The continued march toward sustainable manufacturing is pushing manufacturers to integrate efficient enclosure cooling units to help achieve eco-friendly production — this is especially true for the automotive industry where harsh environmental conditions mean the need for constant, consistent cooling. However, the challenge with more “green” climate control systems is maintaining the cooling outputs necessary to help ensure optimal operating conditions for industrial enclosures and any accessories.
Rittal’s Blue e+ line of enclosure cooling units has proven that manufacturers can indeed have the best of both worlds with their industrial cooling units. Innovative technology and a focus on Industry 4.0 principles have established the Blue e+ line as a leader in the industrial enclosure cooling space. The new Blue e+ S takes things to the next level by combining more precise cooling, a decreased infrastructure footprint, and even greater energy savings.
Let’s take a moment to meet the new Blue e+ S enclosure cooling units so manufacturers can understand how this new addition to Rittal’s line of climate control solutions for enclosures can help create more efficient and sustainable cooling.
How Blue e+ S Increases Cooling Efficiency
Increased regulatory standards for sustainable manufacturing like UL/CSA 60335-2-40 Standard have enhanced the importance of efficient climate systems that cut emissions and energy usage. What differentiates the new Blue e+ S from other cooling units in the quest to comply with the guidelines of the new UL Standard is the ability to provide lower output categories of .3 kW, .5 kW, and 1 kW without sacrificing adequate cooling necessary to keep enclosures at optimal operating temperatures.
Using heat pipe and inverter technology, the Blue e+ S provides robust cooling without the need for a compressor, expansion valve, or other regulating elements, thus significantly reducing the amount of energy required to run the unit — in fact, the internal fan is the only component that requires energy for use.
Depending on the thermal energy generated inside the enclosure and the current ambient temperature, targeted cooling can be achieved with only the heat pipe. To further increase efficiency, the Blue e+ S only uses additional compressor cooling if a large amount of heat needs to be dissipated from the enclosure or if the ambient temperature reaches suboptimal levels. However, when compressor cooling is required, it is actually far more energy-efficient than conventional units due an inverter-controlled drive that automatically adjusts fan and compressor speeds depending on cooling needs.
As a result of this cutting-edge engineering, the Blue e+ S can reduce overall energy consumption by 75%. This significant decrease in energy usage also helps manufacturers facilitate more efficient and sustainable production programs.
With cUL approval and multi-voltage capability, the Blue e+ S is designed for global use to help manufacturers around the world meet the demands of more efficient, sustainable manufacturing.
How the Blue e+ S Uses Smart Technology to Drive Sustainability
The new Blue e+ S is built upon a fully-integrated IIoT interface that allows for digital monitoring and condition reporting to help manufacturers better understand the state of their cooling units on a 24/7 basis. The Blue e+ S easily connects Rittal's new Smart Service Portal, where available, for remote monitoring and reporting and new LED displays make cooling unit alerts and notifications more noticeable than ever before.
Additionally, you can connect your smartphone to the enclosure cooling units via Near Field Communication (NFC) to transmit device data and parameters or scan the product QR code to see all relevant product information. The Scan & Service app is available on the App Store and Google Play. With NFC at your disposal, you’ll have:
- Faster parametrization and commissioning of your cooling units
- Time-efficient working with Fast-Copy, allowing you to copy settings 1:1 to other cooling units
- Ability to generate and send service messages
- Capability to generate and send wish lists of accessories and spares
- All product information at a glance
- Ease of managing scanned products
This emphasis on smart technology and digitalizing climate control systems is key to prioritizing predictive maintenance in order to avoid costly breakdowns and downtime. In addition, predictive maintenance also helps better identify cooling units that need repair or replacement before failing units significantly impact energy consumption and costs. When maintenance is required, the streamlined design and engineering of the Blue e+ S means standard tools are all you need to quickly and easily get your cooling unit back online.
The technological evolution with the Blue e+ S also manifests in significant cuts in carbon emissions. Whereas other industrial cooling units rely on refrigerants containing environmentally harmful chemicals, the Blue e+ S uses a refrigerant with a Global Warming Potential (GWP) that is 56% lower than those used in comparable cooling units to minimize carbon dioxide emissions.
Plus, the Blue e+ S is smaller and more compact than previous incarnations of Rittal cooling units to help manufacturers reduce their automation footprint and achieve more flexibility in factory floor configurations. This makes the Blue e+ S ideal for retrofitted manufacturing facilities as well as seamless integration with existing industrial enclosure systems.
With the new Blue e+ S, manufacturers will experience precise cooling outputs and reduced automation footprint with powerful advances in efficiency and sustainability. Learn more about how the new Blue e+ S can help you reduce your energy consumption and costs.
