Application Guide
Enclosure Cooling Selection Guide
Overheating is the #1 cause of premature electronics failure in industrial enclosures. The right cooling method depends on your heat load, ambient temperature, enclosure rating, and environment. This guide helps you choose between Filterfans, cooling units, heat exchangers, and chillers — and we'll size it for free.
Get Free Sizing HelpStep 1: What Are Your Three Key Variables?
Before selecting a cooling technology, you need three numbers. If you don't have these, contact us and we'll help you calculate them.
Qtotal
Total Heat Load (Watts)
Sum of heat dissipated by all drives, PLCs, power supplies, and other components inside the enclosure.
Tamb
Max Ambient Temp (°F/°C)
Highest temperature outside the enclosure during normal operation. Include seasonal peaks.
Ttarget
Target Internal Temp (°F/°C)
Maximum allowable temperature inside the enclosure, per component datasheets (typically 95–120°F).
Step 2: Choose Your Cooling Technology
The relationship between ambient temperature and target internal temperature determines your primary cooling approach.
| If Your Situation Is... | Use This | Pfannenberg Product | Typical Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ambient always < target temp, clean air, indoor | Filterfan® | Filterfan 4.0 Series | $ — Lowest |
| Ambient ≥ target temp, OR dirty/humid/oily air | Cooling Unit (Enclosure A/C) | DTS 3000 Series | $$ — Mid |
| Small ΔT, closed-loop needed, no refrigerant desired | Air-to-Air Heat Exchanger | PKS Series (Kinetic System™) | $$ — Mid |
| Extreme ambient, corrosive, washdown, plant water available | Air-to-Water Heat Exchanger | PWS Series (NEMA 4X SS available) | $$$ — Higher |
| Process cooling (spindles, injection mold, lasers) | Industrial Chiller | CCE / EB 2.0 Series | $$$$ — Highest |
| Outdoor, cold climate, condensation risk | Heater + Thermostat/Hygrostat | FLH Fan Heaters + Thermostats | $ — Lowest |
Not Sure Which One You Need?
Send us your enclosure size, heat load, ambient temperature, and NEMA rating, and our application engineers will recommend the right Pfannenberg product with a full sizing calculation. Or use Pfannenberg's free online sizing software to run the numbers yourself.
Step 3: Match Your Enclosure
Your cooling solution must be compatible with your enclosure's NEMA rating and construction. Applied Control supplies both the enclosure and the thermal management — so we can spec a complete package.
Indoor / NEMA 12
Hammond steel enclosures + Filterfans or cooling units. Most standard factory environments.
Outdoor / NEMA 4
Hammond NEMA 4 enclosures + DTS 3000 cooling units + heaters for cold climates.
Washdown / NEMA 4X
Stahlin fiberglass or Hammond stainless + NEMA 4X cooling units or PWS heat exchangers.
Corrosive / Chemical
Stahlin non-metallic enclosures + stainless PWS heat exchangers for closed-loop protection.
Get a Complete Enclosure + Cooling Package Quote
Tell us your application, heat load, environment, and NEMA requirements. We'll recommend the right enclosure and thermal management combination with pricing.
Request a Quote →Related Pages
Pfannenberg Thermal Management · Enclosure Air Conditioners · Filterfans · Chillers · Enclosures · Cross-Reference & Quote