Every year, there is a battle of two forces. The immovable object comes upon the unstoppable force in a war of attrition: the rising temperature vs your electrical equipment. Which will win?
The answer to that one is easy: temperature will always win out in the long run. PLC’s, drives and transformers are built to work under stressful conditions, but they have their limits.
If you take a step back and analyse your install, you can improve conditions and reap the benefits for years to come.
Why is temperature so bad for equipment? It affects it in multiple ways.
The temperature inside your enclosure can make a significant difference to the performance of your equipment. If you check the manual of any PLC or drive, there should be a chart that shows you the rated output compared to the current operating temperature.
Typically, as the temperature rises, the maximum output of the equipment in question reduces, and it drops off a cliff very quickly. This means that even if you install brand new equipment into your enclosure, it may never achieve its maximum designed output because of the environment.
There is also a strong correlation between the lifespan of an electrical component compared to its operating conditions. As the temperature rises, the lifetime reduces.
There may be instances where your equipment manages increased temperatures, but what happens on the day it finally fails? Everything grinds to a halt.
Suddenly, the costs are piling up, and everyone is scrambling to find the issue before they can even begin to consider fixing it.
The answer, however, is simple.
With its RiAssure service, Rittal can carry out a free cooling review. This is a short visual inspection of existing enclosures and cooling equipment from which the next best step for your equipment can be established. The service can also provide ongoing best practice suggestions so that your operations benefit from increased longevity, life and profit.
