Keeping your electrical enclosures cool, clean, and protected is an imperative maintenance task to ensure your enclosures maintain their operational effectiveness and to avoid unplanned downtime in your manufacturing plant. A common low-cost cooling alternative is to use compressed air with vortex tube coolers to maintain a low internal temperature in enclosures. Vortex tube coolers keep enclosures cool due to the vortex tube phenomenon, learn more about this phenomenon here. As engineers research and evaluate this technology, new designs are created, and improved versions of traditional vortex tube coolers evolve. This is the case for the Vortex A/C Enclosure Coolers. Vortex A/C units are the innovative leader in vortex tube cooling for enclosures. But why are Vortex A/C units superior to standard vortex tube coolers? Let’s take a look…

Hazardous Locations

Vortex A/C Enclosure Coolers are rated for use in various Hazardous Locations whereas standard vortex tube coolers only come in NEMA 4, NEMA 4X and NEMA 12 rated models. The Vortex A/C line consists of three different models depending on your hazardous location rating needs; HazLoc Vortex A/C, ATEX Vortex A/C and ProtEX Vortex A/C. 

HazLoc Vortex A/C’s are designed specifically for purged electrical enclosures in Class I Div 2, Groups A,B,C and D locations, Class II Div 2, Groups F&G and Class III locations.
ATEX Vortex A/C’s are designed specifically for purged electrical enclosures in ATEX Zones 2 and 22 and Temperature Class T4 areas.
ProtEX Vortex A/C’s are designed specifically for purged electrical enclosures in ATEX Zones 1 and 21, UL Class I, Div. 1 (Groups A,B,C and D), Class II, Div. 1 (Groups F and G), Class III and Temperature Class T3 areas.

Sound Ratings

Standard vortex tube coolers tend to operate at a higher decibel level compared to Vortex A/C units. Vortex A/Cs are 78% quieter than standard vortex tube coolers. 

Ease of Installation & Multiple Mounting Orientations

Vortex A/C’s can be installed in about 5 minutes with no electrical wiring needed. Vortex A/C’s can also be top or side mounted to the enclosure, whereas standard vortex tube coolers must be mounted upright, making them top mount only. In order to mount a standard vortex tube cooler on the side of an enclosure, additional conduit would be required and would complicate the installation process.

Lower Operating Costs

Being thermostatically controlled, Vortex A/C units maintain enclosure temperatures within 70°F and 100°F. The integrated thermostat allows the Vortex A/C unit to run only when needed, which in turn reduces operating costs. Standard vortex tube coolers constantly run which can increase your compressed air usage and overall operating costs. 

Maintains Constant Pressurization

Vortex A/C’s have a constant purge option included while standard vortex tube coolers do not. With Vortex A/Cs the cabinet maintains constant pressurization while the cooler is not running. This helps keep dirt, debris, and other contaminants out of the enclosure at all times. 

Higher Cooling Capabilities with a Single Unit

When an enclosure requires a cooling capacity of 70 cfm, the customer would be required to purchase two standard vortex tube coolers. In comparison, the Vortex A/C line has 70 cfm models available in a single unit. This results in easier installation of the cooler and only requires one compressed air line to be run to the enclosure. 

There are many reasons why the Vortex A/C line is a superior cooling solutions than the standard vortex tube coolers. To learn more about the Vortex A/C Enclosure Cooler line, visit www.vortec.com.