Active cooling device and method for marine underwater sealed cabin

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of auxiliary equipment on board, and relates to an active cooling device and method for a marine underwater sealed cabin. The device comprises a coolant pipeline, cooling fins, a coolant circulating pump, a temperature sensor and a controller, a coolant inlet of the coolant pipeline is connected with the outlet end of the coolant circulating pump, and a coolant outlet of the coolant pipeline is connected with the device outlet; the coolant pipeline is connected with the radiating fins, and an electromagnetic valve is arranged on a connecting passage of the coolant pipeline and the radiating fins; the temperature sensor is arranged in the cabin body of the underwater sealed cabin; the coolant circulating pump, the temperature sensor and the electromagnetic valve are all connected with the controller; the controller controls the coolant circulating pump and the electromagnetic valve according to the real-time temperature, collected by the temperature sensor, in the cabin body and a preset temperature threshold value, so that the coolant circulating pump and the electromagnetic valve work in different cooling modes, and the cooling effect is achieved. The device and the method have multiple cooling modes, active adjustment can be carried out according to the real-time temperature condition in the underwater sealed cabin, and the heat dissipation efficiency of the underwater sealed cabin is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of ship auxiliary equipment, and relates to an active cooling device and method for an underwater sealed cabin on a ship. Background Art

[0002] An underwater sealed cabin is a carrier that ensures the safe and reliable operation of electronic equipment underwater, and is an important part of marine engineering equipment such as ships, unmanned underwater vehicles, subsea production systems, and tidal energy power generation. It is widely used in fields such as marine surveys, marine resource development, and marine renewable energy. The cooling and heat dissipation performance is one of the key factors determining whether the equipment loaded inside the underwater sealed cabin can operate reliably for a long time. Since the underwater electronic cabin usually houses highly integrated electronic equipment, there are many heat sources and the structure is complex. Moreover, the internal space of the electronic cabin itself is narrow, airtight, and non-deformable. When the electronic equipment inside the cabin, especially high-power devices such as battery packs and light sources, work for a long time, a large amount of waste heat will be generated. If the waste heat cannot be dissipated and discharged in time, the temperature inside the cabin will rise sharply, which will in turn shorten the service life of the equipment loaded inside the cabin or even cause it to fail. According to the "10°C rule", for every 10°C increase in ambient temperature, the reliability of components will decrease by 50%. Therefore, in order to ensure that the equipment loaded inside the cabin can operate stably in a suitable working environment, the cooling and heat dissipation design of the underwater sealed cabin is essential.

[0003] Currently, the heat dissipation of underwater sealed cabins mainly adopts passive heat dissipation methods, which conduct heat exchange through convection between the cabin shell and the low-temperature water outside the cabin, and directly conduct the heat inside the cabin to the water outside the cabin. For example, the heat dissipation methods of the Alvin manned submersible of the US WHOI and the Jason series of underwater rescue robots in the US are to connect high-power electrical components to a heat dissipation base with good thermal conductivity, and the base is fixedly connected to the end cover of the pressure-resistant sealed cavity, relying on the external water body to achieve heat dissipation. However, this passive heat exchange heat dissipation method has obvious limitations. First of all, this heat dissipation method is mainly applicable to application scenarios where the heat sources inside the cabin are relatively concentrated. Since the structure of the underwater sealed cabin is usually relatively compact and the space inside the cabin is limited, when there are more heat sources inside the cabin, additional heat conduction structures need to be added, which will inevitably reduce the loading capacity and usability of the sealed cabin. Secondly, the passive heat exchange heat dissipation method is more suitable for waters with lower water temperatures and better fluidity. When the water body fluidity is low, the water body outside the cabin is in a natural convection state after being heated, and the heat transfer coefficient is relatively low. It is difficult to control the temperature inside the cabin within a safe temperature range simply by natural convection.

[0004] At present, with the continuous deepening of marine surveys and the development and utilization of marine resources, higher requirements are put forward for the underwater sensing ability and endurance of related equipment, and high-power devices such as high-capacity battery packs and high-brightness light sources are more widely used. In this context, the development of active cooling equipment and cooling methods with stronger heat dissipation ability and better universality is of great significance for improving the performance of marine engineering equipment. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Aiming at the limitations and deficiencies of the passive heat dissipation method of the existing underwater sealed cabin, the invention provides an active cooling device and method, which has a variety of cooling and heat dissipation modes and can actively adjust according to the real-time temperature in the underwater sealed cabin, and has the characteristics of high heat dissipation efficiency and strong applicability.

[0006] An active cooling device for a ship's underwater sealed cabin provided by the invention includes a coolant pipeline, a heat sink, a coolant circulation pump, a temperature sensor, and a controller; wherein, the coolant inlet of the coolant pipeline is connected to the outlet end of the coolant circulation pump, and the coolant outlet of the coolant pipeline is connected to the device discharge port; the coolant pipeline is connected to the heat sink, and a solenoid valve is provided on the connection path between the two; the temperature sensor is arranged inside the underwater sealed cabin to monitor the temperature inside the cabin in real time; the coolant circulation pump, the temperature sensor, and the solenoid valve are all connected to the controller; the controller controls the coolant circulation pump and the solenoid valve according to the real-time temperature inside the cabin collected by the temperature sensor and the preset temperature threshold, so that they work in different cooling modes to achieve the cooling effect.

[0007] Preferably, the coolant pipeline includes a main circulation pipeline and a manifold pipeline; a plurality of three-way connectors are provided on the main circulation pipeline; the manifold pipeline includes a coolant connection pipe and a heat sink joint; the manifold pipeline is connected to the three-way connector through the coolant connection pipe and is connected to the heat sink through the heat sink joint.

[0008] Preferably, the heat sink joint is formed by connecting a first connecting piece, a second connecting piece, a third connecting piece, and a fourth connecting piece; wherein, the external thread at the top of the first connecting piece is connected to the heat sink interface; the second connecting piece is connected to the third connecting piece through a circular boss at the bottom; one end of the fourth connecting piece is an internal thread hole, which is connected to the external thread of the third connecting piece, and the other end of the fourth connecting piece is a quick connector connection hole, which is connected to the coolant connection pipe of the manifold pipeline.

[0009] Preferably, a ring-shaped protrusion is provided at the top of the third connecting piece, and a ring-shaped groove is provided at the bottom of the first connecting piece; the ring-shaped protrusion is connected to the ring-shaped groove in a matching manner.

[0010] Preferably, the heat sink includes a heat sink bottom plate, a heat sink interlayer, and a heat sink upper cover; the heat sink upper cover is provided with a coolant inlet and a coolant outlet; one side of the heat sink bottom plate is provided with a groove-type coolant flow channel, and the head and tail of the groove-type coolant flow channel are respectively communicated with the coolant inlet and the coolant outlet of the heat sink upper cover; the heat sink interlayer is embedded in the groove-type coolant flow channel on the heat sink bottom plate; the heat sink upper cover is connected to the heat sink bottom plate through a sealing hole and a sealing bolt; the coolant inlet and the coolant outlet of the heat sink upper cover are connected to a tee connector of the main coolant circulation pipeline through a manifold pipeline; a check valve is provided at the coolant outlet.

[0011] Preferably, the outer contour of the heat sink interlayer is the same as that of the groove-type coolant flow channel on the heat sink bottom plate, and the thickness of the heat sink interlayer is less than the depth of the groove-type coolant flow channel.

[0012] Preferably, sealing holes and mounting holes are further provided around the bottom of the heat sink. The sealing holes are used for sealing connection with the heat sink upper cover, and the mounting holes are used for fixing the heat sink to the equipment to be cooled.

[0013] Preferably, a plurality of air cushion grooves are provided on one side of the heat sink interlayer close to the heat sink bottom plate, and micro air cushions are provided in the grooves.

[0014] Preferably, the present invention also provides an active cooling method for a ship's underwater sealed cabin, including the following steps: The temperature sensor collects the temperature inside the cabin in real time; The controller calculates the real-time average temperature inside the cabin according to the temperature data collected by the temperature sensor T a ; Compare the calculated real-time average temperature with the preset minimum temperature threshold T L and the maximum temperature threshold T H to select the corresponding cooling mode; The controller controls the coolant circulation pump and the solenoid valve to operate in the corresponding cooling mode.

[0015] Preferably, the cooling modes include: when T a < T L , use the conventional heat exchange cooling mode. In this mode, the coolant circulation pump does not work, and heat exchange cooling is only carried out through the heat transfer capacity of the metal sealed cabin; when T L ≤ T a < T HWhen in use, the circulating cooling mode is adopted. In this mode, the coolant circulation pump operates, and the coolant circulates in the main circulation pipeline; the solenoid valve is in the closed state, and the coolant does not enter the manifold pipeline; when T a ≥ T H When it is, the high-efficiency heat sink cooling mode is adopted. In this mode, the coolant circulation pump operates, and at the same time the solenoid valve is opened, and the coolant circulates in the main circulation pipeline, the manifold pipeline and the heat sink simultaneously.

[0016] The active cooling device and method of the present invention have multiple cooling modes such as conventional heat exchange, coolant circulation heat dissipation, and active heat sink cooling heat dissipation, and can actively adjust according to the real-time temperature situation in the underwater sealed cabin, improving the heat dissipation efficiency of the underwater sealed cabin. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the active cooling device of the ship's underwater sealed cabin in the embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 It is a detailed structure diagram of the active cooling device of the ship's underwater sealed cabin in the embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 It is a structure diagram of the main coolant circulation pipeline; Figure 4 It is a connection schematic diagram of the manifold pipeline and the heat sink; Figure 5 It is an exploded view of the structure of the heat sink joint; Figure 6 It is a structure diagram and a sectional view of the first connecting member of the heat sink joint; Figure 7 For the first connecting member of the heat sink joint along Figure 6 The sectional view in the A-A direction in ; Figure 8 It is a structure diagram of the second connecting member of the heat sink joint Figure 9 For the second connecting member of the heat sink joint along Figure 8 The sectional view in the A-A direction in ; Figure 10 It is a structure diagram of the third connecting member of the heat sink joint; Figure 11 For the third connecting member of the heat sink joint along Figure 10 The sectional view in the A-A direction in ; Figure 12 It is a schematic diagram of the assembly process of the heat sink joint; Figure 13 It is an exploded view of the structure of the heat sink; Figure 14 It is a structure diagram of the heat sink bottom plate; Figure 15 is a sectional view of the heat sink bottom plate along Figure 14 the A-A direction in; Figure 16 is a front view of the heat sink sandwich; Figure 17 is along the heat sink sandwich Figure 16 the sectional view in the A-A direction in; Figure 18 is a partial rear view of the heat sink sandwich; Figure 19 is a schematic diagram of an application example of the active cooling device for the ship's underwater sealed cabin of the present invention; In the figure, 10. coolant pipeline; 20. heat sink; 31. coolant circulation pump; 32. temperature sensor; 33. solenoid valve; 34. controller; 11. main circulation pipeline; 12. manifold pipeline; 112. tee connector; 113. pipeline closer; 114. coolant inlet; 115. coolant outlet; 116. device discharge port; 121. coolant connecting pipe; 122. heat sink joint; 1221. first connecting piece; 1222. second connecting piece; 1223. third connecting piece; 1224. fourth connecting piece; 1225. sealing ring; 1226. circular boss; 1227. annular protrusion; 1228. annular groove; 21. heat sink bottom plate; 22. heat sink sandwich; 23. heat sink upper cover; 231. coolant inlet; 232. coolant discharge port; 233. check valve; 211. grooved coolant flow channel; 212. first sealing hole; 213. mounting hole; 221. air cushion groove; 222. micro air cushion; 234. second sealing hole; 235. sealing bolt; 311. outlet end; 312. inlet end. Detailed implementation manners

[0018] For the convenience of understanding the present invention, the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. The preferred embodiments of the present invention are given in the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described in this specification. On the contrary, the purpose of providing these embodiments is to make the understanding of the disclosed content of the present invention more thorough and comprehensive.

[0019] As Figures 1 to 4 shown, the present invention provides an active cooling device for a ship's underwater sealed cabin, which mainly includes a coolant pipeline 10, a heat sink 20, a coolant circulation pump 31, a temperature sensor 32, and a controller 34.

[0020] Among them, the coolant pipe 10 further includes a main circulation pipe 11 and a manifold pipe 12. The main circulation pipe is a U-shaped pipe, and a plurality of three-way connectors 112 are provided on the U-shaped pipe. When the three-way connector is not connected to the manifold pipe 12, it can be closed by a pipe closer 113. The main circulation pipe 11 is provided with a coolant inlet 114 and a coolant outlet 115. Among them, the coolant inlet 114 is connected to the outlet end 311 of the coolant circulation pump 31, and the coolant outlet 115 is connected to the device discharge port 116.

[0021] The manifold pipe 12 includes a coolant connection pipe 121 and a fin joint 122. The coolant connection pipe 121 of the manifold pipe 12 is connected to the three-way connector 112 of the main circulation pipe 11 through a quick connector, and the other end is connected to the fin 20 through the fin joint 122.

[0022] As Figures 5 to 12 shown, the fin joint 122 is connected by four parts, namely a first connector 1221, a second connector 1222, a third connector 1223, and a fourth connector 1224. Among them, the external thread at the top of the first connector is connected to the fin interface. The second connector is connected to the third connector through a circular boss 1226 at the bottom. One end of the fourth connector is an internal thread hole, which is connected to the external thread of the third connector. The other end of the fourth connector is a quick connector connection hole, which is connected to the coolant connection pipe of the manifold pipe. The third connector of the radiator joint is provided with an annular protrusion 1227 at the top, which will be embedded into the annular groove 1228 at the bottom of the first connector during connection. In order to ensure the sealing performance of the fin joint, a sealing ring 1225 is also provided between the annular protrusion at the top of the third connector of the radiator joint and the annular groove at the bottom of the first connector. Since the second connector and the third connector are not locked, when the fin joint is assembled, the third connector together with the fourth connector can rotate freely relative to the first connector together with the second connector. The advantage of this rotatable fin joint is that it is convenient for the connection of the coolant pipeline in the relatively narrow space in the sealed cabin. At the same time, the rotatable joint helps to shorten the length of the coolant pipeline by adjusting the angle of the joint, thereby improving the circulation efficiency of the coolant and reducing the potential leakage risk. In this embodiment, the ratio of the inner diameter of the main circulation pipe 11 to the inner diameter of the manifold pipe 12 is 2:1.

[0023] As Figures 13 to 18As shown, the heat sink 20 has a three-layer composite structure, namely a heat sink bottom plate 21, a heat sink sandwich layer 22, and a heat sink upper cover 23. The heat sink upper cover 23 is also provided with a coolant inlet 231 and a coolant outlet 232, and a check valve 233 is provided at the coolant outlet 232. Among them, the coolant inlet 231 and the coolant outlet 232 are connected to the three-way connector 112 of the main circulation pipeline through a manifold pipeline. One side of the heat sink bottom plate 21 is provided with a groove-type coolant flow channel 211, and the head and tail of the groove-type coolant flow channel are respectively communicated with the coolant inlet 231 and the coolant outlet 232 of the heat sink upper cover. The periphery of the bottom of the heat sink is also provided with a first sealing hole 212 and a mounting hole 213. The first sealing hole 212 is used for sealing connection with the heat sink upper cover 23, and the mounting hole 213 is used for fixing the heat sink to the equipment to be cooled. The outer contour of the heat sink sandwich layer 22 is the same as that of the groove-type coolant flow channel 211 on the heat sink bottom plate, and can be embedded into the groove-type coolant flow channel 211 on the heat sink bottom plate, and the thickness of the heat sink sandwich layer is less than the depth of the groove-type coolant flow channel. At the same time, a plurality of air cushion grooves 221 are provided on one side of the heat sink sandwich layer 22 close to the heat sink bottom plate 21, and micro air cushions 222 are provided in the grooves. The heat sink upper cover 23 is connected to the heat sink bottom plate 21 through a second sealing hole 234 and a sealing bolt 235.

[0024] When the active cooling device is equipped with multiple main circulation pipelines, the heat sinks can be connected across the U-shaped pipelines. The heat sink bottom plate, the heat sink sandwich layer and the heat sink upper cover jointly form a flow channel for the coolant flowing through the heat sink. When the working temperature of the equipment to be cooled rises, the micro air cushions 222 in the air cushion grooves 221 of the heat sink sandwich layer expand accordingly, pushing the heat sink sandwich layer 22 closer to the heat sink upper cover 23. As the distance between the heat sink sandwich layer 22 and the heat sink upper cover 23 decreases, the cross-sectional area of the coolant flow channel on the heat sink decreases, and the flow rate of the coolant in the flow channel increases. The greater the temperature rise of the equipment to be cooled, the greater the flow rate of the coolant on the heat sink. Through this adaptive coolant flow rate control mechanism, the cooling efficiency of the heat sink can be more effectively improved.

[0025] A plurality of temperature sensors 32 are installed at different positions in the underwater sealed cabin to monitor the temperature in the cabin in real time. A solenoid valve 33 is provided at the connection end of the manifold pipeline 12 with the coolant inlet of the heat sink. According to the monitoring data of the temperature sensors, the controller 34 controls the coolant circulation pump and the solenoid valve 33. Filters (not shown in the figure) are provided at the inlet end 312 of the coolant circulation pump and the device outlet 116.

[0026] The following combines with Figure 19, the specific application of the active cooling device provided by the present invention will be described. The underwater sealed cabin shown in the figure is a common rotary sealed cabin, and a transparent observation window is opened on the cabin wall to facilitate the imaging acquisition device to obtain underwater image data. Since cameras, lighting sources, and their supporting battery packs will release a large amount of heat during long-term operation in a closed space, it is necessary to equip a dedicated cooling device for heat dissipation. The active cooling device of the present invention enters the interior of the cabin through one end cover of the sealed cabin. Since there are two U-shaped pipes provided in the main circulation pipe 11 of the active cooling device in this embodiment, four through holes need to be provided on the end cover of the sealed cabin to be used as the coolant inlet 114 and the coolant outlet 115 of the U-shaped pipe respectively. A coolant circulation pump 31 is provided outside the end cover. The coolant inlets 114 of the two U-shaped pipes are connected in parallel to the outlet end 311 of the coolant circulation pump, and the coolant outlets 115 of the two U-shaped pipes are connected in parallel to the device discharge port 116.

Claims

1. An active cooling device for an underwater sealed cabin of a ship, characterized in that: It includes a coolant pipeline, heat sinks, a coolant circulation pump, a temperature sensor, and a controller. Among them, the coolant inlet of the coolant pipeline is connected to the outlet end of the coolant circulation pump, and the coolant outlet of the coolant pipeline is connected to the device discharge port. The coolant pipeline is connected to the heat sinks, and a solenoid valve is provided on the connection path between the two. The temperature sensor is arranged inside the underwater sealed cabin to monitor the temperature inside the cabin in real time. The coolant circulation pump, the temperature sensor, and the solenoid valve are all connected to the controller. The controller controls the coolant circulation pump and the solenoid valve according to the real-time temperature inside the cabin collected by the temperature sensor and the preset temperature threshold, so that they work in different cooling modes to achieve the cooling effect.

2. The active cooling device for the underwater sealed cabin of a ship according to claim 1, characterized in that: The coolant pipeline includes a main circulation pipeline and a manifold pipeline. A plurality of three-way connectors are provided on the main circulation pipeline. The manifold pipeline includes a coolant connection pipe and a heat sink joint. The manifold pipeline is connected to the three-way connector through the coolant connection pipe and is connected to the heat sinks through the heat sink joint.

3. The active cooling device for the underwater sealed cabin of a ship according to claim 2, characterized in that: The heat sink joint is formed by connecting a first connector, a second connector, a third connector, and a fourth connector. Among them, the external thread at the top of the first connector is connected to the heat sink interface. The second connector is connected to the third connector through the circular boss at the bottom. One end of the fourth connector is an internal thread hole, which is connected to the external thread of the third connector. The other end of the fourth connector is a quick connector connection hole, which is connected to the coolant connection pipe of the manifold pipeline.

4. The active cooling device for the underwater sealed cabin of a ship according to claim 3, characterized in that: A circular protrusion is provided at the top of the third connector, and a circular groove is provided at the bottom of the first connector. The circular protrusion is connected to the circular groove in a matching manner.

5. The active cooling device for the underwater sealed cabin of a ship according to claim 2, characterized in that: The heat sinks include a heat sink bottom plate, a heat sink interlayer, and a heat sink upper cover. The heat sink upper cover is provided with a coolant inlet and a coolant discharge port. A groove-type coolant flow channel is provided on one side of the heat sink bottom plate, and the head and tail of the groove-type coolant flow channel are respectively connected to the coolant inlet and the coolant discharge port of the heat sink upper cover. The heat sink interlayer is embedded in the groove-type coolant flow channel on the heat sink bottom plate. The heat sink upper cover is connected to the heat sink bottom plate through a sealing hole and a sealing bolt. The coolant inlet and the coolant discharge port of the heat sink upper cover are connected to the three-way connector of the main circulation pipeline through the manifold pipeline. A check valve is provided at the coolant discharge port.

6. The active cooling device for the underwater sealed cabin of a ship according to claim 5, characterized in that: The external contour of the heat sink interlayer is the same as that of the groove-type coolant flow channel on the heat sink bottom plate, and the thickness of the heat sink interlayer is less than the depth of the groove-type coolant flow channel.

7. The active cooling device for the underwater sealed cabin of a ship according to claim 5, characterized in that: Sealing holes and mounting holes are also provided around the bottom of the heat sinks. The sealing holes are used for sealing connection with the heat sink upper cover, and the mounting holes are used for fixing the heat sinks to the equipment to be cooled.

8. The active cooling device for the underwater sealed cabin of a ship according to claim 5, characterized in that: A plurality of air cushion grooves are provided on one side of the heat sink interlayer close to the heat sink bottom plate, and micro air cushions are provided in the grooves.

9. An active cooling method for an underwater sealed cabin of a ship, characterized in that, Using the device according to any one of claims 2-8, includes the following steps: The temperature sensor collects the temperature inside the cabin in real time. The controller calculates the real-time average temperature inside the cabin based on the temperature data collected by the temperature sensor T a ; Compare the calculated real-time average temperature with the preset minimum temperature threshold T L and the maximum temperature threshold T H to select the corresponding cooling mode; The controller controls the coolant circulation pump and the solenoid valve so that they work in the corresponding cooling modes.

10. The active cooling method for the underwater sealed cabin of a ship according to claim 9, characterized in that, The cooling modes include: when T a < T L , the conventional heat exchange cooling mode is used. In this mode, the coolant circulation pump does not work, and heat exchange cooling is carried out only through the heat transfer capacity of the metal seal chamber; when T L ≤ T a < T H , the circulating cooling mode is used. In this mode, the coolant circulation pump works, the coolant circulates in the main circulation pipeline, and the solenoid valve is in the closed state, and the coolant does not enter the manifold pipeline; when T a ≥ T H , the fin efficient cooling mode is used. In this mode, the coolant circulation pump works, and at the same time the solenoid valve opens, and the coolant circulates in the main circulation pipeline, the manifold pipeline and the fins at the same time.

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