Climatic & Environmental Test Chambers — −70 to +150°C

Name: Climatic & Environmental Test Chambers
Brand: Neometrix

01

Overview

You cannot wait for January. So you build one.

Every qualification standard worth the name asks the same question: what happens to this product in weather it was not designed for? A climatic chamber is the answer — a box that manufactures a winter night, a tropical monsoon or a desert afternoon on demand, repeatably, to a schedule, indoors. It is not a refrigerator with a timer. It is a controlled-atmosphere instrument whose output is a defensible test result.

Illustrative render — the interior of a walk-in environmental chamber: polished stainless steel walls with welded corner seams, a perforated air-return plenum along one wall, adjustable stainless shelving on a rack frame, recessed sealed ceiling lights, and anchor sockets set into the chamber floor

Fig · 02 The test space — welded stainless liner, air plenum and floor anchor points — illustrative render

The set-point is the easy part. Three things make a chamber hard, and they are worth stating plainly because they are what separates an instrument from an insulated box.

Uniformity, not set-point. Holding ±2 °C at nine points across a 17 m³ space is an air-distribution problem, not a thermostat problem. It is solved with a circulating fan, a plenum and deliberate sensor placement — one in the returning air in front of the conditioning fan, others out in the test space where the specimen actually is.

The specimen fights back. A powered device under test — an inverter, a motor, a battery pack — can put 5–10 kW of its own heat into the chamber. Cooling is therefore sized against the specimen, not the room, which is why a serious specification quotes ramp rate twice: once empty, once loaded.

Water is both the tool and the enemy. The same box must reach 98 %RH and then go to −70 °C without icing its own evaporator.

Engineered to Order

Sized to the specimen and the standard

Envelope, test-space volume, payload, port count and ramp rate follow from what you are qualifying and which clause you are qualifying it against. The reference envelope here spans −70 to +150 °C and 10–98 %RH; it was engineered against repeated Indian test-laboratory requirements, no order followed, so no delivered chamber is claimed.

Reach-in · Walk-in · Drive-in

One discipline across three scales

A 50-litre bench unit and a hall that takes a complete vehicle are the same engineering at different sizes: a sealed insulated envelope, a conditioned air loop, cascade refrigeration and a controller that can be trusted with an unattended thousand-hour run.

Verified, not asserted

Nine-point mapping in the scope of supply

A chamber’s claim is only worth its calibration. Performance is verified to IEC 60068-3-5 for temperature and -3-6 for humidity, mapped at nine points, with certificates from an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory, pre-dispatch inspection at works and commissioning on site.

02

Architecture

A closed air loop, and a wall that keeps its secret.

The schematic below is the whole machine: the conditioning plenum where heat, cold and moisture are added to the air, the fan that makes uniformity possible, the test space itself, and the wall build-up that stops the outside world getting in.

FIG · 03CHAMBER ARCHITECTURE · CONDITIONED AIR LOOP · CASCADE REFRIGERATION · WALL BUILD-UP

Fig · 03 Air leaves the plenum conditioned, crosses the specimen, returns past the control sensor — and the wall section shows why the vapour barrier matters more than the insulation

Arc · 01

The Conditioning Plenum

Behind a perforated wall sits the working end of the chamber: the evaporator that removes heat, stainless sheathed heaters that add it, and the humidifier that adds moisture. Heating is deliberately indirect — elements are placed so no heater radiates onto the specimen, because a part that sees a glowing element is being cooked, not conditioned.

Arc · 02

Cascade Refrigeration

Getting to −70 °C needs two refrigeration stages in cascade: the first stage cools the condenser of the second, so each compressor works across a pressure ratio it can actually manage. Semi-hermetic compressors on anti-vibration mounts, non-CFC refrigerant, a finned-tube evaporator, and a water-cooled condenser with its own chiller, with high/low pressure cut-outs and no-load protection.

Arc · 03

Humidity & Dehumidification

Moisture is added as droplet-free vapour rather than a wetting spray — only at the extreme corner, high temperature with very high humidity, is a fine mist used — from demineralised water held in a stainless reservoir sized for around 72 hours of continuous humid running, with level control and automatic refill. Coming down in humidity is the harder direction, and is done by refrigeration dehumidification plus a condensate drain.

Arc · 04

The Wall Build-Up

Inside out: a polished SS 304 liner, hermetically welded so it is vapour-tight; a double vapour barrier; multi-layer mineral-fibre or elastomeric insulation; then galvanised, double-coated steel. The barrier is the critical layer — if moisture migrates into the insulation it condenses, then freezes, and the chamber quietly loses the performance it was bought for.

Have a climatic chamber, environmental chamber or test-facility requirement? Send it across — clause-by-clause compliance matrix within two working days · [email protected]

Send tender spec

03

Specifications

Reference envelope, sized to your specimen.

The parameters below describe a reference walk-in chamber. Envelope, test-space volume, payload, ramp rate, port count and instrumentation are set by the specimen, its heat dissipation and the qualification standard being executed.

Illustrative render — the machinery bay of a climatic chamber with its access panel removed: two graphite-grey semi-hermetic refrigeration compressors side by side on rubber anti-vibration feet on a steel base frame, thick foam-insulated suction lines and bare copper discharge lines running between them, a cylindrical filter drier, two plain pressure gauges on a brass manifold, and looms of grey cable in trunking

Fig · 04 The cascade refrigeration bay — two stages side by side — illustrative render

Where chambers actually fail

Almost never in the compressor. They fail at the door seal that has taken ten thousand thermal cycles, at a cable port someone stuffed with rag instead of the supplied plug, and above all at a breached vapour barrier — after which the insulation takes on water, then ice, and the chamber can no longer hold its low end.

The other failure is quieter: a control sensor reading the supply air while the specimen sits in a corner two degrees away. The chamber logs a perfect test that never happened. That is what nine-point mapping exists to catch, and why the mapping matters as much as the envelope.

Full specification — expand

System	Climatic / environmental test chamber — insulated vapour-tight test space with conditioned air loop, cascade refrigeration, indirect heating, humidification and dehumidification, PLC control and data logging · design, engineering, manufacture, assembly, inspection, testing, installation and commissioning
Temperature	−70 °C to +150 °C at atmospheric pressure · typical qualification work −40 to +85 °C
Temperature Control	Control accuracy ±1 to ±2 °C · spatial and temporal uniformity within ±2 °C measured at nine points · resolution 0.1 °C · Pt-100 sensors in the test space and in the returning air
Humidity	10–98 %RH over roughly +10 to +90 °C · control and uniformity ±3 %RH · dew point approximately +4 to +89 °C · capacitive humidity sensing
Ramp Rate	Up to 5 °C/min unloaded · approximately 1–3 °C/min under load · both figures quoted because they describe different machines
Test Space	Reach-in from about 50 litres · walk-in approximately 4.0 × 2.0 × 2.2 m (≈17 m³) · drive-in halls sized for a complete vehicle or rail car
Payload & Heat Load	Approximately 1,000 kg on the walk-in floor · floor anchor points where the specimen can fail energetically (e.g. a pressure cylinder under test) · specimen heat dissipation to ~10 kW allowed for in cooling capacity
Refrigeration	Two-stage cascade · semi-hermetic compressors for the ultra-low end · non-CFC refrigerant · finned-tube evaporator · water-cooled condenser with matched chiller, pump and fittings · anti-vibration mounts · high/low pressure cut-outs and no-load protection · insulated, clamped and identified refrigerant pipework
Heating	Indirect — stainless sheathed elements positioned so no heater radiates directly onto the specimen · independent over-temperature limiter on air and water heaters
Humidity System	Direct-vaporisation or droplet-free low-pressure vapour · demineralised / RO water · stainless reservoir sized for ~72 h continuous humid running with level sensing and automatic refill · inlet pre-filtration · refrigeration dehumidification · condensate drain with fall
Construction	Test space polished SS 304, hermetically welded vapour-tight · galvanised double-coated steel exterior · multi-layer mineral-fibre / elastomeric insulation with double vapour barrier · sealed panel joints · axial circulating fan and air plenum · adjustable stainless shelving or rack, or floor rails to suit
Access	Insulated door(s) opening to ~130° with heavy-duty hinges and airtight latching · toughened multi-pane viewing window ~300 × 300 mm with defogger · cable feed-through ports Ø75 / Ø125 / Ø200 mm with slotted and solid silicone plugs · sealed internal lighting to ~500 lux · noise < 70 dB at 1 m
Safety	Internal door release so a person shut inside can open the door · door-open detection and interlock · emergency stop inside and outside · over/under-temperature cut-out with audible alarm · independent heater temperature limiter · compressor winding-thermal, oil-level and discharge-temperature protection · refrigerant over-pressure protection · low-water protection · phase-failure, phase-reversal, surge and under-voltage protection · resume-from-interruption so a long test survives a power dip · emergency lighting
Control & Data	PLC with colour touch HMI, standalone — running, logging and calibration must not require a PC · approximately 50 programs × 50 segments nested to 50 loops · live and historical curves, set vs actual, elapsed and remaining time · fault pages with cause and remedy · USB and Ethernet · CSV / spreadsheet export · selectable sample rate · remote monitoring over LAN or VPN · open protocol (e.g. OPC UA) where a site standard applies
Power	415 V ±10 % 3-phase 50 Hz · connected load stated per sub-system · test space and control panel to appropriate IP ratings · earthing inside and outside the chamber
Standards Executed	IEC 60068-2-1 (cold), -2-2 (dry heat), -2-14 (change of temperature), -2-30 (damp heat, cyclic) · JSS 55555 and MIL-STD-810 sequences · solar / PV work to IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 profiles
Verification & Scope	Chamber performance verified to IEC 60068-3-5 (temperature) and IEC 60068-3-6 (humidity) · nine-point mapping · calibration certificates from an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory · pre-dispatch inspection at works · site installation, commissioning, training and documentation · support for NABL / ISO 17025 accreditation of the facility where the customer runs it as a test house — all carried in the scope of supply
Status	Engineered to order — reference configuration, not yet built · envelope, test space, payload and instrumentation settled at design review against the specimen and the standard

PDF · 1 page

Climatic & Environmental Test Chambers — Capability Sheet

Tender Response

Send your specification — compliance matrix in two working days

04

Variants

Four scales, one air loop.

Tenders call this a climatic chamber, an environmental chamber, a temperature-humidity chamber or a climatic test facility. The engineering — sealed envelope, conditioned air loop, cascade refrigeration, verified uniformity — is common to all of them.

Var · 01

Reach-In Chamber

Bench or floor-standing units of roughly 50–1,000 litres for components, boards, sensors and small assemblies — the workhorse for IEC 60068 component qualification.

Var · 02

Walk-In Chamber

Rooms to about 17 m³ and beyond, with a payload near 1,000 kg on anchored flooring, for large assemblies, racks, packaged equipment and specimens that must be instrumented in place.

Var · 03

Drive-In Facility & Solar

Halls sized for a complete vehicle or rail car, with solar radiation simulation where the standard calls for it, for HVAC performance and energy-consumption work at whole-vehicle level.

Var · 04

Combined Pressure & Climatic

Test space additionally pressurised — roughly 100 mbar to 10 bar on a 25 bar design — for components qualified under simultaneous pressure, temperature and humidity, such as submersible sensors and pressure instruments.

05

Applications

Where it applies.

Anywhere a product has to prove it survives a climate before it meets one.

A · 01Defence & aerospace qualification — JSS 55555 and MIL-STD-810 environmental sequences

A · 02Electronics & component testing to IEC 60068 cold, dry-heat and damp-heat profiles

A · 03Automotive & e-mobility — inverters, motors, battery packs and their dissipated heat

A · 04Solar PV modules & power electronics — long-duration IEC 61215 / 61730 exposure

A · 05Pressure cylinders & gas equipment conditioned to temperature before or during test

A · 06Rolling stock & vehicle HVAC performance in drive-in facilities

06

FAQ

Common questions.

Plain-language answers from the engineering team.

Q · 01 Climatic chamber or environmental chamber — what is the difference?

In practice, none worth arguing about — different specifications use the two names for the same machine, and we quote against both. Where a distinction is drawn, “climatic” usually implies temperature and humidity together, while “environmental” is the broader family that can also include altitude, pressure, solar radiation, rain, dust or salt fog. A “temperature chamber” or “thermal chamber” normally means temperature only, with no humidity generation at all, which makes it a considerably simpler and cheaper machine. The practical advice: do not buy from the name. Write down the profile you actually need to run — the temperature limits, whether humidity is controlled and over what temperature band, the ramp rate, and the specimen’s own heat output — and let that decide the machine.

Q · 02 Why does uniformity matter more than the set-point?

Because the controller will always tell you it hit the set-point — at the one place it is measuring. What decides whether your test is valid is the temperature where the specimen is, and in a large space that can differ from the sensor by several degrees unless the air is deliberately distributed. This is why specifications call for uniformity within about ±2 °C measured at nine points spread through the working volume, and why the chamber has a circulating fan and a plenum rather than just a cooling coil. It is also why the mapping certificate matters: it is the only evidence that the number on the screen describes the whole test space and not just one convenient corner of it.

Q · 03 Why do you quote two ramp rates, loaded and unloaded?

Because they measure different things, and quoting only the fast one is the oldest trick in chamber sales. An empty chamber has to move only its own air and liner, so 5 °C/min is achievable. Put a specimen inside and two things change: there is now thermal mass that must be dragged along with the air, and if the specimen is powered it is actively adding heat — up to about 10 kW for something like a large inverter on a de-rating test. The refrigeration must remove the specimen’s heat before it can make any progress cooling the chamber, so realistic loaded rates fall to roughly 1–3 °C/min. If your test standard specifies a ramp, it means the loaded ramp, with your specimen in the box. Always ask for that figure, with the load stated.

Q · 04 How does one box do 98 %RH and also −70 °C?

With difficulty, and by treating humidification, dehumidification and defrost as one coupled design rather than three accessories. Moisture is added as droplet-free vapour from demineralised water — demineralised because tap water would leave scale on the specimen and in the reservoir. Coming back down is harder: humidity is removed by refrigeration dehumidification, condensing moisture out of the circulating air and draining it away, so the space is genuinely dry before the deep-cold segment starts. Any water left behind would freeze on the evaporator, insulate it, and quietly rob the chamber of its low end. That is also why the walls carry a double vapour barrier: it keeps moisture from migrating into the insulation, where it would condense and freeze somewhere no defrost cycle can reach.

Q · 05 What does “verified to IEC 60068-3-5” actually mean?

It is worth separating two different roles the IEC 60068 series plays. The -2- parts are test methods your product is subjected to: -2-1 cold, -2-2 dry heat, -2-14 change of temperature, -2-30 cyclic damp heat. The -3-5 and -3-6 parts are different — they define how the chamber itself is characterised: where the measuring points go, how long it must settle, and how gradient, fluctuation and deviation are calculated and reported. So “verified to IEC 60068-3-5” means the chamber’s temperature performance has been measured by that defined procedure, at nine points, and written down — with the certificate issued by an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory. Without that, a stated uniformity figure is just a claim.

Q · 06 Do you build the chamber, or integrate bought-in parts?

Both, and it is worth being precise about which is which. Compressors, refrigerant valves, sensors, PLC and HMI hardware are proprietary components bought from established manufacturers — nobody sensible makes their own hermetic compressor, and a chamber builder claiming otherwise should be questioned. What Neometrix engineers and builds is the chamber: the insulated vapour-tight envelope and its stainless liner, the air loop and plenum that deliver uniformity, the refrigeration circuit design and its cascade staging, the humidity and dehumidification system, the control scheme, safety interlocks and data logging, and the installation, commissioning and mapping that make the result defensible. That is where a chamber is won or lost. And to be straightforward about status: this configuration has been engineered against repeated Indian test-laboratory requirements but has not yet been built, so nothing on this page is offered as a delivered reference.

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The Projects desk replies within two working days with a clause-by-clause compliance matrix and a budgetary quotation. Write to [email protected] or use the form.

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ISO 9001 / 14001 ENGINEERED TO ORDER — CLIMATIC TEST CHAMBERS IEC 60068‑3‑5 · IEC 60068‑3‑6 ENGINEERED IN NOIDA · INDIA

Weather on demand, held to ±2 °C.

You cannot wait for January. So you build one.

Sized to the specimen and the standard

One discipline across three scales

Nine-point mapping in the scope of supply

A closed air loop, and a wall that keeps its secret.

The Conditioning Plenum

Cascade Refrigeration

Humidity & Dehumidification

The Wall Build-Up

Reference envelope, sized to your specimen.

Where chambers actually fail

Four scales, one air loop.

Reach-In Chamber

Walk-In Chamber

Drive-In Facility & Solar

Combined Pressure & Climatic

Where it applies.

Common questions.

Test & qualification equipment from Neometrix.

Burst Chamber for Hydrogen Cylinder Testing

PCB Thermal Test Bench

Altitude Switch Test Rig

Send your test profile
and your specimen.

Similar Products

Share This Page

Weather on demand, held to ±2 °C.

You cannot wait for January. So you build one.

Sized to the specimen and the standard

One discipline across three scales

Nine-point mapping in the scope of supply

A closed air loop, and a wall that keeps its secret.

The Conditioning Plenum

Cascade Refrigeration

Humidity & Dehumidification

The Wall Build-Up

Reference envelope, sized to your specimen.

Where chambers actually fail

Four scales, one air loop.

Reach-In Chamber

Walk-In Chamber

Drive-In Facility & Solar

Combined Pressure & Climatic

Where it applies.

Common questions.

Test & qualification equipment from Neometrix.

Burst Chamber for Hydrogen Cylinder Testing

PCB Thermal Test Bench

Altitude Switch Test Rig

Send your test profileand your specimen.

Similar Products

Share This Page

Send your test profile
and your specimen.