January 15th, 2014Success Stories Product Information
Market
Amusement & Theme Park
Application
Temperature control and protection of electronics for popular theme park attraction
A major U.S. theme park in Southern California was in search of a low-maintenance, reliable solution to both house and cool electronic controls on a popular park ride. In the peak season, which occurs during the hot summer months, the electronics and devices controlling the amusement ride were often subjected to extreme heat and high humidity. This, combined with near 24/7 operation, made controlled cooling of the electronics essential in order to assure sustained, reliable functioning of the equipment. In addition, theme park engineers stipulated that the enclosure needed to provide both physical protection from the elements as well as be small enough and painted so that it would to blend into the environment where the ride was situated.
The Solution
Since no two attractions are the same, EIC does not apply a cookie cutter approach to ride equipment protection. For this application, EIC proposed a Protector™ Series Air Conditioned Enclosure that was customized to meet the theme park design engineers’ needs. For cooling, EIC recommended a 1500 BTU ThermoTEC™ thermoelectric air conditioner to provide the required cooling output. Thus, by coupling an EIC thermoelectric air conditioner with a custom enclosure design, the final package was able to be arranged to fit the specific application both thermally and dimensionally. In the end, having a custom solution allowed the client work with EIC’s team to develop an application specific product that met stringent specifications for both cost and performance.
EIC’s Protector Series Air Conditioned Enclosures feature:
Benefits/Results
The EIC Protector Series enclosure with ThermoTEC thermoelectric air conditioner was a perfect fit for this application. The cabinet provided adequate space to house electronics and equipment as well as met the theme park engineering’s need for weatherproofing and protection of the electronics and other devices from corrosion, dust, dirt and other environmental contaminants. The integrated thermoelectric air conditioner delivered efficient, low maintenance cooling to maintain enclosure contents at constant specified operating temperatures for proper functioning and reduced risk of failure.
While measuring only 70″ H X 24″ W X 30″ D, the EIC enclosure provided the same protection and cooling normally met by more costly and significantly larger control cabinets equipped with compressor-based air conditioning. With no compressors, refrigerant or filters, and no moving parts except for cooling fans, EIC thermoelectric units met the parks need for a low maintenance solution.
To create an environment that was realistic and believable, the theme park need equipment to seamlessly blend into a specific attraction’s design motif. Working to park engineering’s specifications, EIC’s customization capabilities enabled a fully functional electronics enclosure that was compact and painted to match the island theme.
In addition, instead of engaging multiple vendors, the theme park benefited from EIC’s expertise and comprehensive service in handling both the enclosure and air conditioning. This cost effective approach resulted in a reliable solution which will provide years of trouble-free service.
