Choose the right cooling solution for switchgear cabinets

Hygiene is absolutely essential in the food industry. For example, the surfaces of control cabinets must be easy to clean and contaminants must not be able to deposit on them. With its Hygienic Design enclosures, Rittal responds to this perfectly. The right cooling solution for these enclosures depends on the room in which they are located. In food preparation environments, it is best to opt for air/water heat exchangers. For packaging, warehouse and shipping, where standard sheet steel or stainless steel enclosures are usually installed, Blue e+ chillers and cooling units can provide a solution.

For applications in the food industry, Rittal offers wall-mounted air-to-water heat exchangers in two Hygienic Design versions with cooling capacities of 0.65 kW or 1.2 kW. "Cooling cabinets with water cooling is very efficient. The fact that cooling can take place without exchange with ambient air makes this solution ideal for higher temperature applications. The central cooling water supply can also be used to air-condition the cabinets, which means that one only needs to mount the appropriate air/water heat exchangers," says product manager Danny Forré. "The smooth stainless steel housing of these systems is maintenance-friendly and no screws are visible from the outside. There are no crevices in which dirt can collect. A blue silicone seal is used for the seal, making it clearly distinguishable from contaminants, such as food residue."

Energy-efficient chillers and cooling units

In warehouse, packaging and shipping, chillers and cooling units from the Blue e+ series can be used. "The chillers are available with cooling capacities of 2, 5, 4 and 6 kW and can be used flexibly at ambient temperatures from -5 °C to 50 °C. The Blue e+ chiller range includes systems with a power range of 2 to 6 kW and more compact units with a lower power range of 1.6 kW suitable for temperatures from -30 °C to 60 °C," Forré points out. "Chillers and cooling units from the Blue e+ range are also very energy efficient. They use inverter technology, which means that the right cooling power is available at any time. In the case of the cooling units, we work with an innovative hybrid system, which combines a compressor cooling unit and a passive cooling heat pipe. Tests showed that these solutions save up to 75% of energy."