Electric.ie November/December 2021 Edition

ELECTRIC.IE • The Magazine & Website for the Irish Electrical Industry • 47 IT INFRASTRUCTURE SOFTWARE & SERVICES www.rittal.co.uk Rittal w w w . rittal. ie Other key design features are the ones that keep outside elements outside. For outdoor enclosure one key element is the Ingress Protection (IP) rating achieved. We would suggest IP55 rating as being suf cient for an outdoor enclosure. This means the cabinet is protected from wind driven rain and dust. What is of great importance, is that the enclosure is designed so that standing water does not pool on the enclosure or sit on the enclosure seals. If the seals are protected, then the risk of leakage into the enclosure is low. Enclosures where water can sit for a prolonged period of times means eventually a breakdown in the seal material. If this standing water, then goes onto freeze it can cause a gap between the enclosure door and housing. Overhanging roofs that fully protect the enclosure door seal is an imperative design feature that must not be overlooked when placing such a product outdoors. Security is critical outdoor. Whether this be speci c lock types dependant on customer and application, or maybe even remote access could be required. These features need to be options to give the end client peace of mind. Whether the cabinet is in a crowded busy town centre, a remote or an airport runway, access to the inside of the enclosure needs to be limited as much as possible to those who don’t have the authority. Whilst the outer design of the cabinet is arguably the most important the internals of the cabinet need to be versatile, exible and also future proofed. Technology moves at such a rate these days that in some instances by the time a system is deployed the electrical components within it have been superseded. By having a more exible system for mounting within the cabinet this can mean the ability to upgrade at a later date using the existing enclosures. By doing so it reduces the need for downtime, reduces labour and parts costs and overall saves the end client time and money by allowing a system to be online in a shorter timescale. The need for outdoor systems is increasing due to the ever- expanding requirement for all things to be connected. This need will only increase but it is paramount that when a system is to be placed outside serious consideration is given to the design of the housing that the critical infrastructure equipment will sit in. Whether it be telecoms, rail, airports or highways the overriding factors are the same. Protection from the outside world is key! For more www.rittal.ie