This article takes an in depth look at climate chambers and their use.
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A climate chamber is an enclosed space that provides a controlled set of circumstances for testing the impact of various environmental and climatic conditions on industrial goods, commercial products, electronic devices, materials, and biological matter.
The types of tests performed by a climate chamber include temperature simulation, the effects of humidity, forms of light, and thermal shock to name a few. Climate chambers create constant or dynamic changes, with constant chambers being used for long term testing, while dynamic testing refers to adjustments in the conditions during testing.
In order to assess the behavior of products during shipment and storage, it is necessary to perform a series of tests to be able to ascertain the failing point of a product and its potential durability. The possible tests completed by a climate chamber include long term, stability, accelerated, and stress, each of which is designed to accumulate accurate and reliable data.
The process of selecting a climate test chamber is complicated since the proper selection is extremely beneficial in the perfecting and improvement of the production of products. The elements to consider when choosing the type of climate chamber include the specimens to be tested, the type of data required, or the types of tests to be performed.
Climate test chambers are capable of creating a wide range of environmental conditions with tests for corrosion, vibrations, altitude, and thermal shock to name a few. Though climate chambers can provide information on multiple environments, it is wise to know what types of tests you wish to perform to be able to choose the correct test chamber.
The advantage of a bench top climate test chamber is its small footprint with dynamic performance. Benchtop climate chambers are easy to install due to their compact size. They are capable of multiple tests in adherence to industry standards and regulations. Benchtop climate chambers are ideal for small labs or companies with limited space.
The wide array of instrumentation and their tightly sealed steel casing make benchtop climate chambers reliable and efficient. Since they are mobile, they can be moved to several locations using a cart or being carried. This feature makes it possible to test materials as they are assembled or raw materials prior to being used.
Constant climate chambers create a stable environment that maintains the temperature, humidity, and lighting for long periods of time. The design of constant tests is to maintain specific stable environmental conditions for the testing of components, subsystems, and complete systems to see how they behave in stressful and harsh conditions. Exposed components are examined to determine when and at what level they will fail.
The accumulated data provides the information necessary to make adjustments and improvements prior to the release and introduction of a product. The demands of modern industry require that all products be thoroughly tested. The antiquated idea of design, create, produce, and distribute is no longer sufficient for modern users.
Dynamic climate chambers are designed for rapid temperature changes that occur in a very few minutes to provide complex and complicated humidity and temperature changes that can vary from extreme cold to hot rapidly. The purpose of dynamic climate chambers is to create thermal shock by passing components through multiple climate changes quickly.
The design of dynamic climate chambers makes it possible to assess product reactions through temperature and humidity cycles to gather data and reactions of specimens. Such tests are crucial to the automotive, metallurgical, and aerospace industries.
Reach in climate chambers are larger than benchtop test chambers with sizes between 4 cu ft up to 70 cu feet. The reach capabilities in climate chambers are the same as larger climate chambers with the same accuracy, efficiency, and controls. They have a smaller footprint, which makes them easier to install. As with all forms of climate chambers, they are customizable to fit the needs of specimens and types of tests.
The common forms of experiments performed by reach in climate chambers include plant growth testing, examinations of tissue cultures, and acting as a germination chamber.
Stability climate chambers are a form of constant climate chamber that provides a stable environment for testing the factors related to storage with the guarantee of a constant environment during the test duration. There are four types of tests administered by a stability climate chamber.
Long Term – For long term stability testing, temperature and humidity are set to observe and monitor the active ingredients in the test sample, which are analyzed and checked regularly. Long term tests can last several years.
On-Going – On going tests are completed on products on the market to determine their quality beyond their expiration date and when they may deteriorate.
Accelerated – Accelerated testing is an aging process that uses increased temperature to rapidly age a specimen. Such tests last about six weeks.
Stress – Stress testing is used by most climate chambers and is designed to create extreme conditions.
Stability climate test chambers are an excellent method for examining the durability of building materials. The primary concern for stability climate chambers is their technical capabilities, which must have precision and accuracy.
Walk-in climate test chambers are the largest version of climate chambers with the ability to test more specimens using a larger and broader footprint. They are normally custom built to meet the specifications, requirements, and stipulations of the products to be tested. The benefit of walk-in climate chambers is their capacity, which far exceeds any of the other types. Walk-in climate test chambers can create multiple conditions and environments using their digital control panel or human interface (HMI).
The purpose of walk-in climate chambers is to test large, oversized components that are not compatible with smaller sized test chambers. They have outside banding to prevent leaks and moisture from entering the chamber. In essence, walk-in climate chambers create an environmental room that can be controlled, monitored, and manipulated.
The sizes of walk-in climate chambers vary to meet the needs of users, with some large enough to drive a car into. Temperatures can range from – 65o C up to 180o C with a humidity factor of 10% up to 95%.
One of the considerations when deciding to purchase a climate chamber is the many types of environmental tests that can be performed. Additionally, the gamut of tests can be completed in combinations such as high humidity, light, and high temperature. This variability provides researchers and technicians with the ability to examine the characteristics of a product from several angles.
The fundamental concept behind climate test chambers is that all conditions and environments can be manipulated and managed using an array of mechanical processes. Heat, corrosive effects, humidity, and water can be introduced using technologically sophisticated programming.
Accelerated aging testing involves the use of heat, humidity, vibrations, and temperature to examine the long term effects of stress on a product but in a shorter time frame. The tests are programmed to cycle through stages of applied stress to see how materials will react during storage and shipment over time. The results of the tests help determine the shelf life of a product and its storage timeline.
The accumulated data assists in setting expiration dates for products, overall parameters, and a product’s life cycle. The most common form of accelerated aging tests is for medical instruments that require a set limit to their usefulness.
Two common forms of accelerated aging tests are highly accelerated stress screen (HASS) and highly accelerated life test (HALT) that work together to test a product where the HALT test is performed first and is followed by the HASS test.
The main thrust of altitude testing is the creation of low pressure environments to simulate high altitude conditions. Temperature, humidity, vacuum, and air testing are added to altitude testing as climatic conditions that further influence the reaction of a product at high altitudes.
Chambers designed for altitude testing include temperature and humidity testing as additional features and enhance the chamber’s flexibility. In the majority of cases, test chambers need a combination of features to achieve real world conditions, regardless of the types of tests being performed.
Humidity climate tests examine weather effects on a specimen by pumping air that may be cold, cool, warm, or hot into the chamber. The goal is to determine the structural integrity of a product. The provided data offers insight into the effects of extremely hot or intensely cold temperatures on metals, alloys, foods, plastics, rubber, and solar panels.
Humidity and temperature are intertwined measurements and have an influence on each other. The amount of moisture in the air to create the humid conditions are precision controlled by the operating panel or HMI, which allows for the balancing of the interplay between temperature and moisture.
The moisture can be produced by a steam generator, atomizer, a water bath system, or fogging. The method used to generate moisture depends on the design of the climate test chamber and the manufacturer.
Temperature only test chambers can be used for thermal shock testing. They have excellent temperature control accuracy for a wide range of temperatures. Temperatures are programmable using an LCD touch screen control panel. Precision engineered refrigeration units are used to create extremely low temperatures.
The types of temperature tests include cold resistance, thermal shock, extremely low or high temperatures, and simulation of storage conditions.
Testing for corrosion is a fundamental part of the development of a product and provides the necessary data to certify the durability, quality, and performance of a product. Metals and alloys are subject to the risk of corrosion, which makes testing of such materials essential.
Corrosion is an electrochemical process that damages the physical properties of metals. Designing materials that are resistant to corrosion includes substances capable of resisting corrosion. Corrosion is a natural process that happens over time but can be managed and controlled.
The most efficient corrosion analysis test in a climate chamber is completed through the use of a salt spray that accelerates the effects of corrosive attack. There are three common types of corrosion tests, which are:
Dry Corrosion – With dry corrosion testing, the salt spray is applied and is followed by a drying phase with low humidity to allow the salt time to trigger corrosion.
Continuous Salt Spray – In the continuous salt spray process, the specimen is continually exposed to salt spray throughout the duration of the test.
Alternate Salt Spray – The alternate salt spray process is a combination of dry corrosion testing and continuous salt spray. The specimen is exposed to the salt spray and given periods of rest without the inclusion of lowered humidity.
In a climate chamber, corrosion is produced using a solution of salt and water to generate a salt water fog, whose pH value changes in accordance with the type of test being completed. To test the effects of corrosion on paints, it is necessary to make a gash or cut in the painted surface to see how corrosion affects the incision.
The process of thermal shock testing involves extreme temperature changes to determine the durability of a product and identify its breaking points. It is an accelerated version of environmental conditions to examine the wear and tear a product will encounter in normal standard conditions. The wide range of temperature changes can cause elements of a product to shatter, crack, or bind.
To test the specimen, the temperature in the chamber is changed from hot to cold in a matter of seconds. The control of the temperature is managed by air input or the use of liquids. The upper limit of the heated section can be 220o C, while the lower limit cold section can be as low as – 75o C.
Thermal shock testing is completed in a dynamic climate chamber and used to examine electronics, electromechanical devices, plastics, medical instruments, and equipment for the military and aerospace.
Water testing is the most common form of testing, considering that most of the earth is covered with water. It plays a vital role in the lifespan of a product in the form of snow, rain, and humidity. Additionally, catastrophic events such as floods, tsunamis, and hurricanes are other potential climatic events that can be experienced during a product’s life cycle. Being resistant to the influences of water is a necessity for all products and is tested in climate chambers using a water spray test.
Electronics, automotive parts, construction materials, and fabrics are subjected to the water spray test in a climate chamber. These materials are placed in the test chamber and exposed to water jet sprays of increasing strengths, which are adjusted for width, volume, and intensity on the LCD control panel.
There are an endless number of uses for climate chambers since every product that is put on the market in the modern era is tested multiple times prior to being introduced. Manufacturers and producers have exhibited for many years the desire to present products that meet the expectations of their clientele. For this reason, they are constantly seeking new and innovative methods for creating the types of conditions that their products will endure during use.
In accordance with the rising concern for product quality, climate chamber manufacturers work on perfecting and improving their equipment to match producer concerns. Nearly every type of material, metal, product, instrument, or piece of equipment can be exposed to the types of environments it will face.
The testing of equipment for use in the aerospace industry has to comply with the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics (RTCA) DO-160, which is a set of standards for the testing of avionic hardware and devices. The types of tests provided for aerospace by climate chambers include thermal and vibration aging,
Climate chambers are used to test individual pieces of equipment and complete systems. In most cases, combined testing is common where temperature, humidity, altitude, and vibration are conducted together as well as examinations of potentially explosive atmospheres.
The challenge in working with the aerospace industry is the continuous innovations and improvements in controls and systems that require adjustments to the testing conditions. The various commissions and aerospace agencies forbid using a component prior to it being tested, which places a great deal of demand on climate test chambers.
Much like the aerospace industry, the auto industry is constantly changing and developing new technologies that need to be tested before being introduced to the public. Unlike gas driven automobiles of the past, modern vehicles have thousands of components that have to work in unison to ensure travel and the safety of users.
These ever shifting requirements stimulate climate test chamber manufacturers to adapt and adjust their products to meet the new criteria. Though the test track offers data on an automobile's performance, each individual component has to be assessed for their viability.
Climate chambers are an important part of the process since they are capable of creating and simulating conditions that may not be found naturally. Conditions of extreme temperature changes, low and high humidity, and battery testing can be completed in precision controlled and monitored conditions.
As may be expected, there are very stringent requirements that have to be met before a drug can be approved for general use. To meet the standards, a wide variety of tests have to be completed and documented during a defined and designated period of time. Stability testing helps determine the product’s expiration date by creating the proper ambient temperature for a stored drug.
Stress tests are conducted to examine how a drug functions during rapid changes in temperature as well as exposure to ultraviolet rays. The standards for the testing have been established by the International Council for Harmonization, which recommends the types of tests to be performed and the parameters for the tests.
In the case of the cosmetics industry, the main concern is the potential threat to the health of users. Though the requirements for testing are not as stringent as those for pharmaceuticals, there is still a set of requirements that have to be adhered to in order for a cosmetic product to be placed on the market.
Stability testing using a set of mixed climate factors such as temperature, humidity, and light to assess how the ingredients of a product performs over a period of time is the most common and required. The results determine shelf life and recommendations for methods of storage. Precise controls and test planning are essential for getting accurate and reliable results.
When a cosmetic product is being tested, some of the parameters for the test are dependent on where the product will be marketed and the climates to which it will be exposed. These factors can be entered into the control panel of a climate chamber for each batch to be tested.
As the food industry moves away from the use of artificial additives and increases its use of natural ones, it has become even more essential to determine the shelf life of their products. This requires the creation of real world conditions in a controlled environment due to the short time between development of a new product and its presentation to the market.
To gain sufficient data and create real life conditions, producers rely on climate chambers to provide accelerated shelf life tests to measure the stability of a product. The advantage of using a climate chamber to accelerate the aging process is a radical reduction in cost compared to placing a product on a shelf and waiting for it to age. As with all other industries, food can be tested using a combination of conditions to further speed up the testing process and accurate assessment.
All industries have a criteria for packaging to protect their products during storage and shipment and to enhance the appearance of the product. Climate chambers offer the opportunity to test various types of packaging material to perfectly fit the needs of a product.
Using climate chambers, designers can develop various configurations and test their viability under controlled conditions. The process allows designers to adjust and adapt their ideas to fit the needs of a particular region and climate such that products being marketed in one part of the world can have packaging to perfectly fit the climate.
The testing of packaging material examines brightness, thickness, opacity, folding endurance, and tear resistance. Conditions to examine these criteria can be easily programmed into a climate chamber.
More and more controls and devices are moving toward touch sensitive instrumentation as an efficient and convenient method for controlling processes. During climate testing in the past, such devices failed due to bubbles that formed on the boundary layer. The alternative has been to use a stronger adhesive to form a tighter bond.
Climate chambers have been adjusted to simulate long term exposure of touch sensitive instruments to adverse environmental conditions. In a typical test, devices are tested for long hours at temperatures exceeding 80o C at over 80% humidity.
The seven industries listed above are only a small sampling of the many industries that rely on the data and assessments provided by climate chambers. The continual introduction of new products and the need for accurate information has created a demand for climate testing chambers. In many ways, they have become an essential part of product development and production standards.
Climate chambers have an assortment of components and technical mechanisms that work in unison to simulate climatic conditions that a product or assembly may encounter during its use. Every manufacturer has a set of proprietary designs and systems that they include in their climate chambers. Regardless of the many variations, certain elements are common to all climate chambers.
Climate systems are the essential part of a climate chamber designed to provide uniform air circulation, which is one of the keys to successful climate simulation. Homogeneous and controlled conditions are an essential part of climate testing to ensure compliance with Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) standards and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards.
An important part of a climate system is a cooling compressor system to provide precise climatic control, which is monitored by an independent temperature device to assess the accumulated data.
The steam humidifier is connected to the humidity sensor and ensures rapid reaction times, accurate measurements, short recovery after opening the door, and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) compliant results. The precision of the steam humidifier is ensured through a microprocessor controlled humidification and dehumidification system. An essential part of the steam humidifier is the water supply system, which can be connected to a domestic supply or provided by a variety of other methods.
The regulating system works with the human interface controls (HMI), which has a touch screen that provides an overview of the measurement data and monitors the progress and progression of the chamber. For documentation and data management, the regulating system is designed to ensure compliance with FDA, GLP, and GMP standards and regulations.
The purpose of the touch screen interface is to provide ease of programming the designs for complex tests. It has a home screen with easy to understand controls to access each of the components of the system, which include:
Alarm Status – The alarm status control lists the various types of alarms, including high and low pressure alarms, blower and compressor trips, power stop, open door, and over and under temperature alarms.
Settings – The settings on the control panel allow the setting of high and low temps, high and low velocity, and compressor on and off, to name a few.
Diagnostics – An essential part of a climate chamber is the diagnostics system that provides an overview of every component and its status. The panel has lights to indicate whether a component is operating.
Service – The service screen monitors each of the components and indicates when they need to be serviced.
The HMI offers a wide assortment of data and information that is critical to the proper completion of climate chamber tests. They are a technological asset that offers technicians ease of operation and system control.
With recent innovations, the home screen of the HMI can be accessed through ethernet or USB to be able to program and monitor a test from a laptop or desktop computer.
Climate chambers have a tightly welded stainless steel inner lining with a heavy steel outer shell that is also tightly welded. The welding and sealing are important concerns regarding the integrity of the tests the chamber completes. Protection from the ambient environment is essential since it can contaminate any test results. Between the inner lining and outer shell packed around the chamber is insulation material that completely encloses it.
Stainless steel and steel are used to construct all climate chambers regardless of their size due to stainless steel and steel’s tensile strength, durability, and impenetrability
The technological age is rapidly producing new products for every aspect of society. To ensure the performance of these new devices, they must be thoroughly tested, examined, and assessed. It is for this reason that all manufacturers are looking to climate chambers as a means of providing environmental conditions that products will face when in use.
Regulation of environmental factors to protect products during shipping, storage, and transport provides data regarding the safety and reliable use of a product. Artificially manufactured environmental tests are an important part of producing viable and high quality products.
The handling and movement of products make them susceptible to a wide variety of environmental conditions during the manufacturing process, production handling, storage, and implementation of their application. Each of these factors can reduce the value of a product and its effectiveness. Climate chambers provide data regarding the limitations and potential failures of a product.
There is a climate chamber to fit the needs of every market, manufacturer, production system, or component. Climate chambers can be designed for a product regardless of its needs.
In today’s competitive market, products must be presented with the highest possible quality. This ensures a lasting relationship with clients and customers and offers a positive public appearance. With the instant availability of information in the age of the internet, it is crucial that every product on the market perform up to its expectations. This can be ensured by thorough testing using a climate chamber.
In accordance with quality comes safety, which is another important issue for society. Climate chambers take devices, products, components, and systems to the edge of their endurance to assess their safety and find any potential damaging flaws. Determining such failures prior to marketing guarantees the success of a product.
A climate chamber is a highly technical device that can seem daunting when viewed as a potential purchase. Climate chamber manufacturers provide training and have developed user friendly functions that guide technicians through the testing process to ensure success. The HMI is designed for easy understanding whether a technician has technical training or is a novice to product testing.
Making the decision to purchase a climate chamber can be easy. Selecting the correct climate chamber requires thought, planning, investigation, and the assistance of a certified climate chamber manufacturer. With many business decisions, the price can be the motivator since controlling costs is a major concern. Though this is an obvious part of the purchasing process, the quality, reliability, dependability, and capacity of a climate chamber can assist in recouping financial commitments.
A practical factor that makes the decision to purchase a climate chamber difficult is the wide assortment of climate chambers, which come in several sizes, capacities, functionalities, and configurations. There are climate chambers compact and small enough to sit on a counter and large enough for a car or truck.
There are many tests that can be performed by a climate chamber that include thermostatic, climatic, corrosion, vibration, altitude, and thermal shock. They are outlined in industry standards such as IEC, DIN, or ISO or proprietary standards. An understanding of the types of tests to be performed is the first step in choosing a climate chamber.
This aspect of the decision making process has to be completed with the greatest care since purchasing an underachieving climate chamber can be frustrating while purchasing an overly robust one can be financially irresponsible. Prior to investigating the purchase of a climate chamber, it is important to determine the desired temperature range, climatic conditions, and volume.
The technical data on a test chamber delineates the minimum and maximum temperature range. The majority of manufacturers set the max range at 180o C, with higher temperatures being an option. The lower temperature range can be single stage at – 40o C or cascade at – 70o C. It is important to understand the difference between a single stage system and a cascade system where a cascade system is composed of two refrigeration units.
The rate at which the temperature changes in regards to increase and decrease varies greatly between climate chamber units. This factor is dependent on the cooling and heating power of the chamber. This is determined by the power of the compressor and number of heaters. When greater cooling speeds are necessary, some units can inject nitrogen liquid into the cooling process.
The adjustment of humidity is dependent on the minimum and maximum temperature range that is used to adjust and control the humidity value. The relative humidity (RH) of a chamber is dependent on the temperature. Manufacturers provide humidity diagrams and data sheets to show humidity values for each temperature value.
There are specific considerations that have to be examined regarding the specimens that will be tested and exposed to various environments. The dimensions of products help determine the required volume of the climate chamber, which has to be large enough to comfortably fit the product. The general rule of thumb is that the product should not be more than one third the volume of the chamber.
The next factor is the weight of the specimen since mass affects the results of the testing process. The initial temperature gradients are based on the performance of the chamber when it is empty, which will need to be adjusted for the weight of the specimen during use.. In addition, the weight of the specimen must match the capacity of the interior of the chamber and its shelves.
When a specimen is placed in a test chamber, there is a likelihood that it may dissipate heat. This can affect the performance of the chamber and its data. The initial specs for the chamber are predicated on it being empty without mass or heat dissipation. As with weight, this will need to be accounted for during testing.
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