Thermal Shock Chambers
Russells Technical Products offers a wide range of standard and custom thermal shock chambers. Thermal shock or thermal cycling allows for the rapid transfer of products between temperature extremes, or the alternating heating and cooling of test articles in cyclical manner. Our direct transfer method between two independently controlled hot and cold chambers is an economical way to achieve rapid temperature transition or thermal cycling for industries including battery, automotive, aerospace, materials and composites, and more.
What is a Thermal Shock Chamber?
Thermal shock chambers were originally developed to detect product defects and production flaws in electronics manufacturing through the rapid transfer of products between temperature extremes, but thermal shock testing is now widely used in a variety of industries, including automotive, aerospace, battery, electronics, and more. Russells air-to-air thermal shock chambers meet the demands of environmental stress screening (ESS) and provide testing environments that impart more stress on the unit under test than standard thermal cycling or temperature soaks. Designed to rapidly transfer products between hot and cold temperature zones, our thermal shock test chambers create an economical method to achieve rapid temperature changes and are available in either horizontal or vertical configurations. Depending on your testing needs, a Russells TSV or TSH thermal shock chamber can contain two or three temperature zones, including the option for an ambient zone, which is required to meet certain MIL-STD tests. The TSD_Series double duty chambers feature two hot zones with a cold zone in the middle and a second transfer carriage to effectively double throughput capacity for high volume production.
Not only do thermal shock chambers allow for rapid temperature changes, they provide more extreme temperature ranges, allowing for more intense and stressful product or component testing. The Russells TS-Series thermal shock chambers can reach -73°C (-100°F) with mechanical refrigeration or -185°C (-301°F) using liquid nitrogen in cryogenic models, with both chamber configurations able to climb to 200°C (392°F) in the hot zone. Sizes range from 1-16 cubic feet in capacity, depending on your product under test.
Thermal Shock Chambers Features
- Chamber liners heliarc welded and dye checked brushed 300 stainless steel.
- Fiberglass insulation, urethane foam insulation
- Welded structural steel frame
- Service panels removable with 1/4 turn fasteners
- Chamber fan motors externally located
- Dual silicone door gaskets
- Cold chamber drain
- Microprocessor temperature programmer controller
- TSV Series Two Zone (hot/cold) Vertical – direct hot/cold transfer
- TSH Series Three Zone (hot/ambient/cold) Horizontal – direct hot/cold transfer with selectable ambient temperature dwell required for some MIL-STD’s
- TSD Series Double Duty (hot/cold/hot) – direct hot/cold transfer with additional hot zone and second transfer carriage effectively doubles throughput capacity for high volume production
- Sizes from 30 l (1 cu ft) to 450 l (16 cu ft) capacity
- Cold zone temperatures to -100°F/-73°C
- Hot zone to 392°F/200°C
- Automatic transfer of test specimens between zones
- Temperature range for mechanical refrigeration:
- -100°F/-73°C to 392°F/200°C
- Temperature range for liquid nitrogen refrigeration:
- -301°F/-185°C to 392°F/200°C
- ESS Chambers
- Cascade low temperature to -100°F/-73°C
- Single stage to -4°F/-20°C
- High temperature to 356°F/180°C
- Transition rates to 54° F/minute (30°C/ minute)
- Humidity from 20% to 95% RH
- Available with passive or power product fixturing
- Cart based or backplane style
- Can be equipped with battery testing safety features according to EUCAR hazard safety level
Thermal Shock Chamber – Optional Features
- Traveling access port to transfer basket
- Transfer basket shelves or fixtures
- Viewing windows
- Refrigeration gauges
- Refrigeration sound deadening package
- Remote refrigeration systems
- LN2/CO2 boost cooling
- Air cooled condenser
- Dry air purge system
- Running time meter
- Electrical disconnect switch
- RussellsOne controller
- Product safeguard redundant over/under temperature limit
- Circular or electronic chart recorders
- Computer communications, networking, data‐logging software
- Free standing remote instrument console
- Low or zero ozone depletion refrigerants
- Cascade or liquid nitrogen cooling
- Energy saving refrigeration bypass capacity control
- Low stage desuperheater
- Oil pressure switches
- Compressor suction and discharge pressure switches
- Water cooled condenser on mechanical refrigeration models
- Vapor tank and condenser ASME certified
- Compressor overload protection
- High-stage compressor crankcase heater
- Compressor head fans
- Low-stage oil separator
- All piping joints silfos or silver soldered
- Stainless steel compressor condensate parts
- All wiring meets NEC standards
- 120v control circuit transformer
- Fully enclosed electrical panel
- All circuits fuse of the circuit breaker protected
- Full system function switches with system status pilot lights
- Incandescent interior lighting
- All wiring numbered or color coded
- High temperature limit safety
- Master heating circuit contactor
- Air circulator/heater interlock
- Balanced load on three phase power
- Chamber door interlocks