cooling fan solutions for any environment

Whether it is on the sidelines at the Superbowl, in the middle of the airport, or on the outskirts of town, portable enclosures and kiosks offer a wide range of services and functionality that simplify our lives.
 
Portable communication systems have become an integral tool on NFL sidelines. All season long, big blue portable communication banks could be seen behind the team benches. These systems enable on-field communication between coaches and players. Tablets are used so players can study previous plays and see what schemes the opposing team is using. Referees now utilize these systems for play reviews and challenges. At this year’s Superbowl, a harsh environment fan and fan guard from Orion Fans were easily recognizable inside a portable communication bank. The fan solution offers superior cooling capacity up to 136 CFM in a small form factor.
 
The electronics powering these portable communication banks are complex and sensitive, especially when subjected to harsh outdoor environments including wide temperature ranges, rain/snow, dust and other airborne contaminants. Featuring CPUs, touchscreens, LCDs, power supplies and more, NFL portable communication banks are tasked with operating on the snowy sidelines in Green Bay with temperatures well below freezing, as well as in the extreme heat of Arizona. Heat loads in the desert can easily exceed 200W. To ensure proper performance and longer lifespan while reducing maintenance and operating costs, portable communication equipment designers pay particular attention to the enclosures’ internal temperature regulation, achieved through fan cooling technologies. Fans are vital to continuously moving air around the enclosure to circulate heat away from electronics and out through external vents.
 
It is essential to use a fan that combines rugged operation with high air flow and low noise to ensure reliable and long-term operation of portable communication equipment. Cooling systems must meet rigorous requirements to withstand environmental conditions. These may require fans with IP68 ratings or higher, as well as humidity and salt spray testing. Seals, gaskets, connectors, and fans within the cooling system also must meet specified environmental ratings. Depending on the size and design of the enclosure/kiosk, high-static pressure fans may also be considered to provide the necessary airflow in restricted enclosure space.
 
Depending on the location, additional guards and filtering may be required to minimize the amount of dust, pollen, and other airborne particles from entering the enclosure. Fans are an incredibly affordable method of cooling enclosure/kiosk, the electronics’ lifetime can be further preserved by employing specialty items like a louver-filtered fan kit with specialty filters designed to meet the unique needs of particular outdoor environments. By accessorizing a fan with a louvered fan guard, specialty filter, and metal guard, you can meet specified NEMA and IP ratings that will boost uptime, extend equipment lifetimes, and minimize field maintenance costs. Further, some fan manufacturers like Orion Fans offer specialty filters designed to guard against low pressure drop, water and condensation, fire, and airborne dust. These filters are cleanable and reusable, ensuring that electronics will continually perform to the specified airflow.
 
In addition, temperature and fan speed controllers can also be implemented to turn fans on and off once the set temperature point is reached, lowering energy consumption and noise.
 
Cooling enclosure/kiosk electronics ensures peak performance and offers longer operating life with lower maintenance time and costs. This increases uptime of enclosure/kiosk and lowers total cost of ownership. Fans are an essential component to the cooling solution because they move heat quickly and efficiently away from temperature-sensitive equipment. Additionally, fans may also prevent water, dust, and wind-driven rain from entering the kiosk or enclosure.
 
While fans are available in a variety of package sizes and types, airflows, performance options, power designations, and other specifications, design engineers do not need to choose between shoehorning in an off-the-shelf fan or designing and manufacturing their own. Orion Fans has the engineering expertise to specify parts and design a fan solution for your unique kiosk application that will save time and money.