A Buyer's Guide to Designing and Specifying a Walk-In Chamber.

WBE's advantage in engineering walk-in environmental chambers comes from our unique combination of focused expertise, in-house manufacturing, and a commitment to customization. Unlike companies that treat walk-ins as a minor part of their business, large-scale projects are a core competency for us. Our engineers have spent decades perfecting the art of designing high-performance conditioning systems and airflow patterns for large volumes. Our 12,000-square-meter factory gives us the critical advantage of controlling the quality and timeline of fabrication, without relying on outside subcontractors for key components. Most importantly, our entire company culture is built around solving non-standard challenges. We don't try to fit you into a standard product; we build the product to fit your unique requirements. This combination of expertise, capability, and philosophy is the WBE advantage that makes us the ideal partner for your next walk-in environmental chambers project.

Designing a walk-in environmental chambers is a complex process with several key considerations. First and foremost is the required internal workspace volume—it must be large enough to accommodate your largest product with adequate clearance on all sides for airflow. The second is the performance specification, including the temperature range, humidity range, and the required temperature change rate. The construction method—modular panel versus welded—is another critical choice that impacts performance, flexibility, and cost. You must also consider the floor construction, which needs to support the weight of the product and any test equipment. Finally, practical considerations like the door size for product access and the integration of any special features like viewing windows, cable ports, or additional safety systems are essential to plan from the beginning for your walk-in environmental chambers.

In a large walk-in environmental chambers, achieving temperature uniformity is far more challenging than in a small chamber, and it is entirely dependent on the airflow system. Without carefully engineered airflow, you will have significant temperature variations—it might be much colder near the air outlet and warmer in a far corner. This would invalidate test results, as different parts of your product would be experiencing different conditions. A high-performance system, like those designed by WBE, uses a powerful conditioning plenum and strategically designed ductwork to create a homogenous, turbulent airflow pattern that blankets the entire workspace. This ensures that the temperature variance within the chamber is kept to a minimum (e.g., ±1.0°C), guaranteeing that your test is accurate, repeatable, and that the data you collect is reliable for your entire product.

Testing large, high-voltage electric vehicle (EV) battery packs in a walk-in environmental chambers requires a specialized focus on safety. A catastrophic battery failure could lead to thermal runaway, fire, and the release of hazardous gases. WBE designs our battery testing chambers with a multi-tiered safety protocol to mitigate these risks. This can include an inert gas fire suppression system (using N2 or CO2), rapid ventilation and purging systems, and gas detectors to monitor for electrolytes or hydrogen. The chamber construction can be reinforced to withstand potential energetic events. We also integrate with the battery management system (BMS) and the facility's safety interlocks, allowing for an automatic shutdown of the test and the chamber in an emergency. These specialized safety features are essential for the safe and effective validation of EV battery technology in a walk-in environmental chambers.