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A control cabinet is an enclosure in which electrical and electronic components and control devices are housed. It is used to protect these components and to ensure the control and distribution of electrical energy. Due to the heat emitted by the electronic components, it is often necessary to ventilate an enclosure so that there is no loss of performance or overheating, for example.

Here are some important points about control cabinets in general:

Protection

Enclosures provide protection for the devices inside against dust, moisture, mechanical damage and unauthorized access.

Components

Typical components in a control cabinet include fuses, relays, contactors, switched-mode power supplies, controllers (e.g. PLCs - programmable logic controllers), terminals, circuit boards and wiring.

Functions

Switch enclosures are used to control, regulate and distribute electrical energy. They enable machines and systems to be switched on and off, processes to be monitored and electricity to be supplied for various applications.

Standards and regulations

Enclosures must comply with various standards and regulations to ensure safety and reliability. These include national and international standards such as IEC, UL and VDE.

Uses

Switch enclosures are used in a variety of areas, including industrial automation, building automation, power distribution, traffic engineering and many other applications where electrical control and distribution are required.

A typical control cabinet can range from small enclosures for simple control tasks to large cabinets for complex industrial systems. The exact design and size depends on the specific requirements and applications.

Heat build-up in the switch cabinet

Heat build-up in an enclosure can occur for various reasons:

Air conditioning units (CRAC units):

Computer Room Air Conditioners (CRAC), also known as precision air conditioners, are specialized air conditioning systems designed for use in server rooms. They regulate temperature and humidity and are designed for continuous operation. Wir empfehlen hier unsere ebm-papst EC Radialventilatoren RadiCal (auch mit aktiv PFC und Resonanzerkennung erhältlich).

Cold and hot aisle configuration

Server racks are set up in an arrangement in which cold and warm air flows are separated. Cold aisles are areas where cool air flows to the front of the racks, while hot aisles take the heated exhaust air from the rear of the racks and return it to the air conditioning system. Overhead heat exchangers, in which our axial fans play a fundamental role, can provide support here.

Raised Floor

A raised floor can be installed to distribute cold air evenly under the server racks. The cold air flows upwards through special openings or panels into the cold aisles.

In-Row Cooling

In-row cooling systems or so-called 19-inch racks are located between the server racks and cool the air directly where the heat is generated. These systems are particularly efficient as they dissipate the waste heat directly. Our ebm-papst diagonal fans are particularly suitable for this, e.g. the Die Force120 or our new AxiEco 200. Our AxiTwin was specially developed for 19-inch racks.

Monitoring and control

Sensors for monitoring temperature and humidity are essential. They can be connected to a central monitoring system that automatically adjusts the air conditioning to ensure optimum conditions. Our fans can be adapted and regulated or controlled according to the application requirements.

Redundant systems

To increase reliability, redundant air conditioning and cooling systems are often installed. If a system fails, a backup system can take over the cooling.

Energy management

Efficient energy management and the use of energy-efficient cooling technologies help to minimize energy consumption and reduce operating costs. FlexiConnect Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCiM) offers the perfect overview and measures to reduce energy costs beyond our fans. Utilization messages, status messages or power consumption are displayed and controlled in real time.

Consequences of heat build-up

Heat build-up can have various negative effects:

- Overheating of components: Electronic components are often sensitive to high temperatures and can fail or be damaged if they overheat.

- Reduced service life: Constantly high temperatures can significantly shorten the service life of components.

- Loss of performance: Some electronic devices can no longer function optimally at high temperatures and their performance is impaired.

- Safety risks: Overheated components can pose a fire risk and jeopardize the safety of the entire system.

Measures against heat build-up

The following measures can be taken to prevent heat build-up:

- Cooling and ventilation: Use of fans, air conditioning systems or heat exchangers to control the temperature.

- Heat dissipation: Use of heat sinks and heat-conducting pastes to dissipate heat from critical components.

- Optimized arrangement: Strategic placement of components to allow better air circulation.

- Monitoring: Installation of temperature sensors and monitoring systems to control the temperature in the enclosure and to be able to react to overheating at an early stage.

Combating heat build-up with ventilation systems

An intelligent system to prevent heat build-up in an enclosure with fans could be structured as follows

Components of an intelligent cooling system:

Where we offer you the products, as well as technical advice and optimization suggestions - contact us

Air conditioning units (CRAC units):

Computer Room Air Conditioners (CRAC), also known as precision air conditioners, are specialized air conditioning systems designed for use in server rooms. They regulate temperature and humidity and are designed for continuous operation. Wir empfehlen hier unsere ebm-papst EC Radialventilatoren RadiCal (auch mit aktiv PFC und Resonanzerkennung erhältlich).

Cold and hot aisle configuration

Server racks are set up in an arrangement in which cold and warm air flows are separated. Cold aisles are areas where cool air flows to the front of the racks, while hot aisles take the heated exhaust air from the rear of the racks and return it to the air conditioning system. Overhead heat exchangers, in which our axial fans play a fundamental role, can provide support here.

Raised Floor

A raised floor can be installed to distribute cold air evenly under the server racks. The cold air flows upwards through special openings or panels into the cold aisles.

In-Row Cooling

In-row cooling systems or so-called 19-inch racks are located between the server racks and cool the air directly where the heat is generated. These systems are particularly efficient as they dissipate the waste heat directly. Our ebm-papst diagonal fans are particularly suitable for this, e.g. the Die Force120 or our new AxiEco 200. Our AxiTwin was specially developed for 19-inch racks.

Monitoring and control

Sensors for monitoring temperature and humidity are essential. They can be connected to a central monitoring system that automatically adjusts the air conditioning to ensure optimum conditions. Our fans can be adapted and regulated or controlled according to the application requirements.

Redundant systems

To increase reliability, redundant air conditioning and cooling systems are often installed. If a system fails, a backup system can take over the cooling.

Energy management

Efficient energy management and the use of energy-efficient cooling technologies help to minimize energy consumption and reduce operating costs. FlexiConnect Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCiM) offers the perfect overview and measures to reduce energy costs beyond our fans. Utilization messages, status messages or power consumption are displayed and controlled in real time.

How the intelligent cooling system works:

Data acquisition

- The temperature sensors continuously measure the temperature at various points in the switch cabinet.

- The recorded data is sent to the control unit.

Analysis and decision-making

- The control unit analyzes the temperature data in real time.

- Intelligent algorithms decide whether and how strongly the fans should be operated in order to maintain an optimum temperature.

Fan control

- Based on the analyses, the fans adjust their speed to provide the necessary cooling.

- As temperatures rise, the fan speeds increase, and as temperatures fall, they reduce accordingly.

Monitoring and alarming:

- The system continuously monitors the temperature and status of the fans.

- In the event of unusually high temperatures or a fan failure, the system sends immediate alarms to the operators via the dashboard or by email/SMS.

Optimization and adaptation

- The system can analyze historical data to continuously optimize cooling strategies.

- Adjustments can be made automatically or manually via the dashboard.

Example scenario

- The temperature in the switch cabinet rises due to intensive operation of the electrical components.

- The temperature sensors detect the rising temperature and report this to the controller.

- The controller calculates the required fan speed and controls the fans accordingly.

- The fans increase their speed and begin to efficiently remove the warm air from the enclosure.

- The temperature drops to a safe level and the fans reduce their speed to save energy.

- In the event of a fan failure or if the temperature remains too high despite the use of the fan, an alarm is triggered to warn the operator.