Control cabinet air conditioning unit for mounting or semi-mounting on or in a device to be air-conditioned

Abstract

Switch cabinet air conditioning device for attachment or semi-installation on or in a device to be air-conditioned (1) with a plurality of electronic or electrotechnical components in this device (1), wherein all air conditioning means including fan (20; 40), compressor (50), heat exchanger (30), piping, coolant and evaporator (100) are located within a housing, the housing has means for fastening to or in a cutout in the device to be air-conditioned (1) and the housing comprises a first section (8) oriented towards the device to be air-conditioned (1) and a second section (9) facing the free environment, characterized in that between the first and the second housing section (8;9) a separation area (7) is formed, wherein all or a predominant number of those air conditioning means which are at risk of leakage or are susceptible to leakage with regard to the refrigerant are arranged in the second subsection (9) facing the free environment and in a compartment formed in this regard;

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a control cabinet air conditioning device for attachment or semi-installation on or in a device to be air-conditioned with a plurality of electronic or electrotechnical components in this device, wherein all air conditioning means, including fan, compressor, heat exchanger, piping, coolant and evaporator, are located within a housing of the device, the housing has means for fastening to or in a cutout in the device to be air-conditioned and the housing comprises a first section oriented towards the device to be air-conditioned and a second section facing the free environment, according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] Control cabinet air conditioning units or similar devices for the safe operation of electrical or electronic components located in a control cabinet or similar enclosure have been state of the art for many years.

[0003] These types of air conditioning units ensure that the internal temperature is stabilized within the corresponding unit housing. To achieve this, heated air is drawn in and cooled using a refrigerant. The cooled air is then released back into the room to be cooled. This allows for the dissipation and compensation of heat loss that would otherwise increase the temperature.

[0004] Typically, the refrigerant is compressed in a compressor-based system. The compressor draws in the refrigerant in gaseous form, resulting in an increase in pressure.

[0005] The compressor then forces the refrigerant into a condenser, consisting of a multitude of condenser tubes. The refrigerant is then cooled with the help of outside air, i.e., ambient air. In the process, it releases waste heat into the cooler surrounding air. This causes the temperature of the refrigerant to drop, and it begins to condense. In the process, it changes its form, meaning its state changes from gaseous to liquid.

[0006] The liquid refrigerant is fed into the evaporator via a corresponding pipe connection with the help of an expansion valve.

[0007] The liquid refrigerant then evaporates in the evaporator. Warm air is drawn in from the interior of the unit's housing and passed through the evaporator. In return, the cooled air is blown into the room to be cooled.

[0008] Control cabinet air conditioning units are available in several designs, for example as wall-mounted units, wall-mounted units or as so-called roof-mounted units that can be mounted on top of a control cabinet.

[0009] Due to the air exchange, contaminants can penetrate the interior of the device housing being cooled. Additional filtering devices are often provided to prevent this.

[0010] In the course of critically examining the chemical and physical properties of common refrigerants and their impact on the environment, we always strive to use refrigerants that are largely environmentally friendly.

[0011] Manufacturers of such air conditioning or refrigeration equipment are increasingly confronted with the European Union's F-Gas Regulation No. 517 / 2014 and must use or at least test alternative refrigerants to ensure the marketability of their products.

[0012] It has been shown that certain refrigerants have very environmentally friendly properties, especially when unwanted leaks occur and thus the refrigerant escapes from the refrigerant circuit.

[0013] However, some of these inherently advantageous refrigerants are flammable or more or less easily ignited.

[0014] This leads to problems if such refrigerant enters the interior of a virtually enclosed enclosure of a control cabinet. If, for example, a contactor or relay is activated there, switching sparks cannot be ruled out, which could lead to ignition.

[0015] The only way out of this problem would ultimately be to develop explosion-proof air conditioning units or to provide costly sensors to immediately initiate appropriate measures in the event of a refrigerant leak in order to prevent ignition and the associated consequential damage.

[0016] From the above, it is therefore an object of the invention to provide a further developed control cabinet air conditioning device for attachment or semi-installation on or in a device to be air-conditioned, which is configured in such a way that even those refrigerants can be used which represent a flammable or combustible medium upon exit or transition to the gaseous state and exit.

[0017] The object of the invention is achieved by a further developed switch cabinet air conditioning device according to the teaching of claim 1, wherein the subclaims represent at least expedient embodiments and further developments.

[0018] The assumption is therefore a known control cabinet air conditioning unit suitable for installation or semi-installation on or in a device to be air-conditioned. A device to be air-conditioned is understood here to be, for example, a cabinet, in particular a control cabinet, which contains a large number of electronic or electrical components. These electronic or electrical components generate waste heat or heat loss and therefore require air conditioning.

[0019] All necessary air conditioning equipment, including fans, compressors, heat exchangers or coolers, piping, refrigerant, and evaporators, is located within the enclosure of the control cabinet air conditioning unit.

[0020] The housing of the control cabinet air conditioning unit has means for fastening to or in a cutout in the device to be air-conditioned.

[0021] The housing also comprises a first section oriented towards the device to be air-conditioned and a second section facing the open environment.

[0022] In this respect, the control cabinet air conditioning system is connected to the outside environment on the flow side, but also indirectly via the heat exchanger to the interior of the device to be air-conditioned in order to remove warm air and allow cooled air to flow into the interior of the device to be air-conditioned.

[0023] According to the invention, a separation area, for example in the form of a separating plate, is formed between the first and second housing sections. All or a vast majority of the air conditioning means that are at risk of leaking or susceptible to leaking refrigerant are arranged in the second section facing the open environment and in a compartment formed therefor. Only the heat exchanger is located in the airflow of the first section.

[0024] The above means that in the event of a possible leak, escaping air conditioning fluid cannot penetrate into the quasi-closed interior of the device to be air-conditioned, but rather enters the open environment.

[0025] This prevents excessive concentration and ignition of gaseous refrigerant within the device to be air-conditioned, with the associated risk of fire or explosion.

[0026] Because the air conditioning agent is released into the environment in the event of a leak, no concentration can develop that could cause ignition.

[0027] Due to the solution presented, it is possible to dispense with otherwise necessary and complex sensors inside the housing to be air-conditioned, which means that the corresponding detection of escaping refrigerant within the device to be air-conditioned and the derivation of appropriate safety measures can be omitted.

[0028] Preferably, welded, soldered, bent, folded and / or crimped sections, in particular of a refrigerant-carrying evaporator together with associated piping, are arranged in the second housing section.

[0029] Furthermore, an arrangement of refrigerant-carrying detachable connections in the second housing section is preferred.

[0030] In one embodiment of the invention, it is possible to provide a flow-guiding and / or flow-generating device in the second housing section or adjacent to this section in order to quickly and effectively remove gaseous refrigerant from the area of ​​the second housing section in the event of a possible leak, i.e. to discharge it into the environment.

[0031] The solution according to the invention is preferably suitable when using flammable or highly flammable refrigerants.

[0032] The device to be air-conditioned and its housing are essentially closed or lockable. Since forced air flow through the device, for example, in the form of a control cabinet, is dispensed with, even in the event of a flammable refrigerant penetrating the device housing, which is conceivable according to the state of the art, the design of the corresponding housing is simplified and sealing measures can be eliminated when used under critical environmental conditions or in industrial environments.

[0033] It is of course within the meaning of the invention that if a possible escape of refrigerant is detected via a significant loss of refrigerant pressure, a fault message is sent or an alarm is triggered in order, on the one hand, to restore the operability of the air conditioning unit and, on the other hand, to prevent the escape of further refrigerant in such a way that there is no excessive concentration of refrigerant in the immediate vicinity of the air conditioning unit.

[0034] It should be noted at this point that when piping an evaporator or heat exchanger, it is not necessary to arrange the entire piping in the second housing section. Rather, it is perfectly sufficient to position pipe connections, such as those created by soldering, or sections particularly prone to breakage, in this area.

[0035] The invention will be explained in more detail below using an embodiment and with the aid of figures.

[0036] Here we show: Fig. 1 a schematic diagram of an exemplary control cabinet with connected air conditioning device; Fig. 2 a perspective view of the air conditioning device for attachment to an exemplary control cabinet (not shown) with the cover omitted and the main components and Fig. 3a, b Illustrations of an exemplary control cabinet with attached air conditioning unit ( Fig. 3a) and a representation of the outline of a control cabinet (dash-dotted line) with connected air conditioning unit and visible connecting sections for the cooling air flow with air inlet and air outlet.

[0037] According to the principle diagram according to Fig. 1 assumes a device 1 to be air-conditioned, for example, a control cabinet, which contains a large number of electronic or electrical components within its control cabinet housing. The task is to cool these electronic or electrical components, i.e., to dissipate any waste heat or to ensure that the interior of the control cabinet is heated to prevent dew point effects.

[0038] A side wall of the device 1 has two spaced openings. A first opening 5 carries exhaust air from the interior of the device 1 on the flow side.

[0039] A second opening 6 leads cooled or conditioned air into the interior of the device 1.

[0040] The actual air conditioning unit 2 has a separation area 7.

[0041] This separation area 7 creates a first subsection or subspace 8.

[0042] This first section 8 has complementary openings relative to the openings 6 and 7 in order to allow a corresponding cooling air flow.

[0043] To generate the flow, a suitable fan (in the Fig. 1 not shown) is present.

[0044] The second subsection 9, which is separated from the first subsection 8 by the separation area 7, has an ambient air inlet 3 and a corresponding ambient air outlet 4.

[0045] The second subsection (9) contains all or a vast majority of the air conditioning systems that are at risk or susceptible to refrigerant leaks. This creates a separate compartment from the first subsection (8).

[0046] This separate compartment contains, among other things, a compressor and an evaporator with associated pipe connections (see Fig. 2) arranged.

[0047] The air conditioning device 2 can be attached to the housing of the device 1 in a known manner by mechanical connecting means.

[0048] The Fig. 2 shows an air conditioning device used according to the invention together with a broken-away housing.

[0049] The air conditioning device comprises a compressor 50, a first fan 40, a cooling or heat exchanger 30, an evaporator 100 and a second fan 20.

[0050] The second fan 20 ensures the flow in the area of ​​the first section 8 and leads cooled or conditioned air into the interior of the device 1 (see Fig. 1, where the arrows symbolize the flow directions).

[0051] With the Fig. 3a and Fig. 3b shows by way of example how an air conditioning device 2 can be coupled to a device, in the example shown an indicated switch cabinet housing, on a corresponding side wall.

[0052] The Fig. Figure 3b shows the arrangement of the openings for the realization of the internal flow.

[0053] Ambient air is sucked in through opening 3 and exits again in the area of ​​opening 4. The reference numerals 5 and 6 according to Fig. 3b correspond to the representations with the reference numerals 5 and 6 according to Fig. 1.

Claims

[1] Control cabinet air conditioning unit for mounting or semi-mounting on or in a device (1) to be air-conditioned, comprising a plurality of electronic or electrotechnical components in that device (1), wherein all air-conditioning means, including fans (20; 40), compressor (50), heat exchanger (30), piping, refrigerant and evaporator (100), are located within an enclosure, the enclosure having means for mounting on or in a cutout in the device (1) to be air-conditioned, and the enclosure comprising a first (8) section oriented towards the device (1) to be air-conditioned and a second (9) section oriented towards the free environment, characterized by, that a separation area (7) is formed between the first and the second housing subsection (8;9), wherein all or a vast majority of those air conditioning means which are at risk of or prone to leakage with respect to the refrigerant are arranged in the second subsection (9) facing the free environment and a compartment formed therein. [2] Control cabinet climate control unit according to claim 1, characterized by , that soldered, bent, welded, folded and / or crimped sections, in particular of a refrigerant-carrying evaporator (100) together with associated piping are arranged in the second housing section (9). [3] Control cabinet climate control unit according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by , that refrigerant-carrying, detachable connections are arranged in the second housing subsection (9). [4] Control cabinet climate control unit according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by, that a flow-guiding and / or flow-generating device is provided in or on the second housing section (9) to quickly and effectively discharge any gaseous refrigerant from the area of ​​the second housing section to the environment in the event of a leak. [5] Control cabinet climate control unit according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that a flammable refrigerant can be used. [6] Control cabinet climate control unit according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the housing of the device to be air-conditioned (1) is substantially closed or lockable.

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