Telecommunication cabinet with airflow ducting
A telecommunications cabinet in which active equipment can be mounted. The cabinet including an airflow ducting arrangement located in the interior region of the cabinet. The airflow ducting arrangement accommodating thermal cooling of active equipment having internal side-to-side air cooling arrangements.
1. A telecommunications cabinet arrangement, comprising:
a) a cabinet including a frame, the cabinet having a front, a rear, and opposing first and second sides that define an interior, the frame of the cabinet defining an air inlet region and an air outlet region that are each in airflow communication with the interior, the air inlet region being located at the second side of the cabinet such that airflow enters the interior in a direction from the second side of the cabinet, the air outlet region being located at the first side of the cabinet such that airflow exits the interior in a direction toward the first side of the cabinet;
b) telecommunications equipment located in the cabinet interior between the air inlet region and the air outlet region, the telecommunications equipment having an internal side-to-side air cooling arrangement; and
c) an airflow ducting arrangement located in the cabinet interior, the airflow ducting arrangement including:
i) an inner wall and an opposing outer wall that separate the air outlet region from the remainder of the cabinet interior;
ii) wherein the inner wall is made up of a plurality of removable plates, at least one of the plates being initially located adjacent to an outlet of the side-to-side air cooling arrangement of the telecommunications equipment, the one plate being removed to facilitate airflow from the outlet of the side-to-side air cooling arrangement to the air outlet region.
2. The cabinet arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the airflow ducting arrangement includes a front wall extending between the inner and outer walls, heated air from the telecommunications equipment being directed to exit the cabinet at the rear.
3. The cabinet arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the cabinet has a height, and wherein the walls of the airflow ducting arrangement define an expansion region having a height that extends along a substantial majority of the height of the cabinet.
4. A method of cooling the interior of a telecommunications cabinet, the method comprising the steps of:
a) providing an airflow ducting arrangement in the cabinet interior, the airflow ducting arrangement defining an air outlet region separate from the cabinet interior, the air outlet region being located at a first side of the cabinet opposite an air inlet region located at a second side of the cabinet, wherein airflow enters the cabinet interior in a direction from the second side of the cabinet and exits the cabinet interior in a direction toward the first side of the cabinet, the airflow ducting arrangement including an inner wall and a plurality of plates secured to the inner wall, the plates to be configurable so as to selectively define an inner wall airflow opening;
b) positioning telecommunications equipment in the interior of the telecommunications cabinet, the telecommunications equipment having a heated-air outlet; and
c) adjusting the location of an inner wall airflow opening, the location corresponding to the location of the heated-air outlet of the telecommunications equipment.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the step of adjusting the location of the airflow opening includes vertically adjusting the location to correspond to the location of the heated-air outlet of the telecommunications equipment.
6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the step of positioning telecommunications equipment in the interior of the telecommunications cabinet further includes positioning two pieces of telecommunications equipment in the interior of the cabinet, the step of adjusting the location of the airflow opening including adjusting the locations of first and second airflow openings.
7. The method of claim 4 , wherein the step of adjusting the location of the airflow opening includes removing one plate of the plurality of plates from the inner wall.
8. The method of claim 4 , further including directing heated air to exit the air outlet region at the rear of the cabinet.
9. A telecommunications cabinet arrangement, comprising:
a) a cabinet including a frame, the cabinet having a front, a rear, and opposing first and second sides that define an interior, the frame of the cabinet defining an air inlet region and an air outlet region that are each in airflow communication with the interior, the air inlet region being located at the second side of the cabinet such that airflow enters the interior in a direction from the second side of the cabinet, the air outlet region being located at the first side of the cabinet such that airflow exits the interior in a direction toward the first side of the cabinet, the cabinet having a height;
b) telecommunications equipment located in the cabinet interior between the air inlet region and the air outlet region, the telecommunications equipment having an internal side-to-side air cooling arrangement; and
c) an airflow ducting arrangement located in the cabinet interior, the airflow ducting arrangement including:
i) an inner wall and an opposing outer wall that separate the air outlet region from the remainder of the cabinet interior;
ii) wherein the walls of the airflow ducting arrangement define an expansion region having a height that extends along a substantial majority of the height of the cabinet.
10. The cabinet arrangement of claim 9 , wherein the inner wall is made up of a plurality of removable plates, at least one of the plates being initially located adjacent to an outlet of the side-to-side air cooling arrangement of the telecommunications equipment, the one plate being removed to facilitate airflow from the outlet of the side-to-side air cooling arrangement to the air outlet region.
11. The cabinet arrangement of claim 9 , wherein the airflow ducting arrangement includes a front wall extending between the inner and outer walls, heated air from the telecommunications equipment being directed to exit the cabinet at the rear.
12. A telecommunications cabinet arrangement, comprising:
a) a cabinet including a frame, the cabinet having a front, a rear, and opposite first and second sides that define an interior, the interior including a region in which equipment is mounted;
b) an airflow ducting arrangement located within the interior of the cabinet, the airflow ducting arrangement defining an air exhaust region separate from the region in which equipment is mounted, the air exhaust region being located at the first side of the cabinet opposite an intake region located at the second side of the cabinet, the airflow ducting arrangement having a sideward airflow opening and a rearward airflow exhaust, the sideward airflow opening providing airflow communication between the region in which equipment is mounted and the air exhaust region of the airflow ducting arrangement, the airflow ducting arrangement including:
i) an inner wall and an outer wall, the inner and outer walls at least partially defining the air exhaust region separate from the region in which equipment is mounted; and
ii) a plurality of plates secured to the inner wall, the plates being arranged to define the airflow opening, wherein the arrangement of the plates is configurable to selectively adjust the size of the airflow opening and to selectively locate the airflow opening along a vertical height of the inner wall.
13. The cabinet arrangement of claim 12 , further including panels that enclose the interior of the cabinet.
14. The cabinet arrangement of claim 12 , wherein the plates include mounting flanges for mounting to the inner wall.
15. The cabinet arrangement of claim 14 , wherein the inner wall includes vertical support members to which the plates are mounted.
16. The cabinet arrangement of claim 12 , wherein the air ducting arrangement includes a front wall extending between the inner and outer walls.
17. The cabinet arrangement of claim 12 , wherein cabinet has a height, and wherein the inner and outer walls of the airflow ducting arrangement extend along a substantial majority of the height of the cabinet.
18. The cabinet arrangement of claim 1 , wherein airflow is primarily drawn from the environment into the air inlet region only at the front of the cabinet, and airflow is primarily exhausted to the environment from the air outlet region only at the rear of the cabinet.
19. The method of claim 4 , further including primarily drawing airflow from the environment into the air inlet region only at a front of the cabinet, and primarily exhausting airflow to the environment from the air outlet region only at a rear of the cabinet.
20. The cabinet arrangement of claim 9 , wherein airflow is primarily drawn from the environment into the air inlet region only at the front of the cabinet, and airflow is primarily exhausted to the environment from the air outlet region only at the rear of the cabinet.
21. The cabinet arrangement of claim 12 , wherein the cabinet has a frontward airflow intake located at the front of the cabinet.