Custom 15 m³ Walk-In Climatic Chamber for Lear Engineering Italy

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Il Disgelo designed and built for Lear Engineering Italy a custom Walk-In climatic chamber of approximately 15 m³, installed at the Grugliasco (Turin) facility and developed for thermal-climatic testing of automotive components and systems.

The solution was configured to reproduce combined temperature and humidity cycles, manage test components with a mass of up to approximately 400 kg, and meet the requirements of the PV 1200 Test Cycle, with particular attention to thermal gradients, sealing under severe climatic conditions and prevention of condensation on the DUT.

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Developed Solution

The chamber is built using prefabricated multilayer panels with a total insulation thickness of 150 mm and an internal surface in AISI 304 stainless steel. The thermally insulated and reinforced floor is designed to support uniformly distributed loads up to 1000 kg/m², while access is provided through a double-leaf door with a heated viewing window.

To meet the specific test conditions required by Lear, the system was configured with an upgraded refrigeration unit, high-tightness internal structure, enhanced humidification system and supplementary air-drying system.

The solution is designed to ensure:

• thermal-climatic testing of automotive components and systems;
• extended temperature range from −40 °C to +120 °C;
• combined temperature and relative humidity control;
• temperature change rates up to 3 °C/min under the conditions specified by the test cycle;
• management of DUTs with a reference mass of up to approximately 400 kg;
• execution of the PV 1200 Test Cycle;
• conditions up to +80 °C / 80% RH with a high-tightness internal structure;
• supplementary drying system with dew point down to −40 °C;
• uniform air distribution throughout the test volume;
• reinforced floor for loads up to 1000 kg/m²;
• remote condenser to reduce heat and noise in the test area;
• cycle programming and data logging through CliMaLogic®;
• remote supervision and integration with external systems via Ethernet and Modbus TCP/IP.

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Main Technical Data

• usable volume: approx. 15 m³;
• internal dimensions: 2200 × 2200 × 3100 mm;
• approximate external dimensions: 2500 × 2500 × 4000 mm;
• temperature range: −40 °C to +120 °C;
• temperature accuracy: ±0.5 °C over time;
• configured temperature change rate: up to 3 °C/min within the range specified by the test cycle;
• relative humidity: 20% to 90% RH according to the climatogram;
• humidity accuracy: ±1% to ±3% RH;
• reference DUT mass: approx. 400 kg;
• floor load capacity: up to 1000 kg/m²;
• door: double-leaf, approx. 2200 × 2100 mm clear opening;
• viewing window: 450 × 450 mm, heated;
• insulation: 150 mm multilayer;
• interior: AISI 304 stainless steel;
• upgraded refrigeration unit: approx. 65 HP;
• installed power in upgraded configuration: approx. 97 kW;
• refrigerant: R449A;
• condensation: remote air-cooled condenser;
• supplementary drying system: dew point down to −40 °C;
• dry-air flow rate: approx. 100 m³/h;
• power supply: 400 V ±10%, three-phase + neutral + earth;
• control: PLC with CliMaLogic® software;
• programming: up to 50 programs with 20 steps each;
• data logging: CSV export via USB;
• communication: Ethernet, VNC Viewer and Modbus TCP/IP.

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Result

The project enabled Lear Engineering Italy to implement a Walk-In system dedicated to the thermal-climatic validation of automotive components, developed around the specific conditions of the PV 1200 cycle.

The combination of large test volume, high thermal gradients, humidity control, upgraded refrigeration system and supplementary dry-air treatment allows complex environmental cycles to be reproduced while maintaining stability, repeatability and control of test conditions.