Intertec releases passively cooled enclosure

Intertec has brought out a passively cooled enclosure that uses a phase-change material to maintain the temperature of electronics equipment at 10 degrees lower than peak ambient temperatures.

The standard cooling enclosure has enough internal space to meet common application requirements, such as the pressure transmitters and process analysers used on oil and gas pipelines running through deserts.

PCMs provide a cooling mechanism by absorbing and storing the large quantity of energy needed to change the material's state from solid to liquid as the melting point is passed during the normal daytime temperature rise.

This energy is then released as the PCM re-solidifies during cooler periods, making it ideal for use in deserts with their cold night time temperatures.

This application has a PCM with a phase change temperature of 34C.

The first enclosure produced by Intertec, the PCM Passive Cooling System, provides approximately 25 litres of usable space for mounting electronics equipment and will dissipate up to 10W of heat.

There is no need to add fans or vents so an enclosure's environmental ingress protection (IP rating) against dust and water remains unchanged.

The phase change material is located at the back of the enclosure behind a mounting panel.

The electronics device or equipment to be protected is attached to this panel with as large a contact area as possible to aid heat conduction.

Intertec offers ready-to-use pipe clamp-like accessories for mounting process transmitters and will also fabricate simple mechanical panel-mounting accessories for other equipment shapes such as small electronics modules.

The basic material used is long fibre reinforced glass-reinforced polyester (GRP) sheeting, which is strong and has high resistance to weather and the corrosive effects of aggressive chemicals.

Special mounting and construction principles for the internal components ensure the high degree of thermal insulation provided by this shell is not compromised by providing a path for heat conduction.

The enclosure is compatible with Intertec's standard range of accessories, including sun shades to protect the top and sides.

Intertec's PCM Passive Cooling System requires no power supply to operate and has no running costs or regular maintenance requirements.

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