Ladder arrangement and method for making a ladder arrangement

Abstract

Conductor arrangement (10) with a heat storage device (16) and an electrical conductor (12), wherein the heat storage device (16) circumferentially encloses the electrical conductor (12) in a longitudinal section (18) of the conductor (12), wherein the heat storage device (16) comprises a housing (24) which delimits a receiving space (26) surrounding the conductor (12) and allows for volume expansion of the receiving space (26), and a phase change material (22) which is arranged in the receiving space (26) and is configured to temporarily store heat absorbed by the conductor (12), wherein the housing (24) comprises a shell (30) which circumferentially encloses the conductor (12) in the longitudinal section (18), and the housing (24) comprises two sealing elements (32),of which one sealing element (32) seals a first end of the sheath (30) against the conductor (12) and the other sealing element (32) seals a second end of the sheath (30) opposite the first end in the longitudinal direction of the length section (18) against the conductor (12), characterized in that the sheath (30) and / or the sealing elements (32) have a sealing lip contour (40, 50) which is pressed against the conductor (12) or against the insulation (14) to create a tight connection.

Description

Technical field

[0001] The invention relates to a ladder arrangement and a method for manufacturing a ladder arrangement. State of the art

[0002] Heat is generated by power losses, for example in the area of ​​a charging cable, especially when charging an electric vehicle. This heat must be dissipated or temporarily stored as long as there is a thermal load induced by the power losses. One possibility is the integration of massive metallic bodies, which store energy through their heat capacity and / or radiate heat through their surface.

[0003] Heat delay devices are disclosed in the generic patent DE 10 2021 129 227 A1. Electrical cables are disclosed in EP 4 292 867 A1, JP 2008-077 885 A and CN 1 14 388 186 A. A charging coupler is disclosed in DE 10 2018 108 181 A1. Description of the invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a solution by which heat generated as a result of power loss in a conductor can be stored particularly well.

[0005] This problem is solved according to the invention by the subject matter of the independent claims. Further possible embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the dependent claims, the description, and the figures. Features, advantages, and possible embodiments set forth in the description for one of the subject matter of the independent claims are to be regarded, at least analogously, as features, advantages, and possible embodiments of the respective subject matter of the other independent claims, as well as of any possible combination of the subject matter of the independent claims, optionally in conjunction with one or more of the dependent claims.

[0006] The invention relates to a conductor arrangement, in particular a conductor arrangement for a motor vehicle or for a charging device, by means of which a motor vehicle can be charged and thus supplied with electrical energy. The conductor arrangement comprises a heat storage device and an electrical conductor. The electrical conductor is in particular designed as a busbar or as a rigid conductor. If current is passed through the electrical conductor, the conductor can heat up due to its resistance. To prevent overheating of the conductor, the heat storage device is provided, which is designed to absorb heat from the conductor and thereby cool it. In the conductor arrangement, the heat storage device is designed to circumferentially enclose the electrical conductor along a section of its length.In other words, the conductor is radially covered by the heat storage device along this section. This allows the heat storage device to efficiently dissipate and temporarily store heat from the conductor, at least in this section, thus providing particularly effective cooling.

[0007] The heat storage device is designed to include an enclosure and a phase-change material. The enclosure defines a receiving space surrounding the conductor and allows for volume expansion of this space. This means that the enclosure is designed to allow the volume of the receiving space to increase or decrease. The enclosure is designed to permit a predetermined volume change of the receiving space without failure. For example, the enclosure can be configured to allow a volume change of at least 30 percent without being damaged or failing.

[0008] Phase change materials are materials used in technical applications because, during their phase change, they release or absorb heat or cold depending on their melting point and ambient temperature. Phase change materials absorb a large portion of the supplied thermal energy in the form of transformation enthalpy, which can also be referred to as latent heat. This transformation enthalpy is often used for the phase change from solid to liquid. The stored thermal energy is hidden because, as long as the phase change is not completely finished, the temperature of the phase change material does not rise further despite the heat input. Therefore, the phase change material can store very large amounts of heat within a small temperature range around a phase change. The phase change material is arranged in the receiving chamber and designed to temporarily store heat absorbed by the conductor.This allows the conductor to be cooled particularly quickly, and the heat temporarily stored by the phase change material can be slowly released by the phase change material into the surrounding environment of the conductor assembly. The conductor assembly enables, firstly, that the conductor can be cooled particularly quickly and efficiently by means of the phase change material, and secondly, that the heat storage device has a particularly long service life, since even when the volume of the phase change material changes due to absorbing or releasing heat, the risk of damage to the housing is particularly low.

[0009] It is possible that the housing has a phase change material filling port through which the phase change material can be filled into the receiving chamber. For example, the housing shell could have the phase change material filling port.

[0010] In a possible further development of the invention, the conductor is provided with electrically insulating insulation outside the main section and is at least partially free of electrically insulating insulation within the main section. Because the conductor is insulated outside the main section, the risk of a short circuit is particularly low. Because the conductor is at least partially free of electrically insulating insulation within the main section, the phase change material can be applied directly to the conductor. This allows for direct contact between the phase change material and the conductor. As a result, heat can be absorbed by the conductor particularly efficiently and, in particular, very quickly, thus enabling effective cooling of the conductor by means of the phase change material.

[0011] According to the invention, the enclosure comprises the sheath, which circumferentially encloses the conductor along the longitudinal section. The sheath can, for example, be designed as a grommet or as heat-shrink tubing. Furthermore, the enclosure comprises two sealing elements, one of which seals a first end of the sheath against the conductor, and the other of which seals a second end of the sheath opposite the first end in the longitudinal direction of the longitudinal section. The first sealing element thus ensures that the phase change material does not escape from the first end of the sheath, and the second sealing element ensures that the phase change material does not escape from the second end of the sheath.Furthermore, the enclosure, with its design incorporating the shell and two sealing elements (which are specifically designed separately from the shell), can be mounted on the conductor particularly easily. For example, the shell can be placed around the conductor, then filled with the phase change material, and finally sealed against the conductor using the sealing elements.

[0012] In a potential further development, the casing could be designed to have a bellows-like or corrugated tube shape. This allows the casing to be extended and collapsed along its longitudinal axis in an accordion-like fashion. Due to its bellows-like or corrugated tube shape, the casing can follow the bending of the conductor particularly well, ensuring that the casing securely encloses the receiving space even if the conductor is bent. Furthermore, the bellows-like or corrugated tube shape allows the casing to accommodate volume changes of the receiving space without damage.

[0013] In a further possible embodiment of the invention, the respective sealing elements, together with the conductor, each enclose a cavity which can be filled with a sealant for a reliable seal. For example, at least one of the sealing elements can have a sealant filling nozzle through which the sealant can be poured into the cavity associated with that sealing element. By pouring the sealant into the cavity, the sealing element, or the casing, or the respective end of the casing associated with that sealing element, can be encapsulated with the conductor by means of the sealant, thereby ensuring a particularly reliable seal at the respective ends of the casing and minimizing the risk of the phase change material escaping from the receiving space.If it is intended that the sealing elements are not to be encased with the sealant, then the heat storage device can be designed to be particularly lightweight with particularly high stability of the housing due to the respective enclosed cavity.

[0014] According to the invention, the casing and / or the sealing elements have a sealing lip contour which is pressed against the conductor or the insulation to create a tight connection. This sealing lip contour can, in particular, comprise several sealing lips arranged side by side or one behind the other in the longitudinal direction of the casing, which are to be pressed against the conductor in areas where the conductor is free of insulation, or against the insulation in areas where the conductor is covered by the insulation. By means of the sealing lip contour, a particularly tight connection between the casing or the respective sealing elements and the conductor or the conductor's insulation can be formed, thereby minimizing the risk of the phase-change material escaping from the receiving space.In particular, the respective sealing lips can extend with their longitudinal direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the conductor. For example, the respective sealing lips can each extend once around the conductor and thus circumferentially around the conductor, whereby the receiving space can be sealed particularly reliably from the environment by means of the respective sealing lips.

[0015] In a further possible embodiment of the invention, the enclosure comprises a flexible membrane that can be stretched to allow for volume expansion of the receiving space. The membrane can, for example, be part of the enclosure. The enclosure can comprise a base body having a hole that is filled with or covered by the membrane, with the membrane fitting tightly against the base body. This allows the membrane, which is particularly more stretchable or elastic than the base body, to expand the volume of the receiving space through the hole in the base body, while simultaneously ensuring that the receiving space is tightly enclosed by the conductor, the base body, and the membrane.The housing's base structure allows the phase change material to be held securely to the conductor, ensuring exceptional stability of the enclosure. The membrane's expansion and contraction accommodates changes in the volume of the phase change material, thus minimizing the risk of damage to the enclosure due to such expansion or contraction.

[0016] In a further possible embodiment of the invention, at least one handling element is provided on the outside of the housing, by which the housing can be gripped, for example by a person or an industrial robot. This at least one handling element can thus be gripped using a tool. This allows the housing to be mounted on the conductor and / or the housing to be deformed to enable the phase change material to be poured into the receiving chamber. The phase change material can be poured into the receiving chamber, for example, in the form of granules or as a melt. The at least one handling element enables particularly easy handling of the housing, especially for mounting the conductor assembly, when attaching the housing to the conductor, or when pouring in the phase change material.This handling element can be, for example, a hook, a knob, or a grip. In particular, the housing can incorporate multiple handling elements, allowing it to be gripped securely or deformed with high precision for filling the phase-change material. Deforming the housing can, for example, expand one end, allowing the phase-change material to be poured into the receiving chamber through this expanded end.

[0017] In a further possible embodiment of the invention, the receiving chamber contains both the phase-change material and a gas or gas mixture. By including the gas or gas mixture in the receiving chamber alongside the phase-change material, the gas or gas mixture can be at least partially compressed when the phase-change material expands. This, in turn, increases the pressure in the receiving chamber and limits its volume expansion. Because the gas or gas mixture is at least partially compressed as a result of the phase-change material's expansion, the volume expansion of the receiving chamber resulting from this expansion can be kept particularly small.

[0018] The invention further relates to a method for manufacturing a conductor arrangement in which a heat storage device is arranged circumferentially enclosing an electrical conductor along a section of its length. For this purpose, a housing for the heat storage device is placed around the conductor, thereby defining a receiving space surrounding the conductor while allowing for volume expansion. The method further provides for the insertion of a phase-change material into the receiving space, the phase-change material being configured to temporarily store heat absorbed by the conductor. In particular, the method provides for the insertion of the phase-change material into the receiving space in the form of granules or in the form of a melt. Specifically, the method produces a conductor arrangement as already described in connection with the conductor arrangement according to the invention.

[0019] Further advantages, features, and details of the invention may become apparent from the following description of possible embodiments and from the drawings. The features and combinations of features mentioned above in the description, as well as those shown below in the figure description and / or in the figures themselves, can be used not only in the combinations specified, but also in other combinations or individually, without departing from the scope of the invention. Brief character description

[0020] The drawing shows in: Fig. 1. A cutaway perspective view of a ladder arrangement; Fig. 2 a schematic perspective view of the ladder arrangement; Fig. 3 another cutaway perspective view of the ladder arrangement; Fig. 4 another cutaway perspective view of the ladder arrangement; Fig. 5 Another cutaway perspective view of the ladder arrangement during a manufacturing process of the ladder arrangement; Fig. 6 a schematic perspective view of a shell of the ladder arrangement; and Fig. 7 Another cutaway perspective view during an alternative manufacturing process of the ladder arrangement.

[0021] In the Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 3, Fig. 4, Fig. 5, Fig. 6 to Fig. Figure 7 shows a conductor arrangement 10 in various illustrations. The conductor arrangement 10 is specifically designed for use in a motor vehicle. For example, the conductor arrangement 10 can be part of a DC section of a charging socket and thus a direct current section of the charging socket, or part of a contact of a high-voltage double rail of a charging socket. The conductor arrangement 10 comprises a conductor 12, which is partially enclosed by electrically insulating insulation 14. The conductor arrangement 10 further comprises a heat storage device 16, which circumferentially surrounds the conductor 12 along a length 18. This length 18 extends in the longitudinal direction y of the conductor 12. The length y runs parallel to a longitudinal direction of the conductor 12. Within the length 18, the conductor 12 has an uninsulated section 20 in which the conductor 12 is free of the insulation 14.This uninsulated area 20 extends over the entire circumference of the conductor 12 in at least a portion of its length 18. Within this uninsulated area 20 of the conductor 12, the conductor 12 is in planar contact with a phase-change material 22. The phase-change material 22 is part of the heat storage device 16 and is contained within a receiving chamber 26 enclosed by a housing 24 of the heat storage device 16. Both the phase-change material 22 and a gas mixture 28 are arranged within this receiving chamber 26. The receiving chamber 26 is designed to enclose the conductor 12 in a ring-like manner over its entire circumference, at least within the uninsulated area 20. The phase-change material 22 is configured to absorb heat from the conductor 12.The enclosure 24 is designed to allow for volume expansion of the receiving space 26, thus preventing damage to the enclosure 24 when the phase-change material 22 expands as a result of absorbing heat from the conductor 12. In this case, the enclosure 24 comprises a shell 30 and two sealing elements 32. Each sealing element 32 is assigned to an end of the shell 30 opposite its longitudinal end y. A first sealing element 32 seals a first end of the shell 30 against the conductor 12, and a second sealing element 32 seals the second end of the shell 30 against the conductor 12 and the insulation 14.

[0022] As presented in Fig. As can be seen particularly well in Figure 1, the casing 30 has the shape of a bellows, which can be compressed and expanded accordion-like in the longitudinal direction y. Alternatively, the casing 30 can have the shape of a corrugated tube. In other words, the casing 30 has a corrugated wall, which allows the casing 30 to be stretched and compressed particularly well in the longitudinal direction y, and to be bent about a lateral direction x perpendicular to the longitudinal direction y and / or about a vertical direction z perpendicular to both the longitudinal direction y and the lateral direction x. As shown in the present case in Fig. As indicated by a dashed line in Figure 1, the shell 30 can have a shell base body 34 with a hole 36, wherein the hole 36 is filled or covered by a membrane 38. This membrane 38 is flexible and can be stretched to allow for the volume expansion of the receiving space 26. In particular, the membrane 38 is elastic. As shown in Fig. To ensure that the conductor 12 can be easily identified, the casing 30 is provided with a sealing lip contour 40 at each of its ends. This sealing lip contour 40 comprises two sealing lips 42, each extending once around the circumference of the conductor 12. This sealing lip contour 40 has in Fig. The longitudinal section shown in Figure 1, running in the longitudinal direction y, has the form of two teeth arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction y, the tips of which are oriented towards the conductor 12 and, in particular, are in contact with the conductor 12. The sealing lips 42 effectively prevent the phase-change material 22 from escaping the receiving chamber 26.

[0023] The individual sealing elements 32 are described in more detail below. Each sealing element 32 is designed to be multi-part, specifically two-part, to facilitate particularly easy assembly of the conductor assembly 10. Each sealing element 32 is designed such that it, together with the conductor 12 or the insulation 14 and the associated end of the sheath 30, encloses a cavity 44. Each sealing element 32 comprises a first annular ring element 46 and a second ring element 48 extending lengthwise y to the first ring element 46. The ring elements 46 and 48 of the respective sealing elements 32 enclose the conductor 12 around its entire circumference.The first ring element 46 covers the associated end of the casing 30 outwards in the width direction x and in the height direction z and presses this end of the casing 30, in particular the sealing lip contour 40 of the casing 30, onto the conductor 12 to ensure a reliable seal between the sealing lip contour 40 and the conductor 12. The second ring element 48 itself has a further sealing lip contour 50 with three sealing lips 52 arranged parallel to each other, each enclosing the conductor 12 in a ring-like manner. The sealing lips 52 also have – like the sealing lips 42 – a tooth-like shape in their cross-section extending in the longitudinal direction y, with the tips of the respective teeth being directed towards the conductor 12. In the present case, it is provided that the sealing lip contours 40 of the casing 30 are in contact with the conductor 12 in the uninsulated area 20 and that the sealing lip contours 50 of the respective sealing elements 32 are in contact with the insulation 14.

[0024] To ensure a particularly secure seal of the receiving space 26, the respective cavities 44 can be filled with a sealant 54. Each sealing element 32 can have a sealant filling port 56 for filling the sealant 54 into the respective sealing elements 32. The sealant 54 can be filled into the respective cavity 44 through this sealant filling port 56. The sealant filling ports 56 can be particularly well integrated into Fig. 2. After the sealant 54 has been poured through the sealant filling nozzle 56, the respective sealant filling nozzle 56 can be closed by means of the respective sealing cap 64. To enable the phase change material 22 to be poured into the receiving chamber 26, the housing 24, in particular the shell 30, in particular the shell base body 34, can have a phase change material filling nozzle 58. Through the phase change material filling nozzle 58, the phase change material 22 can be poured into the receiving chamber 26, for example in the form of granules or in the form of a melt. As in Fig. As can be seen particularly well in Figure 3, the phase change material 22, introduced into the receiving chamber 26 via the phase change material filling nozzle 58, is distributed around the entire circumference of the conductor 12. The sealant 54, introduced into the respective cavities 44 via the respective sealant filling nozzles 56 of the sealing elements 32, is also distributed around the entire circumference of the conductor 12. Thus, on the one hand, particularly uniform and reliable cooling of the conductor 12 by means of the phase change material 22 can be achieved around the entire circumference of the conductor 12, and on the other hand, a reliable and tight seal of the receiving chamber 26 can be achieved around the entire circumference of the conductor 12 by means of the sealant 54.

[0025] In Fig. Figure 4 clearly shows how the receiving chamber 26 encloses the conductor 12 over its entire circumference, with this circumference lying in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction y. After filling the receiving chamber 26 with the phase change material 22, the phase change material filling nozzle 58 can be closed with a cover 60. The conductor 12 is thus at least partially surrounded or enclosed circumferentially by the phase change material 22 with respect to the longitudinal direction y. The phase change material 22 is in direct contact with the conductor 12.

[0026] In Fig. Figure 5 shows a state of the conductor arrangement 10 in which the casing 30 is deformed, in particular one of the ends of the casing 30 is bent upwards, while the phase change material 22 in the form of granules is being filled into the receiving chamber 26. In order to be able to deform the casing 30 for filling the receiving chamber 26 particularly easily and precisely, it can be provided that on the outside of the casing 30, as shown in Figure 5, a ridge is formed. Fig. As shown in Figure 6, at least one handling element 62, or in this case several handling elements 62, are arranged. In this case, the handling elements 62 are designed as individual grips into which a tool can engage. This tool can, for example, be guided by a person or by an industrial robot. The sleeve 30 can be gripped particularly easily at the individual grips, which in turn allows the sleeve 30 to be deformed particularly easily and precisely, in particular bent open or stretched, to enable the filling of the phase-change material 22 into the receiving chamber 26, particularly in a state in which the sleeve 30 is already arranged circumferentially enclosing the conductor 12.

[0027] In Fig. Figure 7 shows the conductor arrangement 10 during an alternative assembly. It can be seen that the sheath 30 is first placed around the conductor 12 in the uninsulated section 20 of the conductor 12. The phase change material 22 is then applied directly to the conductor 12 in the uninsulated section 20. It is possible that the phase change material 22 is first applied to the conductor 12 and then enclosed by the sheath 30, or alternatively, that the sheath 30 is first placed around the conductor 12 and then the phase change material 22 is placed into the receiving space 26, or that the phase change material 22 is already held by the sheath 30 and is placed around the uninsulated section 20 of the conductor 12 together with the sheath 30. After arranging the sheath 30 around the uninsulated area 20 of the conductor 12, the ring elements 46, 48 are successively pushed onto the conductor 12 in the longitudinal direction y.

[0028] In the described conductor arrangement 10, the phase change material 22 is integrated, which can store heat, for example, by transitioning from a solid to a liquid state. The phase change material 22 is enclosed by the shell 30, which is flexible in this case and allows for volume expansion, at least in certain areas. This volume expansion refers to the phase change material 22 itself as well as to any gas or gas mixture 28 present in the receiving chamber 26. The shell 30 allows for volume expansion of the receiving chamber 26, thereby effectively limiting pressure increases within the receiving chamber 26.

[0029] Fig. Figure 1 shows the integration of the phase change material 22 in the area of ​​the conductor 12, which is configured here as a steel conductor or as a BUS bar. The conductor 12 comprises, in particular, aluminum and / or copper. Additional thermal capacities can be created by the section-by-section integration of the phase change material 22, especially as required, for example at joints or at the transition to plug-in systems. This enables particularly high and long charging curve characteristics, resulting in a particularly good charging experience for a vehicle. The volume expansion of the phase change material 22 caused by the phase change does not lead to overpressure in the overall system and thus in the heat storage device 16, but rather to an expansion of the receiving space 26.The conductor 12, in this case a busbar, for example made of aluminum or copper, is partially surrounded by the insulation 14, thus providing touch protection. In the area of ​​the conductor 12 where the phase change material 22 is intended to absorb the energy from the conductor 12 through the phase change, the insulation 14 is removed from the conductor 12. This results in an optimal thermal transfer between the conductor 12 and the phase change material 22. If the insulation 14 is not removed in this area and the phase change material 22 is therefore only in contact with the insulation 14 and not directly with the conductor 12, then the phase change material 22 may react with a significant delay or, depending on the type and thickness of the insulation 14, may not react at all.

[0030] The phase change material 22 is located within the receiving space 26 enclosed by the casing 30, which primarily surrounds the uninsulated section 20 of the conductor 12. Sealing elements 32 are provided on both sides of the casing 30, and thus at the respective ends of the casing 30, projecting above a certain portion of the insulation 14. These sealing elements 32 are designed to prevent the phase change material 22 from flowing out of the receiving space 26. A seal both towards the casing 30 and towards the conductor 12 is achieved by the arrangement of the sealing elements 32 towards the BUS bar by means of the sealing lip contours 40, 50. To improve the seal of the heat storage device 16, the cavities 44 of the sealing elements 32 can be filled with the sealant 54.

[0031] The casing 30 is designed as a sleeve. By selecting the material type, geometry, and wall thickness of the casing 30, its contractility or flexibility can be optimally adjusted according to the volumetric expansion coefficient of the phase change material 22. This volumetric expansion coefficient of the phase change material 22 is typically between five and 20 percent. In this case, the casing 30 completely encloses the conductor 12, thus enabling optimal volumetric expansion in both the vertical (z) and horizontal (x) directions.

[0032] The casing 30 can be designed such that only a defined area of ​​the casing 30 allows the volume expansion of the phase change material 22. When the receiving chamber 26 is filled, it can be provided that a 100 percent fill level with phase change material 22 is not reached and a residual proportion of air remains in the receiving chamber 26 as a gas mixture 28. When the phase change material 22 expands, the air is compressed, which reduces the combined volume expansion of the phase change material 22 and the air. The expansion of the phase change material 22 and the compression of the air result in a higher pressure in the receiving chamber 26. To counteract this pressure particularly well, the membrane 38 can be provided, with the membrane 38 being integrated into the casing body 34. The membrane 38 has a thinner wall and / or is made of a different material compared to the casing body 34.In the case of a material change within the shell 30, and thus a design of the membrane 38 and the shell base body 34 from different materials, the materials must be arranged in a material-locking and / or form-locking manner to ensure the aforementioned functionality and a particularly high durability of the shell 30. The shell 30 can, in particular, be manufactured as a two-component injection-molded part from a thermoplastic with a silicone membrane or a TPE membrane. In other words, in this case, the shell base body 34 would be made of the thermoplastic and the membrane 38 of silicone or TPE. TPE stands for thermoplastic elastomer. The shell 30 can, in particular, be compressed or expanded in the height direction z and / or in the width direction x.To optimize the tightness of the heat storage device 16, the sealant 54 can be poured into the respective cavities 44 to encapsulate the sealing elements 32. The sealant 54 can be poured in via the sealant filling ports 56. Specifically, the sealing elements 32 are completely filled with the sealant 54. The respective sealant filling ports 56 can be closed using the corresponding caps 64, thereby sealing the heat storage device 16. This increases the overall process cleanliness and minimizes the likelihood of the sealant 54 leaking out before the cavities 44 are completely filled. Similarly, the receiving chamber 26 enclosed by the casing 30 can be filled with phase change material 22 via the phase change material filling port 58.

[0033] There are different ways to fill the phase change material 22 into the receiving chamber 26, which can be selected according to the geometry and quantity of phase change material 22 to be filled, as well as a general assembly logic of the conductor arrangement 10. As in Fig. As indicated in Figure 3, the phase change material 22 can be poured in liquid into the receiving chamber 26. For this purpose, a cap 60, which closes the phase change material filling nozzle 58, can be removed, and the liquid phase change material 22 can be poured through the phase change material filling nozzle 58 into the receiving chamber 26, and thus into the area between the conductor 12 and the casing 30. The flexible casing 30 allows the position of the phase change material filling nozzle 58 to be easily manipulated in the longitudinal direction y, in the vertical direction z, and in the horizontal direction x during the filling process. This makes it particularly easy to guide the phase change material 22 to both the front and back sides of the conductor 12, which are arranged opposite each other with respect to the vertical direction z. This optimizes the filling process considerably.The position of the phase change material filling nozzle 58 on the casing 30 can be selected depending on the orientation during filling of the receiving chamber 26 and the intended fill level of the phase change material 22 in the receiving chamber 26. In particular, the phase change material filling nozzle 58 is positioned above a maximum fill level specified for the phase change material 22 in the receiving chamber 26. For particularly easy filling of the receiving chamber 26, the heat storage device 16 is oriented so that the melt of the phase change material 22 can flow into the receiving chamber 26 in the direction of gravity. In this case, the phase change material filling nozzle 58 is located at a particularly high point of the heat storage device 16.Filling the receiving chamber 26 with liquid phase change material 22 allows for optimal filling with minimal air inclusions, depending on the orientation and position of the phase change material filling nozzle 58. It is possible that vent openings in the casing 30 are provided for particularly easy and quick filling of the receiving chamber 26 with the phase change material 22. These vent openings must be sealed after filling. Sealing these vent openings can be achieved, for example, by welding. In particular, the receiving chamber 26 can be filled while a negative pressure is applied within it, thus minimizing the amount of air present.

[0034] In Fig.Figure 5 shows the filling of the receiving chamber 26 with the phase change material 22 in the form of granules. Filling the receiving chamber 26 with granular phase change material 22 is applicable according to the logic already described for liquid filling of the receiving chamber 26. Depending on the required ratio between air and phase change material 22, as well as limitations of the filling station itself and limitations due to the size of the phase change material filling nozzle 58, a specific granule size must be selected. The larger the granules, the higher the air content in the receiving chamber 26 will necessarily be. As an alternative to filling the receiving chamber 26 via the phase change material filling nozzle 58, the granules can be introduced by temporarily deforming the shell 30, specifically the shell 30 in the area of ​​the sealing lip contour 40.Here, at least one end of the casing 30 is deformed such that a gap is created between the casing 30 and the conductor 12 for filling with the granules. The casing 30 can be partially pushed in the longitudinal direction y and is thereby deformed in the area of ​​the sealing lip contour 40 to allow the granules to be poured into the receiving chamber 26. Pushing the casing 30 downwards reduces the volume of the receiving chamber 26 during filling. This means that pulling the casing 30 downwards never results in the receiving chamber 26 being completely filled. To counteract this, the fact that the casing 30 is designed to be completely or partially flexible can be utilized. The casing 30 can thus be deformed, i.e., expanded, in certain areas.The shell 30 can be significantly deformed in a specific area, thereby increasing the maximum filling volume. It is even possible to increase the volume of the receiving chamber 26 compared to a predetermined initial volume for the receiving chamber 26 after the manufacture of the ladder arrangement 10. To facilitate particularly easy deformation of the shell 30, holding points, knobs, hooks, or similar geometries can be provided as handling elements 62 on the outside of the shell 30. These can be gripped, in particular, by positive and / or non-positive engagement, in order to deform the shell 30 by applying force. These additional geometries, located on the outside of the shell 30 and providing the handling elements 62, enable the heat storage device 16 to be positioned particularly easily within an assembly. The shell 30 can thus also serve as a holding element or fixing element for the heat storage device 16.

[0035] The phase-change material 22 can alternatively be introduced into the receiving space 26 via pre-formed, quasi-rigid castings or molded parts. For this purpose, the phase-change material 22 can be pre-cast into a mold according to the geometry of the conductor 12 and / or the shell 30. After the phase-change material 22 has solidified, it is removed from the mold and integrated into the shell 30, in particular into the receiving space 26. For this purpose, the shell 30 can be temporarily expanded, allowing the casting made of the phase-change material 22 to be inserted into the receiving space 26. When creating the casting, the shell 30 itself can be used as a cavity. After the casting process, the shell 30, including the cast phase-change material 22, can then be removed from the mold, leaving a free area in the center of the phase-change material 22 for the conductor 12.This type of integration is particularly applicable when the phase change material 22 is located at one end or at an edge of the conductor 12, making it especially easy to slide the phase change material 22 onto the conductor 12. Specifically, the cast body made of the phase change material 22 is designed to overcome small bends or radii of the conductor 12 during sliding, as well as the thickness of the insulation 14 of the conductor 12. Depending on the thickness of the phase change material 22, it is intentionally acceptable for the cast body to break during threading or sliding onto the conductor 12. This allows conductor 12 geometries with bends to be accommodated using the cast body made of the phase change material 22.If the phase change material 22 and the casing 30 are in the correct position, the sealing elements 32 can be slid onto their respective ends of the casing 30 in one or more steps. Templates and gauges can be used to ensure the correct positioning of the individual components of the conductor assembly 10.

[0036] Overall, the invention shows how the integration of phase change material 22 can be implemented on a conductor 12 by means of a flexible sheath 30. REFERENCE MARK LIST 10 Ladder arrangement 12 ladders 14 Insulation 16 Heat storage device 18 Longitudinal section 20 uninsulated area 22 Phase change material 24 Enclosure 26 Recording room 28 Gas mixture 30 cases 32 Sealing element 34 Shell base bodies 36 holes 38 Membran 40 Sealing lip contour 42 Sealing lip 44 Cavity 46 first ring element 48 second ring element 50 sealing lip contour 52 Sealing lip 54 Sealant 56 Sealant filling nozzles 58 Phase change material filling nozzles 60 caps 62 Handling element 64 Cap y Longitude x Latitude direction z Upward direction

Claims

[1] Conductor arrangement (10) comprising a heat storage device (16) and an electrical conductor (12), wherein the heat storage device (16) circumferentially encloses the electrical conductor (12) in a longitudinal section (18) of the conductor (12), wherein the heat storage device (16) comprises a housing (24) which delimits a receiving space (26) surrounding the conductor (12) and allows for volume expansion of the receiving space (26), and a phase change material (22) which is arranged in the receiving space (26) and is configured to temporarily store heat absorbed by the conductor (12), wherein the housing (24) comprises a shell (30) which circumferentially encloses the conductor (12) in the longitudinal section (18), and the housing (24) comprises two sealing elements (32),of which one sealing element (32) seals a first end of the sheath (30) against the conductor (12) and the other sealing element (32) seals a second end of the sheath (30) opposite the first end in the longitudinal direction of the length section (18) against the conductor (12), , characterized by , that the casing (30) and / or the sealing elements (32) have a sealing lip contour (40, 50) which is pressed against the conductor (12) or the insulation (14) to create a tight connection. [2] Conductor arrangement (10) according to claim 1, wherein the conductor (12) is provided with an electrically insulating insulation (14) outside the length section (18) and is at least partially free of the electrically insulating insulation (14) in the length section (18). [3] Conductor arrangement (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the casing (30) has a bellows shape or a corrugated tube shape. [4] Conductor arrangement (10) according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the respective sealing elements (32) together with the conductor (12) each enclose a cavity (44) which can be filled with a sealant (54) for a secure sealing. [5] Conductor arrangement (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the housing (24) comprises a flexible membrane (38) which can be stretched to allow the volume expansion of the receiving space (26). [6] Ladder arrangement (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one handling element (62) is provided on the outside of the housing (24) by which the housing (24) can be gripped, whereby the housing (24) can be mounted on the ladder (12) and / or the housing (24) can be deformed in order to enable the phase change material (22) to be poured into the receiving space (26) by deformation. [7] Conductor arrangement (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the phase change material (22) as well as a gas or gas mixture is arranged in the receiving space (26). [8] Method for manufacturing a conductor arrangement (10) according to claim 1, in which a heat storage device (16) is arranged circumferentially enclosing an electrical conductor (12) in a longitudinal section (18) of the conductor (12) by placing a housing (24) of the heat storage device (16) around the conductor (12), whereby the housing (24) limits a receiving space (26) surrounding the conductor (12) while allowing for volume expansion, and a phase change material (22) is filled into the receiving space (26), wherein the phase change material (22) is configured to temporarily store heat absorbed by the conductor (12).

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