Rittal showcased its latest solutions for enclosures and cooling systems

Photo by RITTAL GmbH

Everything has to move fast in enclosure construction. Besides that, components need to be installed as easily as possible, following the plug-and-play principle. The fewer hand movements are needed, the better. This magic formula is called integration from a single source. Rittal demonstrated the prototype of a new integration solution for enclosures and cooling systems at SPS IPC Drives in Nuremberg. The integrated cooling solution shows how the time-consuming assembly of cooling units can be almost completely eliminated in side panel and roof areas.

“We are presenting a technological highlight for control and panel builders with this integrated solution,” says Steffen Wagner, Rittal’s Director of Climate Control. The integration solution is a combination of high-quality enclosure and optimum climate control technology from Rittal. Two integrated cooling solution concepts were presented: on the one hand, the idea of horizontal insertion in the roof section and on other hand, vertical/lateral insertion.

“This integration represents a future-proof solution: The cooling unit is part of the enclosure and no more time-consuming installation of conventional components is needed,” says Mr. Wagner. He added: “Just as with a normal, commercially available refrigerator, our customers receive one product from a single source based on one Model No., with all the time and cost advantages that result from a simpler ordering process, as well as lower installation costs and improved accessibility during servicing.”

With the horizontal plug-in solution, a 2 kW cooling unit with Blue e+ technology and a height of 400 mm is simply inserted on rails on the top level of the rack, without any installation effort or cut-outs. The TS 8 enclosure from Rittal, which is 800 mm wide and 600 mm deep, serves as the basis. Since air the inlet and outlet are at the front of the cooling unit, no minimum distances from the sides of the enclosure or from the rear need to be adhered to.

The lateral approach is a narrow plug-in solution of a 2.5 kW cooling unit that uses Blue e+ technology and with a module width of 300 mm for single enclosures or enclosure suites for single-sided cooling. Here, Rittal’s TS 8 enclosure, 2000 mm wide and 600 mm deep, forms the foundation. Widely spaced air vents ensure an ideal through-flow. No minimum distances to the sides of the enclosure or to the rear are needed with closed side panels, since air inlet and outlet is at the front of the cooling unit. Enclosure baying without any problems is possible, just as with conventional solutions.

Blue e+ technology works by combining a cooling unit and a heat pipe (the latter ensures passive cooling). Inverters vary the speed of the system’s fans and compressors by voltage control, so allowing the cooling output to be tailored precisely to the requirements at all times. The graphic touch screen displays all the information needed at a glance, providing intelligent interface functions and communication options.

The cooling units can first be inserted by the manufacturer using plug-and-play, so that controller and switch-gear manufacturers only have to make the electrical connection, which saves a great deal of time.

For more information, please visit www.rittal.com/.

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