There are many factors to consider in the design of environmental simulation chambers, among which the sample is one of the most critical. The environmental conditions inside the chamber change once the sample is placed inside. Different sample shapes, quantities, sizes, and other characteristics can significantly affect the internal environment of laboratory test chambers.
Collect Sample Information
1.Sample Name: Product name or material
2.Sample Characteristics: Weight, size, quantity, shape
3.Power Requirement: Does it need to be powered on for testing?
4.Heat Generation: Sample heat generation and heating/power-on stage (e.g., constant heating, heating during cooling, heating during humidity testing)
5.Ancillary Products: Weight and size of other ancillary items, such as trolleys and shelves for placing samples
Application of Sample Information in Environmental Chamber Design
Sample and Environmental Chamber Size
1.Select an appropriate environmental simulation chamber volume based on the sample weight, ensuring that the total weight of samples does not exceed 80 kg per cubic meter of chamber volume.
2.Design the inner chamber size according to the sample volume, with the total volume of the samples not exceeding 20% (1/5) of the inner chamber volume.
Sample Power-On Test
1.If the sample requires power during testing, cable ports must be designed. The location and number of cable ports depend on the wiring configuration.
2.Typically, power is needed only during the heating and high-temperature holding stages. If power is also required during the cooling, low-temperature holding, or humidity testing stages, the technical requirements for the refrigeration system will be higher, resulting in an increased cost for the environmental simulation chamber.
3.If the sample generates significant heat, the size of the inner chamber must be increased.
Sample and Air Flow Direction Design
Design the air flow direction of environmental simulation chambers according to the shape, placement and number of samples.
1.Sample shape
Take the circuit board as an example. The circuit board is flat. If the air is supplied vertically, the wind blows from top to bottom. The sample will block the wind and the temperature performance will be affected. In this case, horizontal air supply is more appropriate.
2.Sample quantity and placement
In addition to requiring that the sample volume should not exceed 20% of the effective working space in the environmental simulation chamber, it is also required that the sum of the sample areas (on any cross section perpendicular to the dominant wind direction) should not exceed 1/3 of the cross-sectional area of the test chamber. At the same time, the sample is at least 100-150mm away from the inner wall of the environmental chamber on both sides.
If the above requirements are met, confirm the number and method of sample placement, and then confirm the air flow direction design.
No-load / Loaded
The parameters of environmental simulation chambers are typically tested in a no-load state. When a sample is placed inside (loaded), these parameters will be affected. Therefore, during the design process, we ask customers if they prefer the design to accommodate the loaded state. For the same environmental parameters, the loaded state is generally more expensive than the no-load state.
Conclusion
The more complete the sample information, the better environmental chamber manufacturers can design products that meet customer testing needs, resulting in more accurate test data. If you need to test multiple samples, it is recommended to conduct batch testing or purchase several laboratory test chambers to ensure the accuracy of the results.