to prevent them from overheating. That’s why heat exchangers first became a more popular alternative. Instead of chilling air, the innovative thermal management solutions created a way to prevent overheating by simply removing the heat, keeping the temperature inside of electrical enclosures at just above the ambient temperatures outside of them. However, the same principles of heat transfer can also be applied to create below-ambient cooling solutions that still don’t rely on air conditioning and chilling.

Why heat exchangers are preferable

There are many different benefits that companies can experience after implementing heat exchangers instead of more traditional cooling methods. For example, chilling air requires a lot of energy and complicated HVAC equipment, which companies have to keep running consistently in order to prevent their technologies from malfunctioning. By switching air conditioners to heat exchangers, those high energy requirements and the need to maintain complicated machinery are no longer such a concern. Heat exchangers are much simpler by comparison, more energy efficient and more easily manageable.

When ambient cooling isn’t enough

The problem for some applications is that their maximum operating temperatures are not so far above the ambient temperature. In such cases, ambient heat exchangers can’t provide the level of cooling that the application needs. Because of this, administrators of such applications may continue to rely on older and more cumbersome solutions simply because they can provide the below-ambient cooling that the application requires. For example, this may occur when technology is deployed into and expected to operate within extremely hot climates or atmospheres. Or, when systems require extensive thermal management to keep especially high-performance equipment properly cooled.

Heat exchangers work for below-ambient needs

Instead of relying on air conditioners or other, more traditional solutions, today’s heat exchangers give companies a much more efficient method for achieving below-ambient cooling. Below-ambient heat exchangers are designed similarly to more conventional ambient ones, though with a few important modifications to achieve cooler temperatures. For example, the cooling fluid within the heat exchanger can be brought to the appropriate temperature, allowing it to more effectively control the temperature inside of an electrical enclosure as it flows through the heat exchanger.

For more information about creating below-ambient cooling with heat exchangers instead of chilled air, call Noren Thermal Solutions in Taylor, TX, at 866-936-6736.