Vortec Enclosure Coolers keep electrical and electronic enclosures cool, clean, and protected and are a lower cost and lower maintenance alternative to Freon air conditioners. They also avoid contamination with dirty, humid air caused by fans.
As ambient temperatures rise, so does the temperature inside of electrical enclosures, causing problems for sensitive components like sensors, solenoids, relays, and PLCs. Smaller cabinet sizes make temperature control difficult and prone to premature failures. Excessive heat will cause digital displays to misread, controls to drift, and breakers to trip below rated loads.
Vortec Enclosure Coolers maintain a slight pressurization in the cabinet to keep electrical and electronic components clean and dry. Most models are thermostatically controlled to regulate cabinet temperatures within a specified range. A small mounting footprint allows for use in confined spaces, and requires 1/10th the space of comparable air conditioner units.
Vortec Enclosure Coolers are powered by a vortex tube—a device that creates a vortex from compressed air and separates it into hot and cold air streams. The vortex tube’s cylindrical generator causes the input compressed air to rotate at speeds up to 1,000,000 rpm, as it is forced down the inner walls of the hot (longer) end of the vortex tube. At the end of the hot tube, a small portion of this air exits through a needle valve as hot air exhaust. The remaining air is forced back through the center of the incoming air stream at a slower speed. The heat in the slower moving air is transferred to the faster moving incoming air. This super cooled air flows through the center of the generator and exits through the cold air port.
Vortec Enclosure Coolers are available with BTUs from 400 to 5,000; air consumptions from 8 SCFM to 70 SCFM; and NEMA 12, NEMA 4, NEMA 4X, and HazLoc ratings. They can be purchased with an electric thermostat or without a thermostat (constant run).
The Vortec Enclosure Cooler family includes Vortex A/C Coolers, Panel Guard Enclosure Coolers, Vortex Coolers, Hazardous Location (HazLoc) Duty Vortex A/C Coolers, ATEX Vortex A/C Coolers, and Electric Vortex A/C Enclosure Coolers. They are quiet, use no refrigerants, and operate in environments up to 175°F.