THERMAL DEVELOPMENT OF MODULAR OUTDOOR CABINETS

摘要

In many telecommunications applications, switching/signal processing equipment is commonly placed in outdoor cabinets. The housed equipment generates heat that must dissipated while keeping the air temperature inside the cabinets within prescribed limits for optimum performance. The enclosure, furthermore, being outdoors, receives full solar irradiation, creating an extra heat load that must be handled. Lastly, the cabinet must also meet tough environmental requirements including resistance to wind driven rain, dust, and vibrations.rnReliable Electric, based on customer feedback and needs, began this year the design and development of a new generation of cabinets that were modular in construction, design, and deployment. The cabinet's core design was such to allow installation in virtually all climatic and operational conditions. The cabinets were made of light weight materials that allow for the transportation and installation of modules by two people virtually anywhere in an urban or suburban environment, including roof tops without cranes or similar equipment.rnThis paper describes in detail the design, development, testing and evaluation of the thermal management system for the modular cabinets. Dual cooling unit option allows the cabinet to support variable internal design temperatures. Moreover, battery compartments were also designed to be modular, and their thermal management achieved by designing small compact heat exchangers. The modular cabinet underwent extensive CFD simulations and experimental testing of sub components.rnFurthermore, complete laboratory testing of the entire cabinet was carried out in house at Reliable's facilities.rnOverall assessment of the thermal management system for the modular cabinet indicates that the cabinets will maintain desired internal temperatures without sacrificing modularity and ease of transportation and installation.