Military/Rugged Environments

RUGGEDIZED FOOD PROCESSING

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Ruggedized Food Processing:

Ruggedized Food Processing Ruggedized Food Processing

 

The maker of some of our favorite corn chips used TECA’s AHP-1200X for years in severe hose down environments.

They now had a similar requirement where they wanted to minimize any cleaning and were willing to entertain a liquid cooled LHP-1200XE solid state air conditioner. The unit fit into the same area and footprint as its air cooled cousin and provided greater cooling capacity. This customer added a valve on the water inlet to provide water flow only when cooling was required.

The units have been in service for years.

Fire Safety Switches & Alarm Enclosure

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Safety Panel Cooling:

Saftey panel cooling
Fire Safety Switches & Alarm Enclosure

TECA provides standard off the shelf as well as custom designs to meet the needs of the end user. Alarm enclosures can be exposed to some of the harshest conditions like the extremes of live-fire heat and hose-down. The alarm enclosure pictured here is for fire safety and switches. The transparent plastic enclosure is accessible and secure while being cooled to desired temperatures under harsh firefighting conditions. In this example TECA provided custom modifications to provide for redundancy and mounting requirements specified by the end user.

Contact teca@thermoelectric.com to inquire about custom designs for your needs. Our friendly sales team looks forward to hearing from you!

 

MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS

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Military Communications:

military communications

A branch of the US military had a need for cooling a small enclosure containing a critical voice communication system. The shipboard system had to be resistant to salt water corrosion as well as pass stringent shock and vibration testing.

Modifications to TECAs AHP-300X solid air conditioner allowed the unit to meet specializing and air flow requirements and pass these tests. The challenge was to overcome the small available space both inside and outside the enclosure. The heat sinks were turned so that the heat rejection air flow and internal cold side air flow moved in different directions.

This unit is a prime example of how flexible Team TECA is when customer needs require customization of standard products.

SURVEILLANCE

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Surveillance:

Surveillance
Surveillance

Video cameras needed to function in an environment beyond their rated temperature range.

One of our customers wanted to position cameras to observe a process from a location not safe for operators to go. The customer is a rubber manufacturer and the camera location was too hot for the cameras to work in. The customer had the cameras, but had no suitable enclosure, or cooling apparatus.

TECA adapted a tiny air conditioner based on Model AHP150XE to mount to a standard commercial enclosure. The package was completed by retrofitting the cameras with insulation and special cooling units. The design satisfied our customer’s needs to a “T”.

COMMUNICATIONS COOLING

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Long-Term Communications Cooling

communications cooling communications cooling

 

A common use for thermoelectric air conditioners is the cooling of electronics cabinets.

These photos show an outdoor communications cabinet being cooled with a system of TECA air conditioners that have been customized for the end user. The units photographed here are over 12 years old, a testament to the reliability of TECA’s thermoelectric air conditioners.

Also worth mentioning is the lack of maintenance that thermoelectric air conditioners require. With no moving parts except for the fans, no filters to change and no chemical coolants, TECA air conditioners are an ideal and environmentally friendly solution for remote areas.

AVIONICS MAINTENANCE

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Avionics Maintenance:

avionics maintenance

 

The task was to create a portable cooling system for diagnostic equipment to allow troubleshooting of avionics systems while still installed. Troubleshooting and diagnosing avionics problems is hard enough on the bench.

To save valuable time, technicians would rather get it done while the electronics are still in the aircraft. Also, under harsh environments, it is difficult to keep cutting edge electronics functioning the way they should. When it came to the type of portable cooling for the diagnostic equipment required for these jobs; a navy contractor came to TECA for the solution.

We helped design and build the solution shown in its prototype form around the portable enclosure. TECA completed the project on a tight schedule, which called for teamwork and attention to detail.

MILITARY TROOP TRANSPORT

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Military Troop Transport:

military troop transport military troop transport military troop transport

 

It was 1994 and a military contractor came to TECA with a problem. The existing Freon based refrigerators used in troop transport galleys had a MTBF measured in months.

They had recognized the potential of thermoelectrics and contracted with a vendor to design and build refrigerators for them.  The problem came when the original vendor’s product failed to live up to its potential. TECA was approached and given only several months to design, build and test three prototype refrigerators for the first new galley.

Less than three months later with test data in his hands and three refrigerators in the back of his truck a TECA rep delivered the goods. Over twenty years later the military and it’s allies around the world are still flying these same refrigerators and ordering more.

COMPACT MILITARY AIR CONDITIONER

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Compact Military Air Conditioner:

compact military air conditioner

The contact to engineering read pretty much like this:

  • Wants A/C, 17.5 x 5.5 footprint, 150 W @ 0 Dt, He is in a hurry
  • Desert Application
  • Unit will require transport in, then it will sit for months, then it will go somewhere else
  • Single set point 35 °C control?
  • Size, can go 6″ on the outside

We suggested AHP-1200X, he said they didn’t choose because of no DC.  We could make it DC!  Nope, won’t fit, air flows are bad, 24 VDC, running off generator, NEMA 4X, Mil grade fans, 50 °C max, urgent need!

A little more than month later the order was placed and about 6 weeks after that a batch of custom air conditioners was being shipped.

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