Finned radiator with intelligent fins

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of transformer heat dissipation, in particular to a transformer finned radiator with intelligent fins. The fin type radiator comprises a plurality of radiating fins, a liquid inlet collecting pipe, a liquid outlet collecting pipe and intelligent fins. Each intelligent fin comprises a base, a temperature difference power generation module, a power storage module, a controllable fin module, a heat storage module and an intelligent monitoring module. Part of heat is recovered and stored or converted into electric energy through the heat storage module, the thermoelectric power generation module and the power storage module; the controllable fin module is matched with the intelligent monitoring module, the direction of fins can be changed along with changes of the environment wind direction, the heat load and the environment temperature, a small angle is formed between the fins and the environment wind speed at any wind speed, and strong air disturbance is achieved through small wind resistance increase. The functional modules can be assembled in a modularized mode through the base, the base is detachable, the base can be used on a new or in-service transformer finned radiator according to needs and is convenient to disassemble, assemble and maintain, and the flexibility and applicability of the radiator are enhanced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of transformer heat dissipation technology, specifically to a transformer plate heat sink with intelligent fins. Background Technology

[0002] Plate-type heat sinks are widely used for heat dissipation in transformers due to their simple structure, low cost, and high reliability. As transformer power increases, their heat flux density increases dramatically, placing higher demands on heat dissipation technology. Metal fins are often used to increase the heat transfer area of ​​plate-type heat sinks.

[0003] Traditional plate-type heat sinks typically employ fixed-structure metal fins, whose structure is determined during the design phase. To cope with potential peak heat loads, they are usually designed for the worst-case operating conditions. This leads to excessive heat dissipation capacity when the transformer is operating at low loads, resulting in wasted materials, space, and costs. It can even cause excessively low transformer oil temperature, excessive viscosity, and reduced oil flow, thus affecting the normal operation of the transformer. Furthermore, the fixed-fin structure cannot proactively adapt to changes in wind speed, ambient temperature, or heat load, and may actually increase wind resistance, increase noise, and reduce heat transfer efficiency under certain operating conditions. In conclusion, current fixed-fin plate-type heat sinks cannot effectively cope with changes in wind speed, ambient temperature, or heat load. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a plate heat sink with intelligent fins to solve the problems mentioned in the background art.

[0005] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this invention provides a plate-type heat sink with intelligent fins, comprising: a plurality of heat sink fins, each fin having a coolant flow channel and an air flow channel formed around it; an inlet manifold connected to the inlets of all coolant flow channels of the heat sink fins; an outlet manifold connected to the outlets of all coolant flow channels of the heat sink fins, the outlet manifold being located at the lower end of the inlet manifold; and intelligent fins, each intelligent fin comprising a base, a thermoelectric power generation module, an energy storage module, a controllable fin module, a thermal storage module, and an intelligent monitoring module; the base is horizontally mounted on the surface of the heat sink fins via a detachable connector. The bottom contour of the base conforms to the surface contour of the heat sink; the base is made of thermally conductive material; a connecting seat is provided on the base, which can be connected to a matching connector; a connector is provided on the heat source end of the thermoelectric generator module, and when the connector is connected to the connecting seat of the base, the heat source end of the thermoelectric generator module is in contact with the base; the energy storage module can be electrically connected to the thermoelectric generator module; the energy storage module is provided with a connector; the controllable fin module includes fins and a rotation actuator; the rotation actuator can drive the fins to rotate, and the rotation actuator can be powered by the energy storage module; the controllable fin module includes fins and a rotation actuator; the rotation actuator can drive the fins to rotate, and the rotation actuator can be powered by the energy storage module; the controllable fin module includes fins and a rotation actuator; the controllable fin module can drive the fins to rotate, and the rotation actuator can be powered by the energy storage module; the controllable fin module can be connected to the heat sink. The control fin module is equipped with a connector; the heat storage module is used to absorb heat when the external temperature is higher than a first preset temperature and to release heat when the external temperature is lower than a second preset temperature, wherein the first preset temperature is not lower than the second preset temperature; the heat storage module is equipped with a connector; the intelligent monitoring module includes a wind speed sensor, a fin force sensor, and a controller; the intelligent monitoring module can be powered by the energy storage module; the intelligent monitoring module is equipped with a connector; the wind speed sensor is used to measure the magnitude and direction of the surrounding wind speed; the fin force sensor is used to measure the wind pressure distribution on the fins; the controller is used to receive data from the wind speed sensor. Based on the data from the fin force sensor, the rotation actuator is coarsely adjusted according to the ambient wind speed, and finely adjusted according to the wind pressure distribution on the fins. The controller records the ambient wind speed at the time of the last coarse adjustment and presets a lower limit for the coarse adjustment wind speed difference and a fine adjustment wind pressure coefficient. If the magnitude of the vector difference between the current measured ambient wind speed and the ambient wind speed at the time of the last coarse adjustment exceeds the lower limit for the coarse adjustment wind speed difference, the current measured ambient wind speed is recorded, and the rotation actuator is coarsely adjusted to turn the direction of the fins parallel to the current measured ambient wind speed. Then, the rotation actuator is finely adjusted to rotate a small angle so that the wind pressure on the fins is equal to the square of the wind speed multiplied by the fine adjustment wind pressure coefficient.

[0006] Furthermore, the base is provided with a heat pipe, with the hot end of the heat pipe located on the bottom surface of the base and the cold end located on the top surface of the base.

[0007] Furthermore, the fins are provided with holes or grooves.

[0008] Furthermore, the fins are connected to the base via a flexible heat-conducting element.

[0009] Furthermore, the thermal storage module is connected to the heat source end of the thermoelectric power generation module.

[0010] Furthermore, the controllable fin module array is arranged such that the fine-tuning directions of adjacent controllable fin modules are opposite.

[0011] The beneficial effects of this invention are that, through the thermal storage module and the thermoelectric power generation module, high temperatures can be mitigated when the transformer is operating at high power or experiencing deteriorating heat dissipation. Part of the heat can be recovered and stored or converted into electrical energy, and heat can be released when the transformer power is too low or in extreme low-temperature environments, preventing the transformer oil temperature from becoming too low. The controllable fin module and the intelligent monitoring module work together to allow the fin direction to change with changes in ambient wind direction, heat load, and ambient temperature. At any wind speed, the fins maintain a small angle with the ambient wind speed, using less wind resistance to generate stronger air turbulence. The greater the heat exchange temperature difference, the smaller the angle between the fins and the ambient wind, preventing excessive wind resistance. The thermoelectric power generation module and the energy storage module ensure the power supply to the controllable fin module and the intelligent monitoring module. The base allows for free assembly of functional modules such as the thermoelectric power generation module, energy storage module, controllable fin module, thermal storage module, and intelligent monitoring module. The base itself is also detachable, allowing for on-demand use on newly built or in-service transformer radiators. It is easy to disassemble, install, and maintain, enhancing the flexibility and applicability of the entire device. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a plate-type heat sink with intelligent fins according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the smart fin in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the connector and connector according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the fin layout after coarse adjustment based on the ambient wind direction according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the fin layout after fine adjustment according to the ambient wind direction in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of another fin layout after fine adjustment according to the ambient wind direction in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the fin layout after fine-tuning when there is no wind in the outside environment, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] In the diagram: 1. Heat sink; 2. Liquid inlet manifold; 3. Liquid outlet manifold; 4. Intelligent fins; 41. Base; 412. Connector; 413. Connector head; 42. Thermoelectric power generation module; 43. Energy storage module; 44. Controllable fin module; 441. Fins; 442. Rotary actuator; 45. Thermal storage module; 46. Intelligent monitoring module. Detailed Implementation

[0014] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0015] Example This embodiment provides a plate-type heat sink with intelligent fins, the structural schematic of which is shown below. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the system includes several parallel-arranged heat sinks 1, an inlet manifold 2, and an outlet manifold 3. The heat sinks 1 have coolant channels within them, and air channels are formed around them, allowing the coolant inside to exchange heat with the outside air. The inlet manifold 2 connects to the inlets of all coolant channels on the heat sinks 1, distributing the transformer oil heated by the transformer into the coolant channels of each heat sink. The outlet manifold 3 connects to the outlets of all coolant channels on the heat sinks 1, collecting the transformer oil from all coolant channels and returning it to the transformer. The outlet manifold 3 is located at the lower end of the inlet manifold 2 to facilitate better natural convection.

[0016] It also includes intelligent fins 4, which include a base 41, a thermoelectric power generation module 42, an energy storage module 43, a controllable fin module 44, a thermal storage module 45, and an intelligent monitoring module 46.

[0017] The base 41 is horizontally mounted on the surface of the heat sink 1 via a detachable connector, and the bottom contour of the base 41 conforms to the surface contour of the heat sink 1; the base 41 is made of thermally conductive material; such as Figure 3 As shown, a connector 412 is provided on the base 41, and the connector 412 can be connected to a matching connector 413. Figure 3The thermoelectric power generation module 42 and the energy storage module 43 are used as illustrations, with the thermoelectric power generation module 42 in an unconnected state and the energy storage module 43 in a connected state. Generally, the detachable connector can be a magnetic connector. For the heat sink 1 made of ferromagnetic material, it can be directly magnetically attached to its surface. For the heat sink 1 made of non-ferromagnetic material, a pair of bases 41 can be set on the heat sink 1 using two mutually attracting magnetic connectors. Other optional implementations include common structures such as snap-fit ​​connectors and bolt connectors. A pair of bases 41 can be set on both sides of the heat sink 1 to achieve interlocking without changing the structure of the heat sink 1. The bottom surface of the base 41 is attached to the surface of the heat sink 1, and the base 41 is made of thermally conductive material, which is equivalent to increasing the heat dissipation area of ​​the heat sink 1. The connecting seat 412 on the base 41 is used in conjunction with the connecting head 413 on each functional module, so that various functional modules such as thermoelectric power generation module 42, energy storage module 43, controllable fin module 44, thermal storage module 45, and intelligent monitoring module 46 can be modularly installed on the base. On the one hand, it can be flexibly configured according to actual application needs, and on the other hand, it is convenient for maintenance operations such as inspection, cleaning, and replacement.

[0018] Specifically, a heat sink 1 can be equipped with several bases 41, and each base 41 can be equipped with several functional modules such as thermoelectric generator modules 42, energy storage modules 43, controllable fin modules 44, thermal storage modules 45, and intelligent monitoring modules 46 as needed. Multiple bases 41 can be arranged on the heat sink 1 from top to bottom. The upper bases 41 are located in the high-temperature zone with a large temperature difference from the air, so more thermoelectric generator modules 42 can be arranged there to maximize the conversion of energy into electricity. The lower bases 41 are closer to the outlet manifold, with a smaller internal and external temperature difference, so fewer thermoelectric generator modules 42 can be arranged there, while more thermal storage modules 45 can be arranged to prevent insufficient heat dissipation from causing excessively high return oil temperatures. For transformers with large load fluctuations or large diurnal temperature variations, more thermal storage modules 45 can be arranged to smooth out temperature changes in the transformer oil; for transformers with relatively stable loads and ambient temperatures, thermal storage modules 45 can be omitted.

[0019] To further enhance the thermal conductivity of the base 41, a heat pipe is installed inside the base 41. The hot end of the heat pipe is located on the bottom surface of the base 41, and the cold end is located on the top surface of the base 41. The heat pipe can better conduct the high-temperature heat from the heat sink 1 to the top surface of the base 41.

[0020] To better reduce contact thermal resistance, a thermally conductive interface material, such as thermal grease, thermal paste, soft metal, or thermal pad, can be directly applied between the base 41 and the heat sink 1. Similarly, thermally conductive interface materials can be applied between the base 41 and the heat source end of the thermoelectric power generation module 42, between the base 41 and the thermal storage module 45, and between the thermal storage module 45 and the heat source end of the thermoelectric power generation module 42 to reduce contact thermal resistance.

[0021] A connector 413 is provided on the heat source end of the thermoelectric power generation module 42. When the connector 413 is connected to the connector 412 of the base 41, the heat source end of the thermoelectric power generation module 42 is in contact with the base 41. Specifically, the thermoelectric power generation module 42 uses the high-temperature base 41 as the heat source and air as the cold source to generate a potential difference using the Seebeck effect, which is existing technology.

[0022] The energy storage module 43 can be electrically connected to the thermoelectric power generation module 42; the energy storage module 43 is provided with a connector 413. The electrical energy generated by the thermoelectric power generation module 42 is stored in the energy storage module 43.

[0023] The controllable fin module 44 includes fins 441 and a rotation actuator 442. The rotation actuator 442 can drive the fins 441 to rotate and can be powered by an energy storage module 443. The controllable fin module 43 is provided with a connector 413. Specifically, the fins 441 can be flat fins, spiral fins, irregular fins, etc., preferably flat fins. The unfolded shape of the fins 441 can be quadrilateral, triangular, etc. The fins 441 increase the heat transfer area on the one hand, and enhance air turbulence on the other hand, breaking the laminar boundary layer on the air side and enhancing convective heat transfer. The rotation actuator 442 can be a motor, electric servo motor, etc., all of which are existing technologies.

[0024] To enhance air turbulence, holes or slots are provided on fin 441. The holes or slots can increase the vortex behind fin 441, thereby increasing the Reynolds number of airflow and thus enhancing convective heat transfer.

[0025] To ensure good thermal conductivity between the fin 441 and the base 41, the fin 441 is connected to the base 41 via a flexible thermal conductive element. This flexible thermal conductive element can be made of graphite-modified rubber, graphite-modified composite materials, metal rope, metal wire mesh, etc. This allows the fin 441 to rotate freely while maintaining good thermal conductivity with the base 41.

[0026] The heat storage module 45 is used to absorb heat when the ambient temperature is higher than a first preset temperature and to release heat when the ambient temperature is lower than a second preset temperature, wherein the first preset temperature is not lower than the second preset temperature; the heat storage module 45 is provided with a connector 413. When the transformer power is high, if the temperature of the base 41 is higher than the first preset temperature, the heat storage module 45 absorbs heat and releases heat when the temperature of the base 41 is lower than the second preset temperature; the function of the heat storage module 45 is to store excess heat when the transformer power is high to mitigate sudden high temperatures, and to release heat when the transformer power is too low or the ambient temperature is too low to ensure that the temperature of the transformer oil does not drop too low, thereby maintaining the stable operation of the radiator.

[0027] To ensure stable and continuous voltage for thermoelectric power generation, the thermal storage module 45 is connected to the heat source end of the thermoelectric power generation module 42. The thermal storage module 45 can continue to provide heat energy to the thermoelectric power generation module 42 even when the base 41 is at a low temperature.

[0028] The intelligent monitoring module 46 includes a wind speed sensor, a fin force sensor, and a controller; the intelligent monitoring module 46 can be powered by the energy storage module 443; the intelligent monitoring module 46 is equipped with a connector 413; the wind speed sensor is used to measure the magnitude and direction of the surrounding wind speed; the fin force sensor is used to measure the wind pressure distribution on the fin 441.

[0029] The controller receives data from the wind speed sensor and the fin force sensor. It coarsely adjusts the rotation actuator 442 based on the ambient wind speed and finely adjusts it based on the wind pressure distribution on the fins 441. The controller records the ambient wind speed at the time of the last coarse adjustment and presets a lower limit for the coarse adjustment wind speed difference and a fine adjustment wind pressure coefficient. If the magnitude of the vector difference between the current measured ambient wind speed and the ambient wind speed at the time of the last coarse adjustment exceeds the lower limit for the coarse adjustment wind speed difference, it records the current measured ambient wind speed and coarsely adjusts the rotation actuator 442 to rotate the fins 441 parallel to the current measured ambient wind speed (e.g., ...). Figure 4 As shown); then fine-tune the rotation of the rotating actuator 442 by a small angle (such as... Figure 5 As shown in the figure, the wind pressure on fin 441 is equal to the square of the wind speed multiplied by the fine-tuning wind pressure coefficient. The coarse adjustment is mainly used to bring the direction of fin 441 closer to the ambient wind speed when the wind speed changes drastically, preventing the angle between fin 441 and the wind speed from being too large, which would lead to excessive wind resistance and poor heat dissipation. The fine adjustment is mainly used to make the fins form a certain angle with the ambient wind speed, thereby increasing air turbulence while ensuring low wind resistance.

[0030] When the outside wind speed is low, the ambient wind is mainly upward flow caused by gravity and density difference. In this case, coarse adjustment keeps fin 441 vertical, and fine adjustment makes fin 441 form a small angle with the vertical direction. When the outside wind speed is high, the ambient wind is the vector sum of the upward wind speed of natural convection and the outside wind speed. In this case, coarse adjustment keeps fin 441 in the same direction as the ambient wind, and fine adjustment makes fin 441 form a small angle with the ambient wind. The direction of fin 441 changes with the change of ambient wind direction. At any wind speed, a relatively small increase in wind resistance can be used to generate a stronger air turbulence.

[0031] When the heat load increases or the ambient temperature decreases, the temperature difference between the inside and outside of heat sink 1 increases, natural convection intensifies, and the direction of the ambient wind changes. At this time, coarse adjustment aligns fin 441 with the direction of the ambient wind, while simultaneously increasing the wind speed. Fine adjustment reduces the angle between fin 441 and the ambient wind, thereby reducing resistance and minimizing disturbance. Conversely, when the heat load decreases or the ambient temperature increases, fine adjustment increases the angle between fin 441 and the ambient wind. The direction of fin 441 changes with the heat load and ambient temperature; a larger heat exchange temperature difference results in a smaller angle between fin 441 and the ambient wind, and a smaller heat exchange temperature difference results in a larger angle between fin 441 and the ambient wind.

[0032] To better enhance air turbulence, the controllable fin modules 44 are arranged in an array, with adjacent controllable fin modules 44 having opposite fine-tuning directions (see wind). Figure 6 No wind Figure 7 In this way, adjacent fins 441 deflect slightly to both sides in turn based on the direction of the ambient wind, forming a staggered arrangement of fins 441, which further enhances air turbulence and improves the convective heat transfer coefficient.

Claims

1. A plate-type heat sink with intelligent fins, characterized in that, include: A plurality of heat sinks (1), wherein a coolant flow channel is provided in the heat sink (1), and an air flow channel is formed around the heat sink (1); Liquid inlet manifold (2), which is connected to all the coolant flow channel inlets of the heat sink (1); The liquid outlet manifold (3) is connected to all the coolant flow channel outlets of the heat sink (1), and the liquid outlet manifold (3) is located at the lower end of the liquid inlet manifold (2); The intelligent fin (4) includes a base (41), a thermoelectric power generation module (42), an energy storage module (43), a controllable fin module (44), a thermal storage module (45), and an intelligent monitoring module (46). The base (41) is horizontally mounted on the surface of the heat sink (1) via a detachable connector, and the bottom contour of the base (41) fits the surface contour of the heat sink (1); the base (41) is made of thermally conductive material; a connecting seat (412) is provided on the base (41), and the connecting seat (412) can be connected to a matching connector (413). The thermoelectric power generation module (42) is provided with a connector (413) on its heat source end. When the connector (413) is connected to the connector (412) of the base (41), the heat source end of the thermoelectric power generation module (42) is attached to the base (41). The energy storage module (43) is electrically connected to the thermoelectric power generation module (42); the energy storage module (43) is provided with a connector (413); The controllable fin module (44) includes fins (441) and a rotation actuator (442); the rotation actuator (442) can drive the fins (441) to rotate, and the rotation actuator (442) can be powered by the energy storage module (443); the controllable fin module (43) is provided with a connector (413); The heat storage module (45) is used to absorb heat when the outside temperature is higher than the first preset temperature and to release heat when the outside temperature is lower than the second preset temperature, wherein the first preset temperature is not lower than the second preset temperature; the heat storage module (45) is provided with a connector (413). The intelligent monitoring module (46) includes a wind speed sensor, a fin force sensor, and a controller; the intelligent monitoring module (46) can be powered by the energy storage module (443); the intelligent monitoring module (46) is provided with a connector (413); the wind speed sensor is used to measure the magnitude and direction of the wind speed in the surrounding environment; the fin force sensor is used to measure the wind pressure distribution on the fin (441); The controller is used to receive data from the wind speed sensor and the fin force sensor, coarsely adjust the rotation actuator (442) according to the ambient wind speed, and finely adjust the rotation actuator (442) according to the wind pressure distribution of the fin (441). The controller records the ambient wind speed at the time of the last coarse adjustment and presets a lower limit for the coarse adjustment wind speed difference and a fine adjustment wind pressure coefficient. If the magnitude of the vector difference between the current measured ambient wind speed and the ambient wind speed at the time of the last coarse adjustment exceeds the lower limit for the coarse adjustment wind speed difference, the controller records the current measured ambient wind speed and coarsely adjusts the rotation actuator (442) to turn the direction of the fin (441) parallel to the current measured ambient wind speed. Then, the controller finely adjusts the rotation actuator (442) to rotate a small angle so that the wind pressure on the fin (441) is equal to the square of the wind speed multiplied by the fine adjustment wind pressure coefficient.

2. The plate-type heat sink with intelligent fins according to claim 1, characterized in that, The base (41) is provided with a heat pipe, the hot end of which is located on the bottom surface of the base (41) and the cold end is located on the top surface of the base (41).

3. The plate-type heat sink with intelligent fins according to claim 2, characterized in that, The fins (441) are provided with holes or grooves.

4. The plate-type heat sink with intelligent fins according to claim 3, characterized in that, The fins (441) are connected to the base (41) via a flexible heat-conducting element.

5. The plate-type heat sink with intelligent fins according to claim 4, characterized in that, The thermal storage module (45) is connected to the heat source end of the thermoelectric power generation module (42).

6. The plate-type heat sink with intelligent fins according to claim 5, characterized in that, The controllable fin modules (44) are arranged in an array, with adjacent controllable fin modules (44) having opposite fine-tuning directions.

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