UNDERSTANDING THE

IMPORTANCE OF PROPERLY
SIZING YOUR APPLICATION
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OVERVIEW

Conducting a sizing will help you accurately determine how much cooling is
required for your application. Appropriately sizing your application is more
than a simple watt to BTU conversion, as that is not a complete reflection of
how much cooling is needed. An accurate sizing consists of a combination
of specification-driven factors. This three step guide will demonstrate how
to accurately size your application.
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STEP 1: First, determine an accurate maximum ambient temperature where the enclosure is located.
Then select an acceptable maximum desired internal temperature.

Figure 1
Temperature Specs: (Specify C or F)
OVERSIZED SIZING EXAMPLE ACTUAL SIZING EXAMPLE
Indicate the maximum ambient temperature to be
experienced where the A/C will be installed
Enclosure Dimensions: 48”H x 24”W x 36”D Enclosure Dimensions: 48”H x 24”W x 36”D
Do not use an excessively high temperature to create a
“safety margin” or measure surface temperature as this
will result in an oversized air conditioner. Provide ONLY the nen l e o s nen l e o s
realistic maximum air temperature. For example, selecting
a 120F ambient temperature when the hottest day recorded
¾” Insulation ¾” Insulation
was 105F will have a significant impact on your results.
Selecting an inaccurate ambient temperature would
result in an additional 1,700 BTU’s of cooling, oversizing Indoor Indoor
your requirement.
Max Desired Internal Temperature 95F Max Desired Internal Temperature 95F

Determine the maximum desired internal temperature

Oversized Max Ambient Temperature 120F Actual Max Ambient Temperature 105F
you would like to achieve within the enclosure.
This is the maximum temperature you would like to achieve
within the enclosure and is related to the maximum operating SIZING RESULTS SAMPLE SIZING RESULTS SAMPLE
temperature of your equipment. This is discussed in more
depth on the next page. e lic tion i e 120F ambient e lic tion i e 105F ambient
See Figure 1 for details on this example temperature results in a need for a 2,500 temperature results in a need for an 800
BTU unit. BTU unit.
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STEP 1: The Dangers of Selecting an Extremely Low Internal Temperature

Continued

Figure 2
The acceptable internal temperature is based on your
equipment’s maximum operating temperature. Using a “worst
OVERSIZED SIZING EXAMPLE ACTUAL SIZING EXAMPLE
case” ambient and a “best case” internal is not advised as
creating an extreme difference between ambient and internal
temperatures will result in an oversized air conditioner. Enclosure Dimensions: 48”H x 24”W x 36”D Enclosure Dimensions: 48”H x 24”W x 36”D

A drastic Delta T results in an additional 1,700 BTU’s of nen l e o s nen l e o s

cooling. If the equipment’s operating temperature is rated to
120F, a 95F desired temperature is typically sufficient.
¾” Insulation ¾” Insulation
See examples in Figure 2.
Indoor Indoor

Max Ambient Temperature 105F Max Ambient Temperature 105F

Max Desired Internal Temperature 75F Max Desired Internal Temperature 95F

Delta T= 30F Delta T= 10F

SIZING RESULTS SAMPLE SIZING RESULTS SAMPLE

The 30F Delta T results in a need for a 2,500 The 10F Delta T results in a need for an 800
BTU unit. BTU unit.
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STEP 1: Other Inputs Required for Sizing

Continued

If heating is required, provide the minimum ambient temperature to be experienced

where the heater/cooler will be installed.
Do not use an extremely low temperature to create a “safety margin” as this will result in an
oversized heating requirement. Provide ONLY the realistic minimum air temperature.

Determine the minimum desired temperature you would like to achieve within
the enclosure.
This is the acceptable internal temperature based on your equipment’s minimum operating
temperature. Creating an extreme difference between ambient and internal temperatures will
result in an oversized heating requirement.

Determine the Internal Heat Load

Provide internal heat load estimate in watts or BTU’s (1 watt=3.412 BTU’s).
This is the heat being dissipated by the equipment housed inside the enclosure, usually
measured in watts. This step is crucial to determine which cooling solution will meet your IMG GOES HERE
requirements. Instructions on how to determine the internal heat load can be found in
“Understanding Heat Load”.
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STEP 2: Next, your enclosure dimensions, location, and insulation must be identified.

Figure 3

Enclosure Specs: COLOR COLOR FACTOR (°F)

Dimensions:
Indoors or Full Shade 0
Height, Width and Depth will provide the surface area of the enclosure that needs to be cooled.
The enclosure measurements must be in feet when using EIC Solutions sizing equation.
White 11

Location:
Metallic 15
Indicate if the enclosure is indoors or outdoors. If it is an outdoor enclosure that is in full or
partial sun, you must know the color of the enclosure. The color of an enclosure will have a
direct effect on the amount of heat generated from the solar load. You must account for the Light Gray 28
solar heat load to size correctly.
Gray 40
See Figure 3 for color factor (°F).

Black 50
Insulation:
oe stim e o sol in o s eel enclosu e se on colo
Determine if the enclosure is insulated and provide R Value of insulation. The higher the R
Value the better the insulation material’s ability to resist the flow of heat through it. If your Figure 4
enclosure is not insulated, the R Value is 0.
See figure 4 for more information. INSULATION THICKNESS R

¾” 3

1 ½” 8

lue se on o i e insul tion

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STEP 3: Size Application for Cooling Requirement

The variables required to run a sizing have been identified in the previous steps. To check your
sizing results reference EIC Solutions Simplified Sizing Equation. Please note when checking
your results the AC units will perform differently at various Delta T.

Figure 5 Figure 6

EIC Solutions Simplified Sizing Equation THERMOELECTRIC

VARIABLE DESCRIPTION m b
A/C

IL nen l o in so ui men 120 Series

1.32 57
200BTU

CF Color factor in °F for Outdoor Enclosures 140 Series

1.77 91
400BTU
u ce e in o e nclosu e
iscl ime olutions nc. ssumes no es onsi ili o
SA 141 Series
cus ome un si in esul s. is si in e u tion is in en e (LxW + LxH +WxH) 3.30 174
s ool. e coolin esul s su lie is si in e u tion
800BTU
e elie e o e ccu e o e e i is e es onsi ili o
r nsul tion lue
e use o con m e esul s e co ec o ei s eci c 145 Series
6.18 320
lic tion. n uc ses m e om si in esul s no
1500BTU
o i e n olutions s les en inee e su ec o ou issi tion e el o e
m
normal e ms n con itions.*** Unit
151 Series
15.5 805
2500BTU
b issi tion
161 Series
2 in o e 18.2 956
3200BTU
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SUMMARY

Implementing the correct solution to maintain a temperature controlled operating environment is

essential to protecting your equipment. Providing exact temperature readings, avoiding unnecessary
safety factors, and selecting an appropriate Delta T will help you achieve the most accurate sizing results.
A cooling system that is too large uses an unnecessary amount of energy and can be more costly. Too
small of a system will degrade the life cycle of the air conditioner and could potentially result in repairs, a
need for supplemental cooling, or failure of the very equipment that is being protected. Correctly sizing
a cooling system will ensure your equipment will run efficiently and reduce downtime, energy costs and
repairs.

If you are experiencing difficulty with sizing your application or have any questions, one of EIC’s
knowledgeable sales engineers can help recommend the right solution that will achieve the cooling
requirements for your specific application.

Contact us online or call us toll free at 1-800-497-4524.

ABOUT EIC SOLUTIONS, INC.
EIC Solutions, Inc., specializes in the design and manufacturing of thermoelectric cooling systems, air conditioned electronic
enclosures, and transit cases for a wide range of applications. Our products have been used in a variety of enclosure cooling
applications involving the protection of electronic equipment both indoors and outdoors. Dedicated to being an industry thought
leader, EIC Solutions strives to provide the best resources and tools to help customers protect investments in sensitive electronics.
If you have questions regarding any of our products please contact us at 800-497-4524 or visit our website at eicsolutions.com.

CONTACT EIC SOLUTIONS