How to operate an environmental test chamber?

Everyday goods are put through their pace in environmental testing facilities to see how they fare in severe weather conditions. A device that performs well in a dry region may not function as expected in a humid one.

Companies may put their goods through their paces in a controlled setting called an environmental chamber.

The environmental temperature chamber can simulate a cold-winter, hot-summer continental climate and a mild-winter.

Calibrated environmental chambers can reliably replicate the product's behavior in the field.

How does it work?

The two physical characteristics a test chamber can manage are temperature and humidity, which explain the chamber's operational principle.

For temperature control

The ability to heat and cool the chamber is necessary for temperature regulation. The temperature within the testing chamber must also be uniformly distributed.

Technical factors unique to the test chamber's airflow pattern allow for very stable temperature values over time and throughout the chamber's volume, guaranteeing that the DUT's interior and outside are both heated or cooled uniformly.

The technique will chill the test chamber evenly by compressing and expanding a refrigerant gas.

Commonly, climatic chambers are divided into two categories based on their lowest temperature: those with a single stage and a minimum temperature of at least -40°C and those with a dual-stage (i.e., a cascade system) and a minimum temperature of at least -70°C.

Electric heating components are located close to the ventilation system, and the warmed air is circulated by the latter throughout the test chamber.

To achieve the desired results, the PLC coordinates the cooling and heating operations based on the cycle parameters supplied by the user.

For humidity control

It may manage humidity by having a high and low temperature chamber that can both humidify and dehumidify the air. It should also keep the humidity level in the testing chamber consistent.

An electric humidifier directly humidifies the air after the air recirculation fan by injecting steam via a hole in the airflow. This guarantees humidification without the formation of aerosols. A specialized algorithm ensures a more reliable operation of the humidifier.

Using the same mechanical system that cools the space, a device based on the so-called cold finger concept removes moisture from the air within the chamber.

Following this theory, air moisture condenses onto a cooler item when exposed to a warmer ambient temperature. Because it is the coldest component of the climatic chamber, the evaporator has a special portion set aside for reducing the relative humidity in the testing area.