Crane Cabin Air Conditioning: Choosing a Crane Cooling Unit

Why crane cabins need air conditioning

The heat in a crane cabin comes from several sources at once: sun through the glass, radiant heat from hot material, ladles or furnaces below, warm air that collects under the hall roof, the electrical equipment in the console and the operator. The cabin is small and mostly glass, so it heats up quickly, and a fan alone only moves the hot air around.

A cool, dry cabin keeps the operator alert over a full shift, keeps the glass clear and protects the console electronics. In dusty plants the cooling and fresh-air system can also keep the cabin under slight overpressure with filtered air, so the dust stays outside.

How a crane cooling unit differs from a building air conditioner

A household or office split unit is not built for a crane. A crane air conditioner differs in four ways:

• Vibration and shock: the crane travels, stops and carries loads, so the housing, the coils and the piping are built for constant movement.
• Hot air around the unit: the condenser often works in air much hotter than outdoors, above a furnace or under a hall roof, so it is sized for the real temperature at the crane.
• Dust and weather: closed steel housings with grilles and sealing for dusty halls and outdoor cranes.
• Service from outside: the unit sits outside the cabin and its panels open from the outside, so service does not disturb the cabin.

Where the unit is mounted

Crane cooling units stand on base frames with lifting lugs and are mounted on the cabin roof, on the rear wall or on a nearby electrical room. Roof mounting keeps the unit out of the operator's view; rear-wall mounting suits cabins with little space above them. The position is agreed with the cabin layout and the crane structure, and the condensate drain is led away from walkways and the glass.

Our crane air conditioners come as compact two-part units, with an electrical box and a main isolating switch above a caged compressor and condenser section, and as larger closed cabinets with removable service panels.

What decides the size

The cooling capacity follows from the heat that enters the cabin, not from the floor area alone. To size a unit we look at:

• the cabin volume and the glass area, and which way the glass faces the sun;
• the highest ambient temperature at the crane, which in a steel plant or foundry can be far above the outdoor temperature;
• radiant heat from below: furnaces, ladles, hot slabs or coils;
• the heat from the console electronics, the lighting and the operator;
• the insulation of the cabin and the type of glass;
• fresh air and overpressure in dusty areas.

An undersized unit runs without pause and still cannot hold the temperature; an oversized one cools in short bursts and leaves the air damp. That is why we size each unit from your data instead of picking a number from a catalogue.

Electrical rooms and control panels

The drives and controls of a crane need cooling too. Electrical rooms on the crane or beside the runway get the same type of steel-cased unit as the cabin. Control panels and drive cabinets get a slim panel air conditioner mounted on the side or the door of the panel: it sits outside, so it takes no space inside, and its digital controller shows and sets the temperature.

• Crane Air Conditioner →
• Panel Air Conditioner →

Keeping it running

Filters and condenser coils clog fastest in dusty plants, and a clogged coil is a common reason a crane air conditioner loses capacity in summer. Clean the filters and the coil regularly, check that the condensate drain is free, and check the fixings after the first weeks of operation, when the crane's vibration settles them. Because the unit is serviced from outside the cabin, this fits into short stops.

What to send for a quote

• the crane type and where it works: hall, foundry, outdoor yard or port;
• the cabin dimensions and glass area, with a drawing or photos;
• the highest ambient temperature at the crane and the heat sources nearby;
• where the unit can be mounted: roof, rear wall or electrical room;
• the supply voltage and frequency;
• for an existing cabin: what is installed today and why it no longer copes.

Frequently asked questions