Typical Problem of Outdoor Power Solution Based on IP55 Outdoor Cabinet

Richard Wang Apr/29/2022

Preface

This article mainly introduces the problems caused by building an Outdoor Power Solution with an IP55 Outdoor Cabinet. And based on these problems how do we structure our solutions to avoid these problems.

1. Challenges of Harsh Environment Areas to Outdoor Power Solution

1.1. Coastal Area and Islands

Throughout the world, there are many regions with large coastlines and islands. In these areas, some outdoor power solutions will inevitably need to be deployed. For example, CCTV Camera Power Supply and Power Backup System of video surveillance. Another example is the RRU Power Backup Solution for 4G base stations. Usually most customers will use the IP55 Outdoor Cabint to realize this kind of outdoor power solution from the perspective of cost.

The biggest problem in the Costal area is the combination of high humidity and salty air, which can cause the metal to rust quickly. These rust can cause great challenges to the longevity and stability of the equipment.

Source: www.ise.fraunhofer.de

study by the Fraunhofer-ISE, research shows that chlorides (salts) deposit up to 1500 mg per meter. Salty air corrodes the outer power solution casing first. At the same time, because the IP55 Outdoor Cabinet is generally used, the power system and network devices inside the outdoor cabinet will also be gradually eroded.

1.2. Jungle Area

Edgeware has also deployed outdoor power solutions in many Jungle areas. The main problem in the Jungle area is the remoteness and inaccessibility, which makes maintenance more difficult. The overall humidity in the Jungle area is high, especially in the rainy season, the humidity will be as high as 90% or more. Because of the good ecology in the Jungle area, there are many insects and animals. If the outdoor power solution is based on the IP55 Outdoor Cabinet, there is a certain probability that insects and animals will invade.

Source: rainforests.mongabay.com

1.3 Desert Area

There are also many desert areas in the world, and these desert areas are widely distributed in developing countries. The biggest problem in desert areas is sand damage to the Outdoor Power Solution. These areas usually have a lot of sand and dust, r if there is a sandstorm, the problem will be exacerbated. The biggest problem with IP55 Outdoor Cabinet is that it is not a completely closed system, so sand and dust can easily enter the outdoor power system and affect the stability of the system.

2.Why the IP55 Outdoor Cabinet is not the Best Choice for Building an Outdoor Power Solution?

2.1 Typical IP55 Outdoor Cabinet Architecture

The picture above is a typical Outdoor Power Solution based on IP55 Outdoor Cabinet. Several typical designs of this type of IP55 Outdoor Cabinet:

(1) Galvanized Steel is generally used to construct the Outdoor Cabinet.

(2) FAN or Air Conditioner is generally used as a cooling method.

These designs are perfectly fine in general environmental areas. But it will be a big problem in the harsh environment area. For example, the Costal Area, Jungle Area and Desert Area we mentioned earlier. We analyze these regions with the following challenges:

High Humidity
High Temperautre
Highly Salty Air
Insects and Animals
Sand and Dust

2.2 Corrosion of Galvanized Steel by Harsh Environment

Galvanized steel can theoretically provide a good protective layer for steel to avoid rapid corrosion of steel. Then in special areas such as jungle and costal area, because of slaty air and extremely high humidity, this protective effect is very weak.

The above two pictures are the outdoor solar power soluiton built by Edgeware in Central America based on the IP55 outdoor cabinet. This IP55 outdoor cabinet has only been deployed for two years. Because of the high humidity and rain in the local area, the most important thing is that there is strong sunlight after the rainstorm, which directly leads to the overall corrosion of the outdoor cabinet. Particularly dangerous is that the top of the cabinet has rusted through, causing a water leak.

2.3 IP55 Outdoor Cabinet does not Block Dust and Insects Which Can Affect System Reliability

IP55 can theoretically block the intrusion of external dust to a certain extent. However, this is only in general areas. For the special areas such as rain forests and deserts that we mentioned earlier, this is not enough because the external conditions are too harsh.

The picture above is a site deployed by our customer in a rainforest area, and you can see the carcasses of insects and dust inside the Outdoor Cabinet. These things mixed with high humidity air can have a huge impact on the functionality and reliability of the device.

2.4 Consequences of the above problems for Outdoor Power Solution

Edgeware has always emphasized with customers that when you design and deploy an outdoor power solution, especially in special areas of the harsh environment, you need to consider the balance of OPEX and CAPEX. OPEX cannot rise sharply just to save CAPEX. When an Outdoor Power Solution based on IP55 Outdoor Cabinet is deployed in remote areas, the occurrence of the above problems will inevitably greatly increase the number and probability of station visits. The maintenance cost of the remote site is very high, so we must reduce the maintenance cost of the site as much as possible.

3.Summary

Harsh environments have special responses, which is why we encourage customers to deploy Edgeware’s Edge Span series in these special areas. Because this system is cast with aluminum casing as the core, there is no problem of rusting, and the whole system reaches the protection level of IP65 to completely protect the system.