Cooling structure for electric device

Abstract

To provide a cooling structure for AN electric device capable of efficiently cooling an electric device housed in a housing.SOLUTION: According to an embodiment, there is provided a cooling structure for an electrical device, including: an electric device; a heat exchanger connected to the electric device and configured to dissipate heat generated by the electric device; a housing configured to house the electric device in a housing chamber; and a fan configured to exhaust air in the housing chamber to the outside of the housing chamber. An opening through which the inside and the outside of the housing chamber communicate with each other is formed in a wall part of the housing, and the fan is disposed in the opening. The fan is a centrifugal fan whose axial direction intersects a wall surface of the wall part, and is disposed so as to protrude to the outside of the housing chamber from the opening. The heat exchanger is disposed radially outward of the centrifugal fan.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooling structure for an electric device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, cooling structures for electrical equipment include, for example, an electrical equipment storage device that can reduce the operating noise generated by the electrical equipment and that is equipped with a fan that blows air into a ventilation path inside the case (housing). Also, in a power conversion device that improves the cooling efficiency of semiconductor elements, which are heat-generating bodies, there is a power conversion device that is equipped with a cooling fan at the exhaust port to circulate cooling air from an intake port formed in the housing to the exhaust port. However, in all of the above-mentioned conventional techniques, the air inside the case is simply exhausted to the outside of the case, but there is a demand for a configuration that can cool electrical equipment more efficiently. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-178777 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-207647 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a cooling structure for an electric device that can efficiently cool an electric device housed in a housing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The cooling structure for an electric device according to an embodiment includes an electric device, a heat exchanger connected to the electric device to dissipate heat generated by the electric device, a housing that houses the electric device in an accommodation chamber, and a fan that exhausts air from the accommodation chamber to the outside. An opening that connects the interior and exterior of the accommodation chamber is formed in a wall of the housing, and the fan is disposed in the opening. The fan is a centrifugal fan whose axial direction intersects with the wall surface of the wall, and is disposed so as to protrude from the opening to the outside of the accommodation chamber. The heat exchanger is disposed radially outward of the centrifugal fan. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of an electrical device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an electrical assembly housed in the housing of the electrical device. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a single electrical device of the electrical device assembly. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the arrangement of heat exchangers in the electric equipment assembly. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a modified arrangement of the heat exchanger of the electric equipment assembly. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0007] Hereinafter, a cooling structure for an electric device according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that identical or corresponding components will be designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof may be omitted.

[0008] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an electric device 1 according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a group 10B of a plurality of electric device assemblies 10A housed in a housing 3 of the electric device 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a single electric device assembly 10A.

[0009] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the electric device 1 has a housing 3 having a board shape (rectangular parallelepiped shape) inside which an accommodation chamber 3a is formed, and this accommodation chamber 3a accommodates a plurality of electric devices 10. For example, the electric device 1 is a power conversion device, and the electric devices 10 are power conversion units. Examples of the electric devices 10 include semiconductor units, capacitor units, and control units. In addition to the units described above, various other elements and devices are also mounted inside the housing 3.

[0010] For convenience of explanation, the arrow Y in the drawings indicates the front-to-rear direction, the arrow X indicates the left-to-right direction, and the arrow Z indicates the up-to-down direction. Also, in the drawings, the arrow FR indicates the forward direction in the Y direction, the arrow LH indicates the left direction in the X direction, and the arrow UP indicates the upward direction in the Z direction. The directions such as front-to-rear, left-to-right, etc. in the embodiment do not limit the arrangement of the electrical device 10 and its components.

[0011] The housing 3 has a rectangular parallelepiped appearance. The housing 3 has a rectangular top wall 4 (ceiling) in a plan view, side walls 6 extending downward from each of the four sides of the top wall 4, and a bottom wall (not shown). The top wall 4 is a horizontal, flat plate, and each side wall 6 is a vertical, flat plate. The storage chamber 3a is formed by being surrounded by the top wall 4, each side wall 6, and the bottom wall. At least one of the side walls 6 has an opening (not shown) that allows a user to perform maintenance on the electronic device in the storage chamber 3a. For example, an air intake (not shown) is formed in the lower part of each side wall 6 or in the bottom wall to introduce outside air into the storage chamber 3a for cooling the electrical device 10.

[0012] An opening 5 having a circular shape in a plan view is formed in the top wall 4 of the housing 3. The opening 5 penetrates the top wall 4 from top to bottom, providing communication between the inside and outside of the housing 3 (accommodation chamber 3a). A centrifugal fan 21 is disposed in the center of the opening 5. The centrifugal fan 21 is supported by the housing 3 via a stay or the like. The centrifugal fan 21 functions as a cooling fan that circulates air within the accommodation chamber 3a to cool the electrical device 10. The centrifugal fan 21 is disposed with its axial direction perpendicular to the wall surface (upper surface 4a) of the top wall 4 (i.e., with its axial direction aligned with the up-down direction). Line C1 in the figure indicates the central axis of rotation of the centrifugal fan 21. In the embodiment, the direction along the axis (direction of arrow A) is referred to as the axial direction, the direction perpendicular to the axis (direction of arrow B) as the radial direction, and the direction around the axis center (direction of arrow C) as the circumferential direction.

[0013] The centrifugal fan 21 is disposed to protrude above the upper surface 4a of the top wall 4. The centrifugal fan 21 draws air inside the housing 3 (inside the accommodation chamber 3a) from below in the axial direction upward, and exhausts the drawn-in air radially outward (away from the axis) outside the housing 3 (outside the accommodation chamber 3a). The air blown out radially outward by the centrifugal fan 21 flows along the upper surface 4a of the top wall 4. As the centrifugal fan 21 draws air inside the housing 3, outside air is drawn into the housing 3 from the bottom of the housing 3, and this outside air flows inside the housing 3 to cool the electrical device 10.

[0014] A plurality of heat exchangers 23 are arranged in a circumferential direction on the radially outer side (downstream side of the exhaust air) of the centrifugal fan 21. Each heat exchanger 23 has a sector shape coaxial with the centrifugal fan 21, for example, in a plan view from the axial direction. Each heat exchanger 23 has, for example, the sector-shaped horizontal cross section and extends in the vertical direction. For example, the plurality of heat exchangers 23 have a common shape. The plurality of heat exchangers 23 are arranged in a line in the circumferential direction of the cooling fan and in a circular ring shape surrounding the centrifugal fan 21. The number of heat exchangers 23 is the same as the number of electrical devices 10. The heat exchangers 23 and the electrical devices 10 are arranged vertically in correspondence with each other. The heat exchangers 23 are connected to the heat sinks 16 of the corresponding electrical devices 10 by refrigerant pipes 18a, 18b, etc., and enable heat absorbed by the heat sinks 16 to be dissipated outside the housing 3.

[0015] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the electrical device 10 inside the housing 3 and the heat exchanger 23 outside the housing 3. As shown in FIG. 1 to 4, inside the housing 3, a plurality of electric devices 10 corresponding to each heat exchanger 23 are arranged side by side in the circumferential direction. The electric device 10 includes a semiconductor module 12 including a semiconductor element such as an IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor), a water-cooled heat sink 16 on which the semiconductor module 12 is mounted, a conductor 14 connected to a smoothing capacitor (not shown), and a control board 15. The electric device 10 has a flat rectangular parallelepiped shape with a reduced circumferential thickness. The electric device 10 is arranged so that both sides in the thickness direction are aligned along the radial direction. A plurality of the electric devices 10 are lined up in the circumferential direction at different angles so as to form a radial pattern in a plan view.

[0016] The semiconductor module 12 has a plurality of module bodies 13, each having, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped shape. An IGBT module is an example of the semiconductor module 12. One circumferential side of the module body 13 is mounted on a heat sink 16, and the other circumferential side is connected to a conductor 14. The heat sink 16 includes a heat sink body 17 made of a metal material such as an aluminum alloy with high thermal conductivity (thermal conductivity rate). The heat sink body 17 has a rectangular plate shape with its thickness oriented in the circumferential direction, and the semiconductor modules 12 are mounted on both circumferential side surfaces.

[0017] The heat sink body 17 is, for example, a water-cooled type that circulates cooling water. Water supply and drainage sections 17a and 17b are provided on the upper side of the heat sink body 17 to supply and drain cooling water to and from the flow path within the heat sink body 17. The heat sink 16 is not limited to being water-cooled, and may be one that flows a refrigerant (including gas) other than cooling water. The water supply and drainage sections 17a and 17b are connected to corresponding heat exchangers 23 via refrigerant pipes 18a and 18b, respectively. In this embodiment, one heat exchanger 23 is connected to one heat sink 16 (and therefore to one electrical device 10). The corresponding electrical device 10 and the heat exchanger 23 form an integrated electrical device assembly 10A.

[0018] The conductor 14 has a rectangular plate shape with its thickness oriented in the circumferential direction. One side surface of the conductor 14 in the circumferential direction is connected to the semiconductor module 12. The control board 15 has a rectangular plate shape with its thickness oriented in the radial direction, and is connected to the semiconductor module 12 via wiring or the like (not shown).

[0019] The heat exchanger 23 has a sector shape in a plan view and is arranged in a row around the centrifugal fan 21, but is not limited to this configuration. For example, the heat exchanger 23 may not be divided into the same number of parts as the electric devices 10, and multiple electric devices 10 may be connected to one heat exchanger 23, or may be an integrated, annular heat exchanger 23. Furthermore, multiple heat exchangers 23 may be connected to one electric device 10.

[0020] In the embodiment, one heat exchanger 23 is connected to one electric device 10, so that each electric device 10 can be cooled according to its performance. When a plurality of identical electric devices 10 are provided, the heat exchangers 23 corresponding to each electric device 10 are made to have the same shape and are arranged in rotational symmetry, so that the heat dissipation of the plurality of heat exchangers 23 can be made uniform. By arranging the plurality of heat exchangers 23 in a circular ring shape with the centrifugal fan 21 at the center, the centrifugal fan 21 can supply air to the plurality of heat exchangers 23 evenly, thereby dissipating heat.

[0021] A rectangular cover panel 7 (a panel for making the electrical device 1 drip-proof) having one side larger than the diameter of the opening 5 in a plan view is disposed above the opening 5 in the upper wall 4. The cover panel 7 is disposed horizontally above the upper wall 4 at a distance, and covers the centrifugal fan 21 and the plurality of heat exchangers 23 arranged in an annular shape from above.

[0022] The gap 7a between the cover panel 7 and the upper wall 4 is used as an exhaust port for the air that is blown outward in the radial direction from the centrifugal fan 21 and passes through the heat exchanger 23. If the cooling fan is an axial fan whose axial direction is oriented vertically, the cover panel 7 acts as a wall in the exhaust direction, increasing pressure loss. However, in the case of the centrifugal fan 21 of the embodiment, the air is exhausted from between the cover panel 7 and the upper wall 4, which suppresses the increase in pressure loss.

[0023] A plurality of electric equipment assemblies 10A, each including a corresponding electric device 10 and a heat exchanger 23, are arranged side by side in the circumferential direction. A group 10B of the plurality of electric equipment assemblies 10A arranged side by side in the circumferential direction is supported rotatably around the centrifugal fan 21 relative to the housing 3. This allows for maintenance of the plurality of electric equipment 10 while rotating the group 10B by forming an access opening in one of the side walls 6 of the housing 3.

[0024] FIG. 5 is a plan view corresponding to FIG. 4, showing a modified arrangement of the heat exchanger 23. In FIG. 4 and 5, the heat exchanger 23 is not limited to a sector shape in plan view, and may be rectangular in plan view, for example. In the modified example, a plurality of heat exchangers 23' are arranged in the circumferential direction at different angles in plan view. When rectangular heat exchangers 23' are arranged in a circle around the centrifugal fan 21, a triangular gap in plan view formed between a pair of adjacent heat exchangers 23' may be filled by disposing a panel 23P or the like. The modified example shown in the figures differs from the embodiment in that the shape of the heat exchanger 23' is different and the panel 23P is included, but the other configurations are the same as those of the embodiment.

[0025] As described above, the cooling structure for the electrical equipment 10 in the above embodiment comprises the electrical equipment 10, a heat exchanger 23 connected to the electrical equipment 10 to dissipate heat generated by the electrical equipment 10, a housing 3 that houses the electrical equipment 10 in an accommodation chamber 3a, and a centrifugal fan 21 that exhausts air from the accommodation chamber 3a to the outside of the accommodation chamber 3a, and an opening 5 that connects the inside and outside of the accommodation chamber 3a is formed in the upper wall 4 of the housing 3, and the centrifugal fan 21 is arranged in the opening 5, and the centrifugal fan 21 is arranged so that its axial direction intersects with the upper surface 4a of the upper wall 4 and protrudes outside the accommodation chamber 3a from the opening 5, and the heat exchangers 23, 23' are arranged radially outside the centrifugal fan 21.

[0026] According to this configuration, the centrifugal fan 21 disposed outside the accommodation chamber 3a of the housing 3 exhausts the air within the accommodation chamber 3a to the outside of the accommodation chamber 3a. Furthermore, by disposing the heat exchangers 23, 23' for the electric device 10 radially outward (downstream of the exhaust air) of the centrifugal fan 21, the exhaust air from the centrifugal fan 21 promotes heat dissipation from the electric device 10, thereby efficiently cooling the electric device 10 accommodated in the accommodation chamber 3a. Furthermore, by disposing the heat exchangers 23, 23' outside the accommodation chamber 3a, the arrangement space for the electric device 10 within the accommodation chamber 3a is increased, and air can be more easily circulated within the accommodation chamber 3a, thereby improving the cooling performance of the electric device 10. Furthermore, because the centrifugal fan 21 exhausts air along the wall surface of the housing 3, even if a cover panel 7 (fan cover) facing the opening 5 is provided, the cover panel 7 does not act as a barrier to the exhaust air, thereby suppressing an increase in pressure loss. Furthermore, by having centrifugal fan 21 exhaust air radially outward from opening 5, even if moisture adheres to the vicinity of opening 5, it is possible to prevent this moisture from entering storage chamber 3a.

[0027] In the cooling structure of the electric device 10, a plurality of heat exchangers 23 (or 23') are arranged radially outside the centrifugal fan 21 and aligned in the circumferential direction. According to this configuration, by arranging multiple heat exchangers 23 (or 23') in a row radially outside the centrifugal fan 21, heat can be dissipated by multiple heat exchangers 23 (or 23') through the exhaust of one centrifugal fan 21, and the electrical equipment 10 can be cooled more efficiently.

[0028] In the cooling structure of the electrical equipment 10, an opening 5 is formed in the horizontal upper wall 4 of the housing 3, and the centrifugal fan 21 is arranged with its axial direction aligned in the vertical direction and protruding upward from the opening 5, and is provided above the centrifugal fan 21 with a cover panel 7 that faces the opening 5 in the vertical direction. According to this configuration, by having the centrifugal fan 21 protrude upward from the upper wall 4 of the housing 3, air inside the accommodation chamber 3a can be sucked upward and then exhausted radially outward along the upper wall 4. By providing a cover panel 7 facing the opening 5 above the centrifugal fan 21, the drip-proof properties of the housing 3 are ensured, and the centrifugal fan 21 can exhaust air from the gap 7a between the upper wall 4 and the cover panel 7.

[0029] In the cooling structure for the electrical device 10, the centrifugal fan 21 is disposed on the upper wall 4 of the housing 3 with its axial direction aligned along the vertical direction, and a plurality of heat exchangers 23 (or 23') are disposed radially outward of the centrifugal fan 21 and aligned in the circumferential direction, A plurality of electric devices 10 corresponding to each heat exchanger 23 (or 23') are arranged in a line in the circumferential direction below each of the plurality of heat exchangers 23 (or 23'), Corresponding heat exchangers 23 (or 23') and electrical equipment 10 are connected to each other to form an electrical equipment assembly 10A, and the housing 3 supports multiple electrical equipment assemblies 10A arranged circumferentially so that they can rotate around the centrifugal fan 21. According to this configuration, multiple electrical equipment assemblies 10A, each of which connects corresponding heat exchangers 23 (or 23') and electrical equipment 10, are arranged side by side in the circumferential direction, and an assembly 10B of these multiple electrical equipment assemblies 10A is supported rotatably around the centrifugal fan 21.This allows the assembly and maintenance of each of the multiple electrical equipment assemblies 10A to be performed in sequence from one side of the housing 3 while rotating the assembly 10B of the multiple electrical equipment assemblies 10A, thereby improving workability.

[0030] In the cooling structure for the electric device 10, each of the plurality of heat exchangers 23 is formed in a sector shape coaxial with the centrifugal fan 21 when viewed in the axial direction of the centrifugal fan 21. According to this configuration, the heat exchanger 23 is fan-shaped and coaxial with the centrifugal fan 21, and multiple heat exchangers 23 are arranged side by side to surround the centrifugal fan 21, so that heat can be dissipated more efficiently by the multiple heat exchangers 23 through the exhaust of the centrifugal fan 21. The multiple fan-shaped heat exchangers 23 have the same shape and are arranged rotationally symmetrically, so that the heat dissipation of the multiple heat exchangers 23 is equalized, and cooling variations among the multiple electrical devices 10 corresponding to the multiple heat exchangers 23 are suppressed, thereby reducing current imbalances.

[0031] According to at least one of the embodiments described above, an opening 5 that connects the inside and outside of the accommodation chamber 3a is formed in the upper wall 4 of the housing 3 that accommodates the electrical device 10 within the accommodation chamber 3a, and a centrifugal fan 21 is arranged in the opening 5. The centrifugal fan 21 is arranged so that its axial direction intersects with the upper surface 4a of the upper wall 4 and protrudes from the opening 5 to the outside of the accommodation chamber 3a, and heat exchangers 23, 23' are arranged radially outside the centrifugal fan 21, so that the exhaust from the centrifugal fan 21 promotes heat dissipation from the electrical device 10, and the electrical device 10 accommodated in the accommodation chamber 3a can be efficiently cooled.

[0032] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as within the scope of the invention described in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 1. Electrical equipment 3. Housing 3a…Containment room 4...Upper wall 4a…Top surface 5…Aperture 7...Cover panel 7a...Gap 10. Electrical equipment 10A...Electrical equipment assembly 10B…Aggregation 21...Centrifugal fan (fan) 23,23'...Heat exchanger

Claims

1. Electrical equipment and a heat exchanger connected to the electrical equipment to radiate heat generated by the electrical equipment; a housing that houses the electrical device in a housing chamber; a fan that exhausts air from the storage chamber to the outside of the storage chamber, an opening that allows communication between the inside and outside of the accommodation chamber is formed in a wall portion of the housing, and the fan is disposed in the opening; the fan is a centrifugal fan whose axial direction intersects with a wall surface of the wall portion and is disposed so as to protrude from the opening to the outside of the accommodation chamber, A cooling structure for an electric device, wherein the heat exchanger is disposed radially outside the centrifugal fan.

2. The cooling structure for an electric device according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of the heat exchangers are arranged in a circumferential direction radially outward of the centrifugal fan.

3. The opening is formed in a horizontal upper wall of the housing, The centrifugal fan is disposed so that its axial direction is aligned with the vertical direction and protrudes upward from the opening, 3. The cooling structure for an electric device according to claim 1, further comprising a cover panel above the centrifugal fan, the cover panel facing the opening in the vertical direction.

4. The centrifugal fan is disposed on the upper wall of the housing with its axial direction aligned along the vertical direction, A plurality of the heat exchangers are arranged in a circumferential direction radially outward of the centrifugal fan, a plurality of the electric devices corresponding to the heat exchangers are arranged in a line in the circumferential direction below the plurality of heat exchangers, The heat exchangers and the electrical equipment are connected to each other to form an electrical equipment assembly; 3. The cooling structure for an electric device according to claim 1, wherein the housing supports a plurality of the electric device assemblies arranged in a circumferential direction so as to be rotatable about the centrifugal fan.

5. 3. The cooling structure for an electric device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of heat exchangers is formed in a sector shape coaxial with the centrifugal fan when viewed in the axial direction of the centrifugal fan.

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