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Case study: Pfannenberg Cooling Units to meet Wood Manufacturing needs

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An end user turned to Pfannenberg for assistance with managing their enclosure temperatures in a particularly harsh environment. The company produces high-quality construction and installation materials from wood fiber.

Customer Requirement

The customer current system was facing system failures and downtime due to severe soiling from wood dust and rust particles from diesel-powered fork lift trucks and heavy equipment. The current thermal management solution used conventional point-of-entry filters and top-mounted filterfans. The current cabinet system had to be completely changed as it needed to be reliable despite severe air contamination from wood dust and exhaust gas, plus provide energy savings and service friendliness.

The Pfannenberg Solution

As a first step, all the switch cabinets were wet cleaned, both inside and outside.  To rule out any repeat soiling, the top-mounted fan combination was replaced by partially recessed cooling units: DTI 6301 Model.

Special features of the cooling units are:

  • Uniquely high energy-efficiency rating (EER)
  • Significant energy savings/operating costs reduction
  • Condenser with wide fin spacing for highly effective protection against contaminated ambient air
  • Large distance between intake and exhaust vents (to eliminate hot spots)
  • Perfect ease of servicing
  • New service interface for easy retrieval of parameter settings/history (Pfannenberg Plant software necessary)
  • Optional filter can be retrofitted in a few seconds
  • Energy-savings mode in the Multi Controller integrated as standard

Customer Benefits

Use of the new DTI 6301 cooling units led to reliable system operation and to the highest possible amount of machine up time. The environmental and cost balance sheets demonstrated considerable reductions with regards to energy costs and CO2 emissions, as well as reduced service requirements and repair times.

Have a question regarding which equipment is best for your application? Contact our engineering team for more information!

 

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Pfannenberg Top-Mounted Cooling Units meet the need of OEM Milling Component Manufacturer

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Customer Requirement

An OEM Milling component manufacturer which develops processing centers for the precision boring and milling high-precision components needed critical thermal management for their machine’s control electronics. The systems are designed using relatively tall electrical enclosures to minimize that installation space. This compact design fosters the development of heat pockets.

 

The customer needed a space-saving thermal management solution to keep the manufacturing footprint compact. To minimize the formation of heat pockets, the solution needed to promote very efficient air circulation. Another requirement was absolute protection against condensate and assurance of top-level machine availability – even under difficult environmental conditions.  Thermal management with compact cooling units proved to be unreliable so far because of the problems with condensate.

The Pfannenberg Solution

Our revolutionary DTT series top-mounted cooling units met the requirement for maximum reliability, space savings design and 100% protection against condensate.

The DTT top-mounted cooling units provide unique, four-fold condensate protection:

  • Zero sweat guarantee
  • No overflow of condensate into the electrical enclosure
  • Managed water droplet control
  • No air hoses, which are otherwise at risk of condensation

Further benefits:

  • High-volume air delivery via the integrated nozzles to accelerate cold air movement right down to the bottom of the cabinet
  • Filter media for any area (contaminated ambient air)
  • Controller with energy-saving mode to maximize energy-efficiency (optional feature)

Customer Benefits

Switching to the DTT series top-mounted cooling units successfully allowed the OEM to provide a competitive design to their customers. The units are compatible with all makes of electrical enclosures and are available in 3 sizes and 6 performance levels. Because of its cUR approval and versions with 230V and 400V voltages, the milling processing centers can be used worldwide.

Have a question regarding which equipment is best for your application? Contact our engineering team for more information!

Pfannenberg, Inc. is a global manufacturer of Thermal Management, Liquid Cooling Solutions and Signaling Technologies.

Pfannenberg is proud to provide solutions as a single source to its customers. Our business philosophy – Protection for man, machine and the environment.

Topics: Cooling Units, Thermal Management

Marine Vienney

How to Choose the Best Heater for your Electrical Enclosure?

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Condensation is one of the biggest dangers for electrical enclosures. As long as the components operate under load, their own warmth prevents water from condensing. If the process is switched off, the electronics cool down. This is where Pfannenberg control cabinet radiant heaters and fan heaters provide additional protection for your electronics.

 

How to Choose the Best Heater for your Electrical Enclosure?


Radiant Heaters
Pfannenberg PRH-M Mini Radiant Heaters (10 to 30 Watts) are ideal for smaller enclosures or for the heating of isolated spots in sensitive areas. These heaters use natural convection to heat the cabinet and prevent condensate formation. FLH series of Radiant Heaters (up to 150 Watts) are used in combination with a thermostat or hygrostat, mainly to avoid excessively low temperatures or high humidity into the enclosure.


Fan Heaters
Ideal for use in larger electrical enclosures with higher heat requirements, Pfannenberg FLH series of Fan Heaters (250 to 400 Watts) have an integrated fan that assists the natural convection and provides fast distribution of the heat in the electrical enclosure. The fan heaters are used in combination with a thermostat or hygrostat, and are designed to protect electronics from moisture or corrosion caused by high humidity, low temperatures or condensation caused by rapid temperature change.

Need more than “just” a Heater?


Pfannenberg also offers a range of fan heaters with an  integrated thermostat: PFH-T (200 – 1200 Watts) dedicated to larger enclosures and with flexible mounting options. These fan heaters with adjustable thermostat are especially designed to protect electronics from the effects of low temperatures such as corrosion, freezing or condensation, which can damage critical components within a control enclosure.

To provide the best Thermal Management for your electronics, using a thermostat or hygrostat results in greater reliability of your production process:

  • Pinpoint distribution and constant temperature in the control cabinet
  • Reduced energy consumption and optimization of the efficiency of the heaters.
  • Additional savings on energy, materials and time.

Pfannenberg’s heaters, thermostats and hygrostats  detect and keep ambient conditions above dew point to avoid the harmful effects of condensation on your electronics. They can be used as a standalone product or in partnership with our Filterfan® and Cooling Unit product lines for a complete Thermal Management of your electrical enclosures.

Topics: Thermal Management, Heaters

Marine Vienney

How Pfannenberg Thermal Management & Signaling Solutions Save the Holidays

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Pfannenberg products ensure that manufacturing operations are up and running – especially during the holidays when many manufacturing lines are always online. Read below on just a few example applications on how Pfannenberg supports these product lines and keeps them running.

Candy Canes:

The go-to holiday candy.  As a child, they are passed out and enjoyed by many, and as adults they are necessary for almost any holiday decoration.  This peppermint candy involves very delicate care when being processed.  There are many differences in temperature to heat up or cool down – just enough that it maintains flavor and will not ruin the product quality.  All throughout the manufacturing process of candy canes, temperatures are critical.  At certain stages, the temperature needs to be increased to help form the canes, then at other parts it needs to be cooled so that it can be mixed to perfect flavor and coloring.

The sugar kneading machine is very large and very powerful.  Right after the sugary mixture is heated up and completed its first round of mixing, it is dumped onto a liquid cooling table, where the candy has its flavoring added and mixed. The amber liquid when being first mixed is heated up to around 300°F.  Once being transferred to the kneading machine, this large machine will mix in the flavoring by pushing and folding the candy – slowly cooling the product from its hot temperature. Pfannenberg’s CC Chillers can play a key role in supplying the cool liquid to the table which kneads the candy.  If the table is left uncooled or heated, it will change the look, consistency, and taste of the final product.  Not only is it crucial to have Pfannenberg Compact Chillers to cool the table, it is also import to utilize Pfannenberg’s PWS Air to Water Heat Exchangers to cool the electrical panels controlling the entire process.

Wrapping Paper:

The wrapping of gifts dates back to the ancient Chinese, but here in the US  it hit its popularity in 1917 when Joyce Clyde Hall and Rollie Hall (founders of Hallmark) decided to modernize it. Wrapping paper is a staple item.  When it comes to holidays and special occasions, there are many steps that go into the manufacturing of wrapping paper.

Artists have to create such artwork which is then etched onto copper cylinders that are bathed in a liquid bath of chromium, which galvanizes the copper to protect it from wear and tear.  From here these rolls each have a various piece of the final wrapping paper artwork.  Each color has its own roller. The paper will go through a series of various printers where it encounters the artwork on the copper rolls for the different colors.  These metal rolls need to be highly controlled with temperature.  Too hot or cold could cause the paper to stick to these rolls and cause a paper jam which leads to loss revenue and downtime. As part of a complete solution  Pfannenberg’s CC Series Chillers help to control the temperature to the print rollers and Pfannenberg’s Air to Water Heat Exchangers provide proper cooling for the control equipment operating these large machines. To complelent our full product line,  Pfannenberg’s Signaling products are needed at every stage of the manufacturing process to alert employees of a problem. Pfannenberg’s Signaling Solutions help the employees to be able to hear and see exactly where the problem is occurring (which machine) and what problem is occurring (what action is need).

Wrapping paper leads to the excitement and mystery of the gift. Without the proper cooling and operation of the equipment that are used to produce the paper, it would be difficult to wrap the gifts.  Pfannenberg aids in the manufacturing process of wrapping paper.

Champagne:

The holiday season concludes with celebrating New Years.  New Years is a time to reflect on the past and perhaps try new things in the upcoming year. Celebrations are had with friends old and new, and champagne is typically the drink of choice. One crucial aspect in champagne manufacturing is the inspection and bottling stages of the process. The champagne bottle undergoes many cleanings and inspections prior, during, and after bottling.  Each stage will monitor and check various aspects.  The final inspection step will make sure that the champagne bottle is not cracked or damaged and to check the champagne to make sure that there are not fragments of cork or metal casing. A bright light will shine through the bottles where a machine will scan and take pictures for an employee to monitor/double check that the inspections are all being passed.

Pfannenberg has proven experience in working directly with food and beverage inspection OEMs to provide complete engineering solutions for the cooling of x-ray tubes and the internal cavity of their inspection machines. The Pfannenberg team has come up with a complete solution to utilize a CC Chiller in conjunction with a small PWS Air to Water Heat Exchanger to cool the x-ray tubes and internal cavity.  By combining products and eliminating a compressor based air conditioning unit, the Pfannenberg liquid cooling solution requires less maintenance and is far more cost effective by eliminating dependencies on different competing products and eliminating downtime.

Marine Vienney

Vacuum Turkey Packaging – Thanksgiving Edition

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Tis’ the season – for we have many things to be thankful for this year!  With the holiday season quickly approaching, we are taking the time to reflect on all of our blessings.  Common dishes for most Traditional American Thanksgivings include turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, green bean casseroles, fresh baked rolls, and pumpkin pie. Most of us look forward to this holiday all year, for it is a time to be thankful and gather with loved ones.

Turkey processors themselves have to really work all year to meet this spike in demand around the holidays.  Innovation in new packaging technology allows these processors to be able to serve a fresh Turkey that has a longer shelf life without chemicals.  Pfannenberg’s thermal management and chiller products are a perfect fit for aiding in the packaging side of Turkey processing.

Vacuum packaging is the most popular form of packing and food preservation for full turkeys. The process reduces the amount of oxygen from the package by utilizing a vacuum and completely sealing it, removing the extra oxygen to prevent contamination. The removal of oxygen allows the product to have a longer shelf-life. The packaging material protects the meat from the passage of various gases and outside moisture.

When it comes to the vacuum packing machines they operate at very high speeds, processing many turkeys in a short amount of time.  It’s critical that the control enclosure electronics  do not overheat. Proper cabinet temperature control is essential to keeping production on schedule. To keep these electrical enclosures cool, the processing facility has several options. If using traditional enclosure air conditioners (cooling units) then our washdown NEMA Type 4/4x DTS 3000 Series Cooling Units would be a good solution. For a more economical and maintenance free solution our stainless steel PWS Air to Water Heat Exchangers could be used with existing water lines or a Pfannenberg Packaged Chiller. These both would be perfect options to protect the electronics and  drives that are so important to keep everything online and running.

Besides the electronics in the electrical panel, the motors (servo motors) need a chiller to maintain the cool liquids running through the machines.  Pfannenberg’s CC Series Chillers are ideal for quick setup and trouble free operation.  Packaged and ready-to-use, Pfannenberg’s chillers require piping and power to install a solution for process cooling applications.

Pfannenberg’s enclosure cooling solutions and chillers aid in meeting the high demands of poultry processing equipment during the peak season helping to ensure there is not a turkey shortage on the biggest turkey day of the year!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

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Pfannenberg – Global Solutions and Support for OEMS

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When it comes down to the final decision on whether or not to purchase new equipment for a plant, the decision tends to fall down to three major concerns:

  1. What preventative yearly/monthly/weekly/daily maintenance is required?
  2. Is it able to withstand the environment?
  3. How much time and money will it save?

For OEMS to be competitve and meet the needs of their end use customers, there are 3 main areas that are looked at when choosing the supporting components for their equipment.

Components that are Built to Last

For more than 60 years, we have been helping guarantee production safety for OEMs and end users throughout the world.  Sensitive control technology needs to be protected from many environmental conditions. With NEMA Type 4/4X, IP 56 protection, our cooling units satisfy the toughest environments.

Support and Accessibility

Pfannenberg innovation has made it one of the largest globally operating manufacturers of thermal management and process cooling equipment today.  Our wide product range includes complete system solutions for machine and enclosure cooling along with visual and audible signaling devicesfor events that require alarm, warning or indication notifications.

Support… when and where it’s needed – In addition to manufacturing facilities location on three continents, Pfannenberg has developed a worldwide network of local subsidiaries and sales/service partners eager to meet your service needs and help you select the correct solution.

If maintenance of your enclosure cooling system is required you can expect immediate assistance from Pfannenberg. Our repair service affords you the fastest possible response – nationally or internationally. We ensure that your cooling system is returned to optimal condition – even if it’s not a Pfannenberg product.  Our on-site service gets you back on-line faster, eliminating the transit time associated with factory repair programs.

Experts in Industry Group Solutions

As a leading thermal management solutions
company, we can develop products quicker than the competition while optimizing the solution for that specific industry group’s requirements. The high performance of our products comes from years of research and design experience. Trust us to be the experts in your industry to provide you  with the proper cooling solution.

Have a question regarding which equipment is best for your application? Ask Us Here.

Marine Vienney

“We All Scream for Ice Cream” – Pfannenberg’s Thermal Management plays a key role in a favorite summer treat!

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From the Farm to the Factory

When the trucks arrive at the factory, the milk and cream are pumped into storage silos and kept cool at 36°F until they are ready to begin the process.

Making the Ice Cream Mixture

The process begins by mixing ingredients and various flavors into a 1000-gallon stainless steel blender.  Heavy cream, liquid sugar cane, and condensed skim milk are the first foundational ingredients. After that, sometimes egg yolks and cocoa powder are incorporated depending on the desired flavoring. A natural stabilizer is mixed in to prevent various ice crystal formation or heat shock.  Blended for a total of about 6-8 minutes, it is then ready to be transferred and strained into a large tank.  This tank will store the mixture until it is ready to begin the pasteurization process.

Pasteurization & the Homogenizer

Pasteurization heats up the mix to kill harmful bacteria. The mixture flows through various plates. Hot water flows on one side of the plate and cold water (cold mix) flows on the other side of the plate. The heat from the hot water is transferred to the ice cream mix, heating this mix up to 180°F.

Right from there, the mixture enters the homogenizer.  Here the mix is exposed to high amounts of pressure so that the fat particles from the cream do not separate from the rest of the mix.  Then the heat from the ice cream mix is transferred to the cold water, cooling the ice cream mix down to 36°F.

The mix is then moved to a tank room.  This room is cooled down to 36°F degrees, where the mix will be stored for 4-8 hours which allows the ingredients to really form.  Next more flavorings are mixed in (such as vanilla, peppermint, purees, and other extracts).  Once the appropriate flavors are added it is then transported into the freezer.  The temperature has to be below freezing, most plants keep it at -40°F.

Freezing & Packaging

To further the process in making hard ice cream, it travels to the packaging area of the factory.  Here the soft serve ice cream is dispensed into various packaging containers and then delivered into the storing freezer before shipment. At this point the temperature of the mixture is around 22°F. For the mixture to reach a colder state it has to enter a spiral freezer where it travels around in a -60°F maintained temperature part of the plant.  When the ice cream leaves the spiral freezer it should be around -10°F. From there the ice cream cartons are stored into various freezing warehouses until they are shipped.

So what role does Pfannenberg play in this desired product?

Automation plays a critical role in the manufacturing of ice cream. Numerous electrical enclosures contain the critical electronics (VFDs and control components) to operate the machinery ranging from mixing to the final packaging. Even though these enclosures are found within a relatively cool environment, the temperature inside the cabinets needs to be maintained. Without proper enclosure cooling these electronics may overheat, bringing operations to a halt. Pfannenberg’s PWS Air to Water Heat Exchangers are ideal for cooling electrical components found in food and beverage processing facilities. The units can utilize existing cooled liquid while saving energy costs vs, traditional compressor based AC cooling units. Our cooling solutions make this cool summer treat possible.

Be sure to visit us at IBIE 2016 in Las Vegas, NV — October 8th-11th at Booth #9247 to learn more about our closed loop liquid cooling solutions.

Be sure to follow our NEW Food and Beverage LinkedIn Showcase Page!

Topics: Air Water Heat Exchangers, Thermal Management, Food & Beverage

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Pfannenberg Products Assist in Making an American Staple Summer Treat

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Hot dogs – a staple summer treat that brings back memories of family cookouts and baseball games. It is an American favorite summertime food! Hot dogs go through a series of complex processes that combine the ingredients into their delicious final form and Pfannenberg’s PWS Air to Water Heat Exchangers are perfect to keep things running.

Meat Processing

The first step into creating one of the most loved foods is the preparation of the meat.  The meat is cut into small pieces and is placed into a large mixer.  These mixers have chopping blades to further cut the meat into smaller sizes. Here the raw ingredients and flavorings are added.  All are mixed until the mixture is a smooth paste consistency. Processes like this can require large control panels to operate the system and Pfannenberg’s PWS Air To Water Heat Exchangers are ideal for cooling your electrical components. Pfannenberg’s Air/Water Heat Exchangers utilizes chilled water, that is readily available, and an internal fan to provide cool air to prevent critical electronics from overheating.

Linking

The paste is always going through inspections throughout the entire process. After inspection from the mixer – the mix is moved into a stuffer.  This machine will push the paste into tube casings.  The casings are twisted at measured sections to make equally sized hot dogs. There are various casings – natural or artificial. The shaping of the hot dogs we all know is now complete.

Smoking

After the stuffing and linking, the hot dogs are then moved to a smokehouse to cook under controlled conditions.  Manufacturers can control the temperature and the difference flavors that the smoking has on the hot dog by using difference smoke sources.  Average time it takes in this step is an hour.

Final Processing

Once the smoking is completed, the link casings are removed by an automatic peeler.  During this time, the hot dogs are sprayed with water to help bring down their temperature.  Then the hot dogs are then transported to be packaged. Before going into the final packaging, the hot dogs are inspected to make sure there are no foreign ingredients in the product.

Pfannenberg has experience with inspection and x-ray equipment. Pfannenberg was able to combine a Chiller and PWS Air  To Water Heat Exchanger to cool the x-ray tubes as well as the electrical enclosure as one example.

The packaging machines can process thousands of hot dogs in an hour.  They are operating at very fast speeds and require proper thermal management cooling to keep their machines up-and-running. Once packaged, hot dogs are inspected again, freshness dates are added, and they are all boxed up to be transferred to the warehouse for refrigeration until they are shipped. The entire process from start to finish, only takes a few hours.

Click Here to read “Chillers for X-Ray Machines – A Food & Beverage Success Story”.

Be sure to follow our NEW Food and Beverage LinkedIn Showcase Page!

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The Technology of Cooling Part 3: Cooling with Closed Loop Cooling Units

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Pfannenberg cooling units operate on the principle of the Carnot cycle. This means that the cooling units function as a heat pump that “pumps” the thermal energy transferred from the electronic cabinet (heat dissipated from the components) up to a higher level of temperature (the ambient temperature can reach levels as high as + 55 °C). The air inside the enclosure is cooled down by the evaporator and at the same time dehumidified.

How do I know if a cooling unit is the right product for my application?

  • If the ambient temperature is greater than the target internal temperature of the enclosure, active cooling is required.
  • If indoor NEMA Type 12 applications, NEMA Type 3R/4 outdoor applications and NEMA Type 4/4x stainless steel for washdown applications are required – closed loop cooling can maintain the NEMA Type rating of the cabinet.

Properly sizing a cooling unit

To properly size your cooling units you must know the required cooling capacity in Watts, mounting requirements (side, integrated or top mount) and the dimensions of the cooling unit and enclosure.

Utilizing performance curves to properly size cooling units:

> Pfannenberg utilizes the DIN standard 35/35 °C when rating our cooling units.

> Many other companies use 50/50 °C, which provides a higher, non-usable value. Customers should use their own application temperatures to determine the proper cooling capacity of the system.

 

 

 

Important information when utilizing cooling units:

  • The refrigeration capacity should exceed the dissipation loss from the installed components by approximately 10%.
  • The enclosure should be sealed to prevent the inflow of ambient air.
  • Use the door contact switch to impede operation with open doors and consequent excessive accumulation of condensation.
  • Use cooling units with maximum clearance between air inflow and air outflow to prevent poor circulation.
  • Make sure that the air inflow and air outflow in the external circuit is not hindered, preventing proper heat exchanging at the condenser.
  • When using top-mounted cooling units, make sure that components with their own fans do not expel the air directly into the cooling units cool air outflow.
  • Make sure unit is level.
  • Setting the temperature to the lowest setting is not the optimal solution due to the condensation issues. The value we have preset on the cooling unit is a sound compromise between cooling the inside of the enclosure and the accumulation of condensation.

In harsh environments involving high temperatures, wash-down requirements, heavy particulate matter or the presence of chemicals capable of damaging components (NEMA 4 or 12 environments), ambient air must be kept out of the enclosure. Pfannenberg Cooling Units seals out the ambient air, cooling and re-circulating clean, cool air throughout the enclosure.

Pfannenberg offers Critical Thermal Management Solutions for Maximum uptime and efficiency.

Find the previous articles of this “Technology of Cooling” serie: Cooling with Filterfans® and Cooling with Closed Loop Air to Air Heat Exchangers.

Read the last part of this “Technology of Cooling” serie: Closed Loop Liquid Cooling Solutions

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The Technology of Cooling Part 2: Cooling with Closed Loop Air to Air Heat Exchangers

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Closed Loop Cooling and particularly Air to air heat exchangers are used when the complete separation between the enclosure and the environment is required and the internal enclosure temperature to be cooled can be higher than the ambient. The air to air units have a rating showing how much heat can be removed based on the difference in the ambient and the internal temperatures. This is traditionally rated on W/°C which is the watts of heat that the unit can remove per temperature difference in °C.

How do I know if an air to air heat exchanger is the right product for my application?

  • If the ambient temperature is lower than the desired temperature inside the enclosure.
  • If a total separation between ambient air and enclosure air is required.

Properly sizing an air to air heat exchanger

To properly size an air to air heat exchanger you must know the required cooling capacity in Watts, target temperature rise over ambient and the dimensions of the heat exchanger and enclosure.

Utilizing performance curves to properly size air/air heat exchangers:

> Pfannenberg utilizes watts of heat that the unit can remove per temperature difference in °C.

> Customers should use their own application temperatures to determine the proper cooling capacity of the system.

PAI_drawing.jpg

Important information when utilizing air/air heat exchangers:

  • The max ambient is 35 °C (95 °F) and the max internal temperature that the system can take is 45 °C (113 °F).
  • Can be used when the temperature difference is 10 °C.
  • If you apply this temperature difference to the rating of the air to air unit you will get the total amount of heat that can be removed.
  • A unit rated 100 W/°C could remove 1000 Watts (100 x 10) of heat under these conditions.

Closed Loop Cooling with air to air heat exchangers is the most efficient cooling solution as cooling with ambient air is the most economical type of cooling!

Pfannenberg εCOOL Air to air Heat Exchangers feature an energy efficient, minimal maintenance design. Installation and maintenance of these units requires much less time compared to other closed loop Thermal Management solutions.

Click here to read the 1st part of this “Technology of Cooling” serie: Cooling with Filterfans®
Click here to read the 3rd part of this “Technology of Cooling” serie: Cooling with Closed Loop Cooling Units