Electrical cabinet with door-mounted heat exchanger
First Claim
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1. An electrical equipment cabinet comprising:
- an enclosure adapted to contain heat-generating electrical equipment, said enclosure having at least one access opening;
a door providing a closure for said opening, said door when open permitting access to said electrical equipment and when closed maintaining a substantially closed environment in the interior of said cabinet;
an air-to-air heat exchanger carried by said door for removing heat from the interior of said cabinet while maintaining said substantially closed environment within said cabinet, said heat exchanger defining a first air flow path for air drawn from the exterior of said cabinet and a second air flow path for air drawn from the interior of said cabinet, said first and second air flow paths being substantially isolated from each other; and
a powered fan mounted in said enclosure for circulating air through at least one of said first and second air flow paths.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An electrical equipment cabinet utilizes a door-mounted, air-to-air heat exchanger for providing cooling to the equipment housed in the cabinet while maintaining a closed or sealed environment within the cabinet. An arrangement of ducts and vents is used to force interior and exterior air through the heat exchanger using powered fans mounted within the main portion of the cabinet. The mounting of the heat exchanger on or within the door of the cabinet makes more efficient use of the space available within the cabinet, and the placement of the fans within the main portion of the cabinet protects them from damage and avoids the need to provide electrical power to the door.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. An electrical equipment cabinet comprising:
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an enclosure adapted to contain heat-generating electrical equipment, said enclosure having at least one access opening; a door providing a closure for said opening, said door when open permitting access to said electrical equipment and when closed maintaining a substantially closed environment in the interior of said cabinet; an air-to-air heat exchanger carried by said door for removing heat from the interior of said cabinet while maintaining said substantially closed environment within said cabinet, said heat exchanger defining a first air flow path for air drawn from the exterior of said cabinet and a second air flow path for air drawn from the interior of said cabinet, said first and second air flow paths being substantially isolated from each other; and a powered fan mounted in said enclosure for circulating air through at least one of said first and second air flow paths. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. An electrical equipment cabinet comprising:
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an enclosure adapted to contain heat-generating electrical equipment, said enclosure having at least one access opening; a door providing a closure for said opening, said door when open permitting access to said electrical equipment and when closed maintaining a substantially closed environment in the interior of said cabinet; an air-to-air heat exchanger carried by said door for removing heat from the interior of said cabinet while maintaining said substantially closed environment within said cabinet, said heat exchanger defining a first air flow path for air drawn from the exterior of said cabinet and a second air flow path for air drawn from the interior of said cabinet, said first and second air flow paths being substantially isolated from each other; a first powered fan mounted in said enclosure for circulating air through said first air flow path; and a second powered fan mounted in said enclosure for circulating air through said second air flow path. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A method for using an air-to-air heat exchanger to provide cooling to the interior of an electrical equipment cabinet having an enclosure portion with an access opening and a door providing a closure for said access opening, comprising the steps of:
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mounting said heat exchanger to the door of said electrical equipment cabinet; maintaining a first flow of air drawn from the exterior of said cabinet through a first air flow path in said heat exchanger; and maintaining a second flow of air drawn from the interior of said cabinet through a second air flow path in said heat exchanger, said first and second air flow paths being substantially isolated from each other; wherein at least one of said first and second air flows is maintained by powered air flow means mounted in the enclosure portion of said cabinet. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29)
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Specification