Press: Up to 70 percent lower energy consumption

The potential for innovation is by no means exhausted as far as enclosure cooling units are concerned. Pilot applications in the automotive industry - at Daimler in Sindelfingen, for example - have shown that there is still considerable room for efficiency improvements. The car manufacturer examined the new energy-saving cooling units of Rittal's "Blue E" generation in running operation for eleven months - with surprising test results: The new cooling technology with a 1,000 W cooling output consumes up to 70% less energy than a standard Rittal cooling unit with the same output.

Thanks to the excellent test results, Rittal is now market launching the new "Blue e" generation cooling units with the powerful Comfort Controller control system. Rittal is planning to roll out the complete series for the 500 W to 4,000 W power ranges.

In terms of size and appearance, the new cooling units are similar to the proven Rittal TopTherm system. The higher coefficient of performance (COP), which is 42% higher (from 1.2 to 1.7) with 1,000 W test equipment, for example, is the product of years of research and development. It also results from the ideal interaction of all the components responsible for the cooling output.

The first step towards improving the efficiency of the new cooling units with nano-coating involves the entire geometry of the cooling components' configuration. The component manufacturer systematically analysed existing devices and - wherever possible - improved their efficiency. This relates to the design of the condensers, evaporators, cooling fins, pipe bends and all the other refrigeration components.

In a second step, Rittal optimised the fan technology. EC (Electronic Commutation) technology is used in most of the fan motors. In these motors, designed as external rotor motors, the traditional mechanical pole reversal is replaced by electronic commutation, which functions without wear, sparks or interference. The motors have a dynamically balanced rotor with multi-polar magnets. The rotor position is recorded by several Hall-effect sensors. Motor supply and control is via an external electronic operating system that has a very high efficiency at all speeds. Precision bearings ensure a long service life and low noise generation.

Thirdly, Rittal has improved the control electronics by means of new Eco-Mode controls. If an internal fan does not need to operate permanently, it is automatically switched off, so cutting energy costs.

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Rittal GmbH & Co. KG

Rittal GmbH & Co. KG, which has its headquarters in Herborn, Germany, is one of the world's leading system suppliers for enclosures, power distribution, climate control, IT infrastructure and software & services. Customers from all sectors of industry, from mechanical and plant engineering, as well as from the IT and telecoms market are making use of system solutions from Rittal.
Its broad product range also includes complete solutions for modular and energy-efficient data centres: from innovative security concepts for data systems (formerly known as Litcos) through to physical data and system security for IT infrastructures (formerly known as Lampertz). The leading software providers Eplan and Mind8 - Rittal subsidiaries -are supplementing the Rittal product portfolio with interdisciplinary engineering solutions.
Founded in 1961, Rittal is now active worldwide with 10 production sites, 63 subsidiaries and 40 agencies. With 10,000 employees worldwide, Rittal is the largest company of the proprietor-run Friedhelm Loh Group of Haiger, Germany. The entire group employs more than 11,000 people and expects to generate revenues of € 2.2 billion in 2011. Further information at www.rittal.com and www.friedhelm-loh-group.com.