Energy efficient chokes from SMP offer compact design and protection rating for external mounting
August 17, 2016
SMP Sintermetalle Prometheus GmbH & Co KG (SMP), Graben-Neudorf, Germany, will display its range of external inductive chokes at Electronica 2016, Munich, Germany, November 8 – 11. The chokes are manufactured from specifically engineered powder composites that are made in-house via Powder Metallurgy processes. They incorporate a protective paint coating to IP66 specifications which protects from water and dust and is suited to inverters that are exposed to harsh ambient conditions, including rail vehicles or oil rig applications.
The IP66 protection rating enables the chokes to be mounted outside the inverters. The advantage of this kind of mounting is that the heat generated by the choke is created outside the inverter, not inside it. A lower temperature inside the inverter eliminates the need to dissipate the heat using fans, which in turn saves energy.
Another advantage of mounting them on the outside is that the inverter can be designed significantly smaller. External mounting is beneficial for the choke itself, because it can be adapted to the expected ambient temperature in its operating environment. For example, whereas temperatures inside the inverters in railway applications can reach 70 to 80 °C, the temperature outside inverters in underfloor-mounted electronics is not expected to exceed about 40 °C.
SMP has developed chokes with a protective paint coating for mounting outside the inverter even in applications on open water oil rigs, where exposure to intense sunlight, seawater, rain and chemical gases is expected. To simplify mounting outside the inverters, SMP also provides the chokes with special mounting fixtures. The choke and the mounting plate are both located outside the device, the connecting wires pass into the interior through a sealed opening.
Besides the components with IP66 protection rating, SMP offers its inductive components, depending on application, as single-conductor chokes, individual chokes, choke modules or filters. All components are RoHS and REACH compliant, as well as being CE- and EAC certified. The materials used are UL listed.
Almost all of SMP’s products are custom-made for specific customers, with the required materials being developed and manufactured in-house individually for each customer. SMP’s components are used in a wide array of applications, including power electronics, automation, signal processing, adjustable frequency drives, railway and maritime technology, electro-mobility, medical engineering, aerospace, and renewable and conventional energies.
