Heat is as welcome in an enclosure as a grain of sand when cleaning glasses. Removing this troublemaker to the outside and leaving it there if possible is extremely important for the smooth operation of the installed components. This job is often done by filterfans - but until now they have received little attention and been somewhat underestimated. The system specialists at Rittal from Herborn in Hesse have now introduced a new generation of Blue e+ filterfans, which come with an emergency cooling function and many other innovative features and are designed to provide smart climate control. This protects components from overheating and avoids costs due to system failure in the event of an emergency.

Save time with tool-free handling

However, the advantages of the new, smart fans start even earlier: While the last generation of filter fans was already designed for tool-free installation and maintenance, the mechanical components intended for this purpose have now been completely redesigned once again. The latching hooks for installation and the opening mechanism for filter replacement are now even more convenient. Proven features such as the simple change of air flow direction or the flexible positioning of the power connection have been retained. In addition to the mechanics, adjustments have also been made to the Rittal design, which is why the slats on the grille now also run vertically - all while retaining the protection class, of course.

Intelligence in the smallest space

The Blue e+ filterfans are available in five sizes and eight performance classes from 20 cubic meters per hour to 1,160 cubic meters per hour. While the AC/DC models offer the basics, the EMC variant (EMC = electromagnetic compatibility) meets special requirements for the electromagnetic shielding attenuation of housings. Thanks to EC technology, speed control and fan monitoring are possible via an analog interface. This allows temperature control to be adapted to actual requirements - a smart function that saves energy and increases service life. The new generation builds on this and offers further advantages such as a wide-range input (100-240 volts) and a ModBus interface, via which monitoring, control and alarm functions are available.

Full control with IoT interface

Filterfans that are recorded via the Rittal IoT interface can provide information on status, utilization, operating hours or energy consumption. If several enclosures are located together, critical heat developments can be detected by sensors and assigned to the affected filterfan. System operators are informed and the filter fan's emergency cooling function is activated as soon as the temperature exceeds the alarm threshold. Increasing the fan speed and thus the air flow rate delays overheating. The filter fan returns to normal mode as soon as the temperature falls below the threshold value again. In addition to safety, the new generation ensures its own longevity: automatic filter cleaning blows dust particles out of the filter several times a day. Operators can also enter a virtual operating time and are shown when the next filter change is due - similar to a tank display. This enables maintenance "on demand", which saves time and effort.

The basic virtue has also been optimized

Rittal is setting new standards for the actual main task of the fan-and-filter unit, namely to let through as much air and as few particles as possible, with pleated filters as standard. Their pleats create a six times larger surface area that is 40 percent more permeable to air and at the same time doubles or triples the maintenance interval, depending on the application. All these features ensure that the new generation of Blue e+ filterfans takes conventional enclosure climate control to a new level.

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