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April 21st, 2014Success Stories Product Information

Air Conditioned Transit Cases Protect Monitoring Equipment, Property and People

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Custom portable equipment case featuring fiberglass construction and 1500 BTU heating/cooling thermoelectric air conditioner.

Market

Surveillance, Government

Application

Protection from harsh environment for weather prediction equipment

The Challenge

A U.S. government agency reached out to EIC Solutions to develop a custom solution to protect their equipment from failure in harsh environments. Located outdoors in remote areas of the South Pacific, the equipment monitors the presence of dust particles in the atmosphere. The data is then used to track and predict monsoon patterns to study the possible effects of the particles on these dramatic weather events that cause flash floods, destruction to crops, costly property damage and the loss of human life.

The agency’s existing solution, an air conditioned enclosure, was cumbersome, immobile, and couldn’t withstand the highly corrosive environments which included salt-laden air. Additionally, the compressor-based air conditioners previously used were particularly problematic because of the difficulty in performing routine maintenance in these remote locations.

The Solution

For this application, EIC proposed a pair of Defender™ Series Air Conditioned Rack Cases that were highly customized to meet the agency’s needs.  EIC recommended a 1500 BTU and a 2500 BTU ThermoTEC™ thermoelectric air conditioner with heating option and digital temperature controllers to keep the customer’s equipment within the specified thermal window. To withstand continued exposure to the elements as well as meet structural requirements for the equipment to be housed, one case was provided in high-grade reinforced thermoplastic and the other a fiberglass construction. The cases were designed with cable exits and custom ducting and hose to allow then to be coupled in field. Case features included rack mount rails, slide-out shelves, cable connection ports, skid rails, cooler collar, shock isolated platform and shelving, and over-sized casters. In order to reduce the need for maintenance in the remote areas that the monitoring equipment would be located, EIC’s ThermoTEC thermoelectric air conditioners offer extremely reliable solid state construction with a long life span. The units feature a maintenance free design with no compressor, refrigerant, filters or moving components (other than fans).

Thus, by coupling an EIC thermoelectric air conditioner with a custom case design, the final package was able to be arranged to fit the application both thermally and dimensionally while also meeting the need for portability, corrosion-resistance and low-maintenance.

thermoplastic rack mount case
Reinforced thermoplastic case with 13U rack mount frame, custom cable entry and 2500 BTU heating/cooling thermoelectric air conditioner.

EIC’s Defender™ Series Air Conditioned Rack Cases feature:

  • 19” Rackmount Case in Rotomolded Polyethylene, Composite, Fiberglass or Aluminum
  • 3U to 12U Rack Heights
  • 19″, 24″, 29″, or 34″ Rack Frame Depth
  • Built-in Thermoelectric Air Conditioner up to 2500 BTU
  • Fully Removable & Transportable Air Conditioner Housing
  • AC, DC, or AC/DC Power Options
  • Made in the USA

Benefits/Results

Unhappy with the existing enclosures and compressor-based air conditioners the agency contacted several vendors to develop a more effective solution, but could not find one willing to build such a highly customized solution until they found EIC Solutions.

EIC provided a custom-designed rack cases, along with a thermoelectric coolers that addressed the thermal management and mobility needs the application required. The cases provided adequate space to house the monitoring and data capturing equipment and met the agency’s need for weatherproofing and protection of the electronics and other devices from corrosion, dust, dirt and other environmental contaminants. The integrated thermoelectric air conditioners delivered efficient, low maintenance cooling to maintain case contents at constant specified operating temperatures for proper functioning and reduced risk of failure. Using the EIC product, the agency now has a solution that requires virtually no maintenance and is portable, thus making field installation easier.

This situation is just one more example of how EIC’s dedication to providing customer-specific solutions to thermal management and equipment protection challenges ensures the best possible outcome.

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