Non-uniform electrical windings

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electric winding configured to be wound, characterized in that the electric winding has a non-uniform geometry. An electric winding with a non-uniform geometry is advantageous when used around the core of an electromagnetic component in that it can utilize the different sizes of available space inside and around the core. This may result in a reduction in the overall size of the electromagnetic component.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electric winding having a non-uniform geometry, a method for manufacturing such an electric winding, and a method for using such an electric winding as part of an electric coil, transformer and reactor.

Background Art

[0002] In this technical field, electric windings are known and used in a wide variety of electromagnetic components such as generators, motors, transformers, reactors, solenoids, etc. Known electric windings may be wound around a core of ferromagnetic material. Such coils may be composed of thin copper wire and wound around the core multiple times. The thickness of the wire is determined by the application, typically being relatively thin when used in a generator, motor or reactor, and relatively thick when used as a filter for voltage smoothing. Alternatively, the electric winding of a component such as a reactor may be constructed from a plurality of thin copper sheets surrounding the core.

[0003] It is known to cool such coils by arranging cooling channels between individual windings, thereby indirectly cooling the individual electric windings. Thus, the heat generated from the current conducted by these windings can be removed directly from the windings or indirectly from one winding to another via heat transfer until it is removed by the coolant flowing in the cooling channels.

[0004] A problem with known electric windings is that reactors or transformers configured based on known electric windings consume space and materials, resulting in expensive and heavy electromagnetic components. In addition, such expensive and heavy electromagnetic components generate heat, but due to the compact geometry of conventional electric windings, it is difficult to effectively remove such heat. It is difficult to maintain a reactor or transformer with known electric windings in a compact design while simultaneously keeping it in a cooled state. [Overview of the Initiative]

[0005] The inventors identified the above-mentioned problems and challenges related to the cooling, size, and cost of electromagnetic components, and solved them with the present invention described below.

[0006] In one embodiment, the present invention relates to an electrical winding configured to be wound, characterized in that the electrical winding has a non-uniform geometry.

[0007] This is advantageous because certain parts of the wound electric winding, such as the center, become thinner than the outer circumference of the electric winding, which optimizes the heat distribution and cooling of the electric winding.

[0008] Electrical windings with non-uniform geometry are advantageous when used around the core of an electromagnetic component because they can utilize the different sizes of available space both inside and around the core. This may result in a reduction in the overall size of the electromagnetic component.

[0009] In this context, an electric winding should be understood as a conductor consisting of an electrically conductive material designed to be wound around a core. Such a conductor may have an outer insulating layer. Alternatively, the conductor may consist of a non-conductive material coated with an electrically conductive material. As a result, an electric current path is established around the core, thereby providing an electromagnetic component such as a reactor or transformer.

[0010] In this context, "coiled" should be understood as winding an electrical wire in a circular or spiral shape, such as by rolling or twisting it to resemble a coil.

[0011] In this context, "geometry" should be understood as geometric shape. Generally, the geometric shape of an electrical winding is typically seen as cylindrical, but it can also be plate-like or sheet-like. The geometric shape of a cylindrical electrical winding has a uniform geometry throughout its entire length. There may be small variations or deformations in diameter / cross-sectional area along the length of the cylinder, but it is still considered geometrically cylindrical. The magnitude of these small variations or deformations in geometric shape is so small that they are not visible to the human eye, and these can typically be due to variations in the product.

[0012] An example of non-uniform geometry is a non-uniform geometric shape that is identical throughout the entire electrical winding, but whose size varies. The variation in size is visible to the human eye. These variations may be for electrical windings with a cylindrical geometric shape, where the diameter or cross-sectional area changes along the length of the winding.

[0013] In another example, non-uniform geometry should be understood as a non-uniform geometric shape in which the geometric shape changes from one geometric shape to another. The geometric shape may change, for example, from a cylindrical shape to a rectangular parallelepiped shape or to a geometric shape that branches into multiple branches. The non-uniform geometry may change one or more times along the length of the electrical winding, and may oscillate between two or more geometric shapes along the length of the electrical winding.

[0014] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the electric winding is made of an electrically conductive material.

[0015] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the electric winding is composed of a non-electrically conductive material, and the non-electrically conductive material is covered with an electrically conductive material.

[0016] This is advantageous in that it has the effect of making the manufacture of electrical windings cheaper than manufacturing them from conductive materials. Furthermore, this is advantageous in that electrical windings made from non-electrically conductive materials such as polymers are more flexible than electrical windings made from conductive materials such as aluminum or copper.

[0017] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the electric winding is a liquid electrically conductive material provided within the shell.

[0018] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the shell is made of a non-electrically conductive material and manufactured by an additive manufacturing process.

[0019] A liquid (or gaseous) conductive material in a non-conductive shell is advantageous in that it has the effect of allowing the liquid electrically conductive material to be used as a coolant. This means that the liquid electrically conductive material can circulate inside and outside the non-conductive shell, thereby conducting heat from the conductor to the outside of the conductor, for example, to the heat exchanger of the cooling system. Thus, the coolant subsequently becomes a conductor (or vice versa). The pump used in the cooling system for pumping should preferably be an electromagnetic pump.

[0020] A non-limiting example of a liquid electrical conductive material is gallium, which exhibits a phase shift at 30 degrees Celsius; that is, by adjusting the temperature above or below this temperature, such a conductor may change from a solid conductor to a liquid conductor. By conducting an electric current through such a gallium conductor, its temperature begins to rise, and when it exceeds 30 degrees Celsius, it may change into a liquid state, thereby beginning to circulate in order to keep the temperature low.

[0021] The non-electrically conductive material may be made of an inexpensive plastic material, which may result in the shell being inexpensive and easy to manufacture and transport.

[0022] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the electric winding includes a cooling channel.

[0023] This is advantageous in that the cooling of the electrical winding is optimized, thereby having the effect of improving the current conduction ability of the electrical winding. Further, the ambient temperature decreases in that the heat released from the electrical winding is reduced. Thus, when the electrical winding is used in an electrical panel or other enclosure, the cooling system of such an enclosure can be reduced, that is, the cost of the cooling system and the energy used to operate such a cooling system can be reduced.

[0024] Furthermore, with regard to installation and maintenance, this is advantageous in that the weight is reduced, that is, the platform structure adjacent to the panel on which the reactor or transformer having the winding of the present invention is installed does not require additional support. This is because the weight is reduced to a standard dimension sufficient to carry the weight of the reactor or transformer.

[0025] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the electrical winding has a first end and a second end.

[0026] Note that the electrical winding according to the present invention may include three or more ends for connecting the electrical winding to one or more different components.

[0027] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the first end and the second end have terminal connection portions.

[0028] Having the first end and the second end having connection portions is advantageous in that a current can be brought from one connection component to the other connection component in the electrical winding.

[0029] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the electrical component and the electrical winding are monolithic.

[0030] Forming the electrical winding and the electrical component as an integral or unitary structure is advantageous in that the electrical winding does not require any ends / terminals for connection to the electrical component.

[0031] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the cross-sectional area of ​​the electric winding (1) is in the range of 0.1 mm to 100 mm, preferably in the range of 0.2 mm to 50 mm, and most preferably in the range of 0.3 mm to 10 mm.

[0032] The limit of the cross-sectional area is, in principle, the range that can be manufactured by the additive manufacturing process. In this specification, the cross-sectional area should be understood as the cross-sectional area of ​​the conductor branch.

[0033] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the electric winding includes a clip.

[0034] In this embodiment, the clip is advantageous in that it can be easily and additionally attached, for example, to locations where the cooling pipe requires optimal cooling.

[0035] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the electric winding comprises an inner portion and an outer portion, wherein the diameter of the inner portion is smaller than the diameter of the outer portion.

[0036] In this context, the inner portion should be understood as part of the electrical winding surrounded by the core. When multiple electrical windings exist, the inner portions of such windings are the parts that face each other.

[0037] In this context, the outer part should be understood as being opposite the inner part, that is, as part of the electrical winding not enclosed by the core.

[0038] Having an outer section with a larger diameter than the inner section is advantageous. A larger diameter results in better heat dissipation. Furthermore, heat generated in the inner section can be transferred to the outer section of the electrical winding, thereby facilitating the easy dissipation of heat from the inner section to the surroundings.

[0039] In this context, diameter should be understood as a physically measurable diameter. Therefore, there is no need to cut or calculate the diameter; it can be simply measured directly using calipers.

[0040] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the inner and outer portions are monolithic.

[0041] This is advantageous in that the electric winding is a single part or structure, and no joints or connections are required to establish the wound electric winding, thereby reducing electrical losses in the electric winding according to the present invention.

[0042] Therefore, a monolithic electrical winding may include a winding section and one or more ends within the same component / structure without physically connecting two or more elements. This allows the manufacturing of the electrical winding to be carried out in a single process, namely an additive manufacturing process.

[0043] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the inner portion of the electric winding is solid (massive).

[0044] This has the advantage of being able to conduct large currents in a physically limited area.

[0045] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the inner portion includes an internal cooling channel.

[0046] This method generates heat by conducting a large current in a limited area, but it has the advantage that this heat can be removed by the flow of coolant through cooling channels.

[0047] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the internal cooling channel comprises an internal cooling channel inlet and an internal cooling channel outlet.

[0048] This is advantageous because the main portion of the heat generated by the electric winding occurs in the inner part, and therefore cooling the inner part of the electric winding is beneficial. In particular, the cooling channels inside the inner part are advantageous because cooling is applied directly to the location where the heat is generated.

[0049] In a plurality of electric windings, each of the inner parts of these windings may have a cooling channel, and their inlets and outlets may be connected in series.

[0050] In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the outer portion of the electric winding has a geometry that includes bionic, mesh, spongy, and honeycomb shapes.

[0051] Such an outer geometry is advantageous in that, when one of the geometries described above is selected, the amount of material used for the electric winding is reduced. It is also advantageous in that the surface area of ​​such an electric winding geometry is increased, and more surface area is available for cooling.

[0052] For all geometries, including bionic, mesh, spongy, and honeycomb structures, these structures are suitable for cooling electrical windings. All geometries have a large surface area despite requiring less material, and the reduced material volume facilitates cooling and provides a more compact geometry / electrical winding.

[0053] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the electric winding has an intersection.

[0054] This is advantageous in that it allows for the design of electrical windings with a wide range of geometries.

[0055] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the electric winding has air gaps.

[0056] This is advantageous in that it allows for the design of electrical windings with improved cooling characteristics.

[0057] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, at least one current path branches out through an electrical winding.

[0058] This has the advantage of not requiring the current to be conducted entirely along a single path through the electrical winding. This facilitates spacing between conductors and results in optimized cooling of the electrical winding.

[0059] Furthermore, the ability to branch the current path multiple times along the longitudinal direction of the electrical winding is advantageous in that it has the effect of allowing the geometry of the electrical winding to be modified compared to conventional solid electrical windings. Modifications in geometry allow the electrical winding to take advantage of the fact that the space outside the core is much larger than the space inside the core.

[0060] Furthermore, the electrical windings may be fabricated as part of a self-supporting structure or a support structure for other components, increasing the surface area, which is optimized for better cooling and skin effects at high frequencies, etc.

[0061] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the geometry is configured to provide multiple current paths through the electrical winding.

[0062] With respect to the electric winding of the present invention, multiple current paths should be understood as current paths originating from the inner part of the winding branching into two or more current paths through the outer part of the winding. This may be repeated for each winding, i.e., multiple current paths may merge into one current path in each inner part, and this current path may branch into two or more current paths in the outer part. These two or more current paths may then merge again into one current path in subsequent inner parts, and this may be repeated throughout the entire electric winding.

[0063] In this regard, it should be noted that not all windings are identical, and therefore, the inner portion of one winding may have one current path, while the inner portion of a second winding may have two or more current paths. Similarly, the outer portion of one winding may have one current path, while the outer portion of another winding may have multiple current paths.

[0064] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the electric winding is a first electric winding connected in series to a second electric winding, and the second electric winding is the electric winding described in any of the prior claims.

[0065] Connecting two or more electric windings according to the present invention is advantageous because they form a coil together.

[0066] Two or more non-uniform electric windings may be arranged in series, thereby establishing a common current path through these two or more windings. Such two or more current paths may be collectively referred to as a coil. Therefore, such a coil, composed of the electric windings of the present invention, has the advantages described above with respect to a single electric winding.

[0067] The general advantages of coils, such as increasing their inductance by adding multiple electrical windings, are well known to those skilled in the art and will not be described in further detail.

[0068] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the first electric winding has a first end, and the second electric winding has a second end.

[0069] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the first electric winding is provided with a first terminal connector, the second electric winding is provided with a second terminal connector, and the first electric winding and the second electric winding are connected to one or more intermediate electric windings.

[0070] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the electric winding is wound around the core.

[0071] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the core is made of air or a ferromagnetic material.

[0072] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the core is closed.

[0073] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the core comprises two or more core portions.

[0074] This is advantageous in that it has the effect that a pre-fabricated coil can be mounted around the core. The coil may be mounted around the first core leg, so that the second core leg may be used to connect the first and second ends of the first core leg, thereby establishing a closed core.

[0075] The first core leg may be referred to as the core, and the second core leg may be referred to as the connection point.

[0076] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the core (16) includes a cooling channel.

[0077] This has the advantage of allowing the cooling fluid to flow inside the core, which in turn allows the core to be directly cooled at the location where most of the heat is generated.

[0078] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the core consists of a ferromagnetic fluid provided within a shell.

[0079] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the shell is made of a non-electrically conductive material and is manufactured by an additive manufacturing process.

[0080] As mentioned above regarding liquid conductors, liquid cores have the advantage of sometimes being used simultaneously as both a core and a coolant (i.e., a cooling fluid). Therefore, they are circulated within the cooling system, thereby removing heat from the core / reactor.

[0081] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the internal cooling channel is fluidly connected to the cooling unit.

[0082] This is advantageous in that the liquid (or gaseous) refrigerant can flow through the inside of the electrical windings.

[0083] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an external cooling channel is fluidly connected to a cooling unit.

[0084] This is advantageous in that a gaseous refrigerant (e.g., air) can flow through the external cooling channel of the electric winding.

[0085] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the core is fluidly connected to a cooling unit.

[0086] This is advantageous in that a liquid (or gaseous) refrigerant can flow through the inside of the core.

[0087] Note that the internal cooling channel, external cooling channel, and cooling unit connected to the core may be a single, integrated cooling unit.

[0088] In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the cooling unit is a heat exchanger or a fan.

[0089] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the cooling unit is a combination of a heat exchanger and a fan.

[0090] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the cooling unit generates an airflow through an external cooling channel.

[0091] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the airflow is guided by an air guide unit.

[0092] The air guide section is advantageous in that it can direct the cooling airflow to a desired portion of the external (or internal) winding, thereby providing optimal cooling of the winding.

[0093] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the air guide portion is an insulating material.

[0094] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the cooling unit (18) is fluid-connected to an internal cooling channel.

[0095] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the cooling unit (18) is fluidly connected to the cooling channels of the core.

[0096] Cooling electrical windings is advantageous for achieving better conductivity and extending the lifespan of the electrical windings.

[0097] The cooling unit may be either a fan or a heat exchanger, depending on its size and installation location.

[0098] The liquid refrigerant used to cool the internal cooling channels of the winding is preferably a non-conductive refrigerant.

[0099] In one embodiment, the present invention relates to an electric winding as described in any of the prior claims, wherein at least a portion of the electric winding is manufactured by additive manufacturing.

[0100] In one embodiment, the present invention relates to a transformer comprising a plurality of electric windings as described in any of the prior claims, wherein the plurality of electric windings are wound around a core.

[0101] Such transformers have the advantage of potentially reducing material and size compared to conventional transformers.

[0102] In one embodiment, the present invention relates to a reactor comprising a plurality of electric windings as described in any of the prior claims, wherein the plurality of electric windings are wound around a core.

[0103] Such reactors have the advantage of potentially reducing material and size compared to conventional reactors.

[0104] In one embodiment, the present invention relates to a coil comprising two or more electrical windings as described in any of the prior claims.

[0105] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, two or more electrical windings are all identical.

[0106] It should be noted that "identical" should be understood as meaning that all or at least some of the non-uniform electrical windings are identical, i.e., have the same geometry. Furthermore, two or more electrical windings may be referred to individually as the first electrical winding, the second electrical winding, and the intermediate electrical winding.

[0107] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, two or more electrical windings are non-identical.

[0108] In this specification, "non-identical" should be understood as meaning that two or more of several non-uniform electrical windings have different geometries. Therefore, in principle, several non-uniform electrical windings cannot be identical.

[0109] "Non-identical" means that two or more electrical windings may be of the same design, such as a bionic or mesh design, but the individual windings of such a design are not identical. One example of a design that is considered to have windings of the same geometry is a bionic design. However, bionic designs may be computer-generated and based on the same input, and two subsequent windings of a bionic design may not be completely identical; that is, they may be variations of the same design.

[0110] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, two adjacent electric windings of two or more electric windings are spaced a certain distance apart.

[0111] For example, insulating individual windings by leaving a gap between them is advantageous in maintaining the number of electrical windings. When two windings are in contact, they are counted as only one winding, which reduces the effectiveness of the coil.

[0112] In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the distance between two adjacent electric windings varies.

[0113] One example of a change in distance is when the distance measured on the inside is greater than the distance measured on the outside.

[0114] Note that the distance between adjacent windings in the first set may not be the same as the distance between adjacent windings in the second set.

[0115] In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the distance is less than 25 mm, preferably less than 15 mm, and more preferably less than 10 mm.

[0116] Maintaining the smallest possible distance between the two windings is advantageous for maximizing the use of the available space around the outer part.

[0117] It should be noted that this distance is measured at the point where the two windings are closest to each other. Therefore, it should be understood that the distance between the two windings may be small.

[0118] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an insulating material is placed between two or more adjacent electrical windings.

[0119] In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the insulating material is selected from the group including sheet materials, coated materials, or structures manufactured by additive manufacturing.

[0120] Placing insulating material between adjacent electrical windings ensures that these two windings do not come into contact, which is advantageous for obtaining the effects of each of the two windings.

[0121] The insulating material can be either a sheet-like material placed between two electrical windings. It may also be a coating applied to the electrical windings to insulate them from each other. Such a coating can be applied, for example, by spraying or dipping. Another means of insulating adjacent electrical windings may be to use material pieces or structures that can be placed between the electrical windings, and such materials or structures may be produced by additive manufacturing.

[0122] As mentioned above, insulating each electrical winding from one another with air or material is important to obtain the effect of each electrical winding around the core.

[0123] In one embodiment, the present invention relates to a core wound around an electric winding described in any of the prior claims, wherein the core comprises a cooling channel.

[0124] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the core includes a cooling channel inlet and a cooling channel outlet.

[0125] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the core is manufactured, at least in part, by additive manufacturing.

[0126] In one aspect, the present invention relates to a method for connecting a first end (3) of a coil having a plurality of electrical windings to a second end of the coil, the method comprising: a step of monolithically integrating the first end and the first electrical winding of the plurality of electrical windings via an additive manufacturing process; a step of monolithically integrating one or more additional electrical windings to the first electrical winding via an additive manufacturing process to establish a coil; and a step of monolithically integrating the second end and the second electrical winding of the plurality of electrical windings via an additive manufacturing process.

[0127] In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, at least one of a plurality of electrical windings has a non-uniform geometry. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0128] For a more complete understanding of this disclosure, please refer to the following brief descriptions in relation to the attached drawings and detailed descriptions, where similar reference numbers represent similar parts. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the present invention, and elements of different drawings may be combined within the scope of the present invention. [Figure 1a] Figure 1a illustrates the electrical winding. [Figure 1b] Figure 1b illustrates a coil. [Figure 2a] Figure 2a shows an electrical winding. [Figure 2b] Figure 2b illustrates a coil. [Figure 3] Figure 3 illustrates the reactor. [Figure 4a] Figure 4a illustrates a reactor equipped with ventilation. [Figure 4b] Figure 4b shows an exploded view of a reactor equipped with ventilation. [Figure 5] Figure 5 illustrates the method. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0129] The present invention will be described with reference to exemplary embodiments, which are intended solely to illustrate the principles and practices of the invention. Those skilled in the art can provide various embodiments within the claims.

[0130] The electric winding of the present invention is designed to have a non-uniform geometry along its length, i.e., along the current path from the first end 3 to the second end 4. “Non-uniform geometry” should be understood as the portion of the electric winding having different geometries. “Different” should be understood as, for example, two different shapes (one conductor and multiple conductors, or one cylindrical structure and a mesh / network structure, etc.), two different diameters, two different cross-sectional areas, etc., when observed / measured along the length of the winding 1. It should be noted that manufacturing variations are not considered to fall within the scope of the term “non-uniform geometry.”

[0131] Figure 1a illustrates an electric winding 1 having a non-uniform geometry according to an embodiment of the present invention, having a first end 3 and a second end 4. The electric winding 1 (also referred to simply as a winding) can be connected in series with additional electric windings 1 which may have uniform or non-uniform geometry. Thus, one winding 1 shown in Figure 1a can be considered as one winding of a structure such as a helical coil structure shown in Figures 1b and 2b, for example.

[0132] The winding 1 shown in Figure 1a is wound around / around the air core 16, which is shown between two specified lines. Naturally, in other embodiments, the winding is wound around a core 16 made of ferromagnetic material.

[0133] The electric winding 1 comprises an inner portion 8 and an outer portion 9. The geometry of the inner portion differs from that of the outer portion. This is to allow for the utilization of a larger peripheral area of ​​the outer portion of the core than the peripheral area of ​​the inner portion of the core. More specifically, theoretically, the outer portion of the core is adjacent to an infinite space that can be partially filled by the outer portion 9. Conversely, the inner portion 8 is adjacent to a finite space, and the space for the geometry of the inner portion is limited until it is constrained by the opposing portion of the core, at least when the core is a closed core. Thus, the geometry of the outer portion can be designed for the purpose of heat dissipation, while the geometry of the inner portion can be designed to utilize the limited space inside a closed core. This is particularly advantageous in embodiments in which multiple electric windings are connected in series, as shown in Figures 1b and 2b, for example.

[0134] The inner portion 8 of the single winding 1 shown in Figure 1a is provided with a first end 3 and a second end 4, and both ends may be provided with terminal connectors. It should be noted that ends not shown, such as ends with terminal connectors, may be provided on the outer portion 9.

[0135] The winding 1 shown in Figure 1a has a non-uniform geometry according to an embodiment of the present invention. The non-uniform geometry has a diameter d1 (which may also be called the cross-sectional area) in the inner geometry and a diameter d2 (which may also be called the width between points C and D) in the outer geometry, where the outer diameter d2 is larger than the inner diameter d1. The cross-sectional area of ​​the inner geometry d1 is defined as the cross-sectional area of ​​the electric winding 1 in the inner part 8, while the diameter of the outer geometry d2 is defined as the width of the electric winding 1 in the outer part 9. This geometry is an example of an outer part that takes advantage of the enormous heat dissipation capacity available in the outer part 9 (compared to that in the inner part).

[0136] Alternative geometries exist, and to name just a few, these alternatives include elliptical, box-shaped, and helical geometries, which feature multiple spaced conductors, perforated or non-perforated surfaces, etc.

[0137] The first end 3 of the illustrated winding may be provided with a terminal connector as described above, through which the winding can be connected to an electrical component such as a conductor that connects to other electrical components. The second end 4 may also be provided with a terminal connector. Otherwise, the second end 4 may be monolithically connected to an unillustrated component such as an electrical winding having a uniform or non-uniform geometry. The monolithically integrated element or portion may be joined by an inwardly formed corner portion that facilitates an optimal current path for conducting current. A terminal connector 5 is illustrated in Figure 1b.

[0138] In one embodiment, the winding is designed to accommodate the attachment of an external cooling conductor, such as a flexible pipe. Such attachment can be accommodated by printing clips as part of the winding. Thus, the cooling pipe can be quickly mounted to the precise location where cooling is required.

[0139] The geometry of the winding 1 shown in Figure 1a has a non-perforated, uniform surface. The winding may be solid, or it may have a cooling channel that extends at least partially through the inner and outer parts of the winding between its two ends 3, 4. Such a cooling channel follows the winding and is thus wound around the core, and can start and end at any position along the length of the winding, i.e., at any position both inside and outside the winding.

[0140] The cooling channel may also have a non-uniform geometry; that is, it may be installed as one channel with a first cross-sectional area in the inner section 8 and one channel with a second cross-sectional area in the outer section 9. In the outer section, the cooling channel may branch into multiple individually connected channels and recombine into a single channel toward the subsequent inner section. Naturally, alternative geometries and designs of such cooling channels exist.

[0141] In embodiments where the winding includes a cooling channel, the cooling channel may include an inlet and an outlet. The inlet may be located at the first end 3, and the outlet may be located at the second end 4. Alternatively or additionally, one or more additional sets of inlets and outlets may be provided along the winding. As a non-limiting example, the outer portion of a single winding may include both an additional inlet and an additional outlet for connection to a heat exchanger / cooling circuit. In this way, the temperature of the coolant flowing through the cooling channel can be reduced in the portion of the path through the cooling channel.

[0142] Therefore, a conductor such as the electric winding 1 shown in Figures 1a and 1b is provided with, or part of, a conductor / electric winding cooling system that increases heat transfer from the conductor / winding compared to known methods for cooling conductors / windings. Efficiency is improved by integrating the cooling channels into the design of the inner and / or outer parts of the electric winding.

[0143] It should be noted that not all inner and outer parts have cooling channels, and therefore, in some embodiments, each of the second windings may have internal and external cooling channels adapted to conduct liquid coolant.

[0144] Figure 1b illustrates an embodiment of the present invention comprising a plurality of electric windings 1a-1n connected in series, as shown in Figure 1a. The illustrated series-connected windings form a helical coil around an air core 16. Winding 1 has two ends 3 and 4, each having a terminal connection 5, only one of which is visible. The individual windings are spaced apart by a distance indicated by reference numeral 14.

[0145] The electrical winding 1 shown in Figure 2a is conceptually similar to the winding 1 shown in Figure 1a, namely, it is designed to have a non-uniform geometry such that the cross-sectional area / geometry of the inner part differs from the cross-sectional area / geometry of the outer part. The difference is that the winding 1 shown in Figure 2a has a perforated surface, which can be described as spongy, mesh, bionic, or similar designs.

[0146] The winding 1 has an outer section 9, which is designed to have a mesh / bionic geometric conductor branching section. The mesh geometry branches from the first end 3 of the inner section 8, passes through the outer section 9, and reaches the second end 4 of the inner section 8. The conductor branching sections 22 of the mesh geometry merge at intersection 6 in the outer section 9, thereby forming gaps 7 in the mesh structure. In this way, the mesh structure geometry provided by the conductor branching sections 22 forms a current path 12 between the first end 3 and the second end 4. The current path 12 in the inner section 8 consists of only a single current path, while the current path 12 in the outer section 9 consists of multiple individual current paths 12'.

[0147] The current path 12 follows the structure of the electrical winding 1, and as shown in Figure 2a, the current path 12 can branch off from the first end 3, pass through the outer part 9, follow one or more individual current paths 12', and return to one junction at the second end 4.

[0148] An embodiment of the present invention illustrated in Figure 2a shows an external cooling channel incorporated into the designed geometry. This cooling channel is partially formed and arranged as voids 7 within the mesh geometry of the outer portion 9. The voids 7 allow air to flow through the outer portion, thereby providing highly efficient cooling of the outer portion. In this way, multiple voids 7 together provide an external cooling channel for the electrical winding.

[0149] It should be noted that this external cooling channel may be coupled with an internal cooling channel provided inside the inner portion 8 of the winding. Such an internal cooling channel may have a coolant inlet and outlet in the winding before the current path 12 branches into two or more conductor branch portions 22.

[0150] The design shown in Figure 2a may also include a closed cooling channel, as described above, which runs throughout the winding 1, allowing the winding to be cooled by both air (e.g., from a fan) and a liquid or gaseous coolant in the closed cooling channel.

[0151] Therefore, the electric winding 1 according to the present invention is non-uniform for at least one of the following reasons: The geometry of the inner part 8 (e.g., cylindrical) is different from the geometry of the outer part 9 (e.g., spongy); The diameter d1 is different from the diameter d2; The geometry of the inner portion 8 may include one conductor branch 22 that allows one current path 12, and the geometry of the outer portion may include multiple conductor branch 22 that allow multiple current paths 12'; These multiple current paths 12' / conductor branching points can be separated in a space having an air gap 7; The cross-section of the inner current path 12 (conductor branching point) is different from the sum of the cross-sections of the individual outer current paths 12' (conductor branching points); The amount of material used to construct the inner part 8 is different from the amount of material used to construct the outer part 9; The inner portion 8 may be equipped with an internal cooling channel 2a for liquid cooling, and the outer portion 9 may be cooled by air alone; The inner part 8 may have a terminal connection, while the outer part may not have a terminal connection.

[0152] The non-uniform geometry of the electric winding 1 shown in Figure 2a is non-uniform in that it comprises an inner portion 8 having a first geometry and an outer portion 9 having a second geometry.

[0153] In this particular embodiment, the geometry of the inner portion 8 is illustrated as a cylindrical conductor similar to that of a conventional conductor. This cylindrical conductor has a cross-sectional area c1. Thus, one current path 12 is provided to enter the electrical winding 1 at the first end 3, pass through the conductor branch 22 of the outer portion 9, and exit the electrical winding 1 at the second end 4. Therefore, the geometry of the one current path 12 / conductor branch 22 and the inner portion 8 are identical and have a cross-sectional area of ​​c1.

[0154] It should be noted that the inner portions 8 of the two electrically connected windings do not need to be identical.

[0155] In this particular embodiment, the geometry of the outer portion 9 is illustrated as a spongy geometry. This geometry differs from the geometry of the cylindrical conductors of the inner portion. Thus, one current path 12 from the first end 3 of the inner portion 8 branches into multiple current paths 12' of multiple conductor branching sections 22 of the outer portion 9, and then reintegrates into a single current path 12 toward the second end 4. In this design, the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the individual current paths differs from (is greater than or less than) the cross-sectional area c1.

[0156] It should be noted that geometry can be referred to as design or structure. The geometry of the electric winding 1 shown in Figure 2a is merely one example of a geometry that can be referred to as spongy or bionic. Other geometries can be designed as mesh, planar, quadrilateral, cylindrical, honeycomb, triangular, etc., i.e., changing or branching from the winding geometry in the inner part 8 to another geometry in the outer part 9. Furthermore, within each of these different designs, an almost infinite number of variations are available, i.e., there are almost infinitely many ways in which the individual current paths 12' / conductor branching points 22 form the geometry. This includes multilayer designs, twisted designs, etc. This diversity is best illustrated in Figure 2b, which shows that each of the multiple windings has a spongy design, but that the individual illustrated windings are not all identical (although they could be).

[0157] As shown in the figure, the inner portion 8 and the outer portion 9 are formed in a single identical structure, that is, they are monolithically integrated such that the cylindrical inner portion 8 gradually branches into the spongy outer portion 9. Thus, the current path 12 of the inner portion 8 gradually branches into multiple current paths 12' of the outer portion 9. Such a design can be provided by constructing the winding 1 by an additive manufacturing process, that is, by constructing the winding layer by layer according to the desired geometry.

[0158] The gradual transition from the inner section 8 to the outer section 9 makes it difficult to accurately indicate the position in the winding where the inner section 8 ends and the outer section 9 begins, and vice versa.

[0159] One way to define this may be based on the core 16. For example, the central, inner, or outer part of the core may define a line which may be perpendicular to the winding 1 and may be used to separate the inner and outer parts.

[0160] Another way to define this may be based on the current path 12. Thus, the location where the current path branches into individual current paths 12' may define the location where the inner section 8 ends and the outer section 9 begins. Similarly, the location where the individual current paths 12' merge into a single current path 12 may define the location where the outer section 9 ends and the inner section 8 begins.

[0161] The electrically conductive material forming the winding can transfer heat from the inside to the outside. In this way, heat is transferred from the hottest part of the winding to the larger surface area of ​​the outer part which is optimized for cooling, thereby reducing the risk of overheating the winding and allowing larger currents to be conducted in smaller windings compared to conventional windings. Thus, a winding that is highly efficient in terms of heat transfer and heat dissipation is presented herein.

[0162] The diameter / width d2 of the geometry of the outer part 9 may be measured between points C and D (see Figure 1a). Note that in Figure 2a, the diameter / width d2 of the geometry of the outer part 9 is different from the diameter / cross-sectional area d' of the individual conductor branches passing through the outer part 9. In fact, the diameter / cross-sectional area d' of two of the individual conductor branches are different.

[0163] Preferably, the cross-sectional area c1 of the geometry of the inner portion 8 is smaller than the diameter / width d2 of the outer portion 9. In this way, the available space on the outer portion of the core 16 can be utilized compared to the central portion (inner portion) of the core 16. Utilization means providing a larger surface area for the winding 1, which should be understood as advantageous in that heat exchange with the surroundings is optimized. This lowers the temperature of the winding 1 again, thereby allowing it to conduct a larger current compared to known windings made of the same material and the same amount of material.

[0164] Figure 2b illustrates seven electric windings 1 having non-uniform geometry according to an embodiment of the present invention, where the seven electric windings 1a-1n are connected in series, the second end 4a of the first winding 1a is monolithically connected to the first end 3b of the second winding 1b, and the second end 4b is connected to the first end 3c of the third winding 1c, and so on. The multiple windings 1 are connected to form a coil 13, in which case the coil 13 is an air coil, that is, in this embodiment of the present invention, it is not wound around an iron core or the like.

[0165] The electric windings 1a–1n in Figure 2b may be identical in embodiments of the present invention, in which the electric windings are designed to have the same non-uniform geometry (cylindrical inner portion and mesh outer portion). However, even if the geometry of windings 1a–1n is identical, the conductor branch portions 22 forming the mesh outer portion may not be identical (for example, upon careful observation of the design shown in Figure 2b). Another example of this is the windings shown in Figures 1a and 2a, which have the same geometry but different or non-identical outer portions.

[0166] This may be intentionally determined by a designer using 3D CAD software to design winding 1, or it may be determined by a computer algorithm that generates the structure of the electrical windings 1a-1n within a CAD (Computer-Aided Design) software program based on input from the designer.

[0167] In another embodiment of the present invention, the electrical windings 1a–n of the coil 13 are not identical in that the geometry of the individual windings 1a–n differs. One of these multiple examples may be a single winding and subsequent windings as illustrated in Figure 1a, the subsequent winding having a cylindrical inner portion having one diameter and a cylindrical outer portion having a second diameter larger than the first diameter, or a plurality of cylindrical conductor branches, each having a third diameter smaller than the first diameter.

[0168] An embodiment of the present invention shown in Figure 2b may include an internal cooling channel 2a, which is located inside the electric winding 1 in the inner portion 8 (shown by a dotted line). The internal cooling channel 2a includes an internal cooling channel inlet 10 and an internal cooling channel outlet 11, and is configured to cool the electric winding 1 by guiding a cooling fluid through the internal cooling channel 2a. This cooling fluid and cooling channel 2a may be part of a closed cooling system that includes a heat exchanger for maintaining the cooling fluid at a desired temperature.

[0169] The two windings 1 should be spaced apart to function properly. The distance 14 between two adjacent electric windings is also illustrated in Figure 2b. This distance is necessary to prevent the electric windings 1 from touching each other, except for the portion where the first end 3 and second end 4 of the two adjacent electric windings are connected (preferably monolithically connected). The distance 14 between the two electric windings may be shorter if an insulating material other than air is placed between them (see, for example, Figure 4).

[0170] The coil 13 is equipped with terminal connectors 5. In this embodiment of the present invention, the first terminal connector 5a is connected to the first end 3a of the first electric winding 1a, and the second terminal connector 5b is connected to the second end 4n of the last electric winding 1n.

[0171] Therefore, the electric winding 1 may have one first conductor branch that can branch into a plurality of second conductor branch sections, and each of these second conductor branch sections may further branch through the winding 1 to a plurality of third conductor branch sections, and so on. In this way, according to the direction of the current flowing through the winding 1 from the first end to the second end, the current flows through the first conductor branch section, then branches off to the second conductor branch section, then to the third conductor branch section, and so on, and can further branch off to the nth conductor branch section.

[0172] In one embodiment, when current flows from the first end to the second end, the first conductor branch may have a first cross-sectional area, and the second conductor branch may have a second cross-sectional area smaller than the first cross-sectional area. Subsequently, the third conductor branch may have a cross-sectional area smaller than the second cross-sectional area. Therefore, the cross-sectional area of ​​the conductor branch may vary in size in the longitudinal direction / current direction of the winding.

[0173] As described above, a conductor branch in an electric winding can branch into multiple additional (nth) conductors. Similarly, a conductor branch can converge from a larger number of conductor branches to a smaller number of conductor branches.

[0174] Furthermore, the cross-sectional area of ​​the electric winding at a certain distance from the first end may be the same as the cross-sectional area of ​​the winding at a second distance from the first end, while the number of conductor branches at the first distance may differ from the number of conductor branches at the second distance.

[0175] Furthermore, it should be noted that the cross-sectional area of ​​the winding may differ at the first and second distances from the first end, while the number of conductor branching points may be the same. Naturally, the cross-sectional area and number of conductor branching points may be the same at the first and second distances from the first end.

[0176] It should be noted that embodiments of electric windings may include designs in which a conductor branching section branches from a first end into multiple conductor branching sections, and then rejoins at the second end without branching between the first and second ends.

[0177] Figure 3 shows another embodiment of the present invention, in which a coil 13 is wound around a core 16 made of ferromagnetic material. In this embodiment of the present invention, the ferromagnetic core 16 is a closed core. The inner portion 8 of the electric winding is inside the ferromagnetic core 16, and the outer portion 9 of the electric winding is located outside the core 16.

[0178] The core 16 shown in Figure 3 comprises a first core portion 16a and a second core portion 16b, where the first core portion 16a is a loop-shaped portion, and the second portion 16b connects both ends of the loop-shaped portion from the first core portion 16a to form a closed core 16. The loop-shaped design for the first core portion 16a may be configured to guide the air core 16 of the coil 13. This may be done after both the coil 13 and the first core portion 16a have been manufactured by additive manufacturing such as 3D printing, or the coil 13 may be printed around the first core portion 16a. The coil 13 having the first core portion 16 is open, and the core can be closed by connecting the second core portion 16b to both ends of the first core portion 16a. It is also possible to print the coil 13 directly around the core 16.

[0179] In other embodiments of the present invention, the first core portion 16a and the second core portion 16b may be used for core design as, for example, a rectangular frame, an elliptical or circular core. The core design may also include additional portions not shown, for example, an additional core portion for a rectangular frame core being an additional core portion in the central part that can divide the rectangular frame into two rectangular frames. The additional core portion may have a coil 13 around which the winding 1 described above is wound.

[0180] For magnetic fields, a closed core is optimal, and for windings, a straight solenoid design is optimal. Since these do not coincide, a compromise is necessary to provide an optimal reactor / transformer. A compromise may include two vertical core sections, each having a solenoid winding, where the cores are connected at at least one end, preferably both ends. This causes the core to change direction or branch at a portion having an angle to the vertical section. While the solenoid winding along the vertical core section may be uniform, in the angular core section (where the angle is 90 degrees or less), it is preferable to have a non-uniform winding 1 according to the present invention. This is because there is more usable space on the outer part of the coil than on the inner part when the coil must immediately follow the bend or branch of the core. Furthermore, as described herein, non-uniform windings are advantageous at least in these portions.

[0181] Therefore, the core may be a square shape with two straight sections connected to the spherical section, or it may be a circular shape, etc., and it should be noted that all of these shapes are monolithic.

[0182] In another embodiment of the present invention, one or more coils 13 are wound around a core 16. An example of this may be a coil on a first core portion 16a and a second coil on an additional core portion 16n. The one or more coils 13 may be identical in winding geometry and number, or they may differ in winding geometry and number. It should be noted that a single winding may have one or more output terminals between its ends.

[0183] The ferromagnetic core 16 may be made from iron, such as iron powder, which makes it possible to cast or form the core in the same way as when it is manufactured by additive manufacturing.

[0184] The ferromagnetic core 16 includes a cooling channel 17 constructed within the core, which may have a cooling channel inlet and a cooling channel outlet. The cooling channel inlet and outlet may be located at each end of the first core portion 16a, as shown in Figure 3. The cooling channel 17 may pass through the entire first core portion 16a from the cooling channel inlet to the cooling channel outlet. The cooling channel inlet and outlet may also be located in other parts of the first core portion 16a, thereby allowing the cooling channel 17 to pass through only a portion of the core 16. In another embodiment, the cooling channel inlet and outlet may be located in a second core portion 16b or an additional core, and the cooling channel 17 may pass through one or more core portions 16a, 16b.

[0185] The internal cooling channel 17 may extend as a single conduit or may branch into two or more conduits (and may rejoin). If the core comprises multiple core sections, one cooling channel 17 may branch so that each core section has its own cooling channel. The cooling channel 17 may have additional inlets / outlets along the path of the core 16 if additional cooling is required, for example, if the cooling fluid should be changed more frequently to improve cooling capacity.

[0186] The cooling channel 17 can guide a cooling fluid to cool the core 16. The cooling fluid may be a liquid cooling fluid such as glycol, an aqueous solution, or an insulating fluid. The cooling fluid is circulated within a cooling system having a heat exchanger, in which the cooling lines of the cooling system are connected to both the cooling channel inlet and the cooling channel outlet. The cooling system is configured to cool the cooling fluid and to circulate the cooling fluid through the cooling system and the core 16, thereby dissipating heat from the core 16 so that the core 16 does not overheat.

[0187] Transformers and reactors are magnetic components that may be based on a magnetic core or coreless (air inductor). A single-winding inductor exhibits only self-inductance and may be referred to as a reactor. When two or more windings are magnetically coupled (via a magnetic core or air), the multiple windings are magnetically coupled via mutual inductance and may be referred to as a transformer or coupled inductor. For multiple-winding inductors / transformers, the windings exhibit both mutual inductance and self-inductance. A special form of coupled inductor is a three-phase reactor, which, despite having three magnetically coupled windings, is functionally equivalent to three individual self-inductances. Such a structure is often simply referred to as a reactor, despite including the mutual inductance present in a transformer. Windings for such magnetic components may, advantageously, be of the types described above.

[0188] An example of a magnetic component that can be constructed by winding according to the present invention is a reactor or inductor, as shown in Figure 3, which comprises a coil 13 around a ferromagnetic core 16. Such a reactor or inductance is advantageous for use, for example, as a filter.

[0189] In another example, two coils 13 may be arranged around a ferromagnetic core 16, in which case it is called a transformer. Transformers are advantageous, for example, for electrically isolating an electrical system and changing voltage levels.

[0190] Using the coil 13 described above to provide components such as reactors or transformers is advantageous because the size of such components can be reduced to, for example, one-third or one-half of the size of such components constructed using conventional techniques. This significantly reduces material costs and footprint, which is particularly advantageous in larger power generation facilities such as wind turbines.

[0191] Two or more coils 13 may be connected in parallel or in series. This relates to cases where voltage or current requirements necessitate a certain number of windings 1. For example, it may be easier to manufacture three reactors, each with five windings, and connect them in series than to manufacture a reactor with 15 windings, and this is merely an example. Also, three windings connected in series may be easier to cool than a single reactor with three times the number of windings.

[0192] Figure 4a illustrates one embodiment of the present invention, in which a cooling unit 18 of the cooling system is fluidly / thermally connected to the electrical winding 1. More specifically, the windings 1a-1n are in the form of a reactor 21, i.e., wound around a core. The cooling system may include a cooling unit 18, which may include a fan 20, a heat exchanger 23, or both simultaneously. The cooling unit shown in Figure 4a includes both a fan 20 and a heat exchanger 23.

[0193] The fan 20 is positioned to provide airflow toward the inner section 8, part of the outer section 9, and the core 16. By focusing on providing airflow toward the inner section, concentrated cooling is provided toward the winding section that generates the most heat.

[0194] As illustrated, the insulating material 15 is positioned between adjacent windings to ensure there is no contact or arc discharge between them. This insulating material may have the additional function of diverting airflow from the fan 20 to the outer section 9 to cool the multiple windings / reactor 21. Alternatively or additionally, an air guide section (see Figure 4b) may be designed to optimize airflow while simultaneously acting as an insulating material to insulate two adjacent windings. The air guide section may be designed to guide air from the fan to a predetermined portion of the reactor 21.

[0195] The cooling fluid should be understood as a gaseous or liquid fluid that circulates within the cooling system to dissipate heat from the windings and / or core. Liquid cooling fluids are preferred where possible. Gaseous cooling fluids, such as air, may not require cooling lines to cool the windings and / or core. The airflow may be directed towards the windings and / or core by a fan.

[0196] As illustrated in Figure 4a, the cooling unit 18 is positioned to provide maximum airflow to the center of the core / inside of the coil. This is because this part of the coil generates the most heat, and by cooling this part most effectively, this heat is prevented from diffusing to the windings, core and / or surroundings.

[0197] The airflow from the fan 20 may be supplied directly to the inner part 8. The airflow from the inner part may be guided outward toward the gap 7 in the outer part 9 and guided to pass through the gap 7. In this way, the airflow may cool both the inner and outer parts.

[0198] The airflow may be guided toward the outer part 9, for example, by the design of the winding itself or the design of the air guide section / insulating material.

[0199] As described above, the cooling unit 18 may include a heat exchanger 23. The heat exchanger may include a compartment in which a liquid or gaseous cooling fluid can exchange heat with the airflow provided by the fan. In this way, the cooling source is located immediately before the fan, i.e., between the fan and the winding to be cooled. More specifically, it is located immediately before the most heated portion of the winding, thereby promoting improved cooling of the winding.

[0200] It should be noted that the fan 20 may be attached to the heat exchanger 23, and that the heat exchanger 23 may have an air guide section that can be used not only to guide the airflow from the fan but also to attach the cooling unit 18 to / on the coil.

[0201] If the second cooling unit is located on the second side of the reactor 21 (not shown in Figure 4a), it should be noted that the cooling fluid may flow into the heat exchanger 23 on the first side and out of the heat exchanger on the second side of the reactor (not shown). Furthermore, if the core and / or windings have internal cooling channels, they may be connected in series with this cooling fluid flow. In this regard, it should be noted that each heat exchanger and internal cooling channel may have its own inlet and outlet.

[0202] Figure 4b shows an exploded view of the reactor of Figure 4a, with cooling units 18 on both sides (the core is not shown). The two cooling units 18 may be designed to focus on their cooling capacity, i.e., the airflow (airflow rate) over the windings / core. This may be done by designing the air guide section 24 to guide the airflow in a particular direction, i.e., to guide a coordinated airflow from the two fans 20 toward the windings / core.

[0203] The two cooling units may be mechanically connected and may be mounted on or attached to the reactor 21 in this manner.

[0204] The two cooling units may be part of the same closed cooling circuit, or they may be supplied with individual cooling fluids, i.e., two independent closed cooling circuits may exist. In fact, if the winding or core also has internal cooling channels, an additional closed cooling circuit may exist.

[0205] As shown in both Figures 4a and 4b, the reactor 21 may have legs that can be attached to a support.

[0206] The principle of the cooling unit shown in Figures 4a and 4b relating to reactor 21 may also be used to cool a transformer or simply a busbar.

[0207] Figure 5 illustrates a method and process for machining an electric winding according to one embodiment of the present invention. The particular method relates to joining the ends of the electric winding, i.e., the first end and the second end having a winding branch, but may be used to manufacture any type of electric winding according to the present invention.

[0208] It should be noted that this method may include printing both ends and the winding branch section. Therefore, this method may begin by printing one end, then the transition section to the winding, then the winding, then the transition section to the second end, and finally the second end.

[0209] Alternatively, the end may be a separate element connected via the outer part. The outer part may be printed, or printed on the end and attached to the end while the outer part is being manufactured, for example. The outer part may be joined to the end by methods such as welding, printing, or soldering.

[0210] The ends may also be provided with terminals for connecting the completed electric winding to other electrical components, conductors, and windings in an electrical system. Such terminals may be manufactured in the same way as the other parts of the winding.

[0211] In step S1 of this particular method, the first end and the outer part which is in the form of a winding branch among the plurality of winding branch sections are monolithically integrated via individual transition sections, and these individual transition sections may include rounded connecting sections, thereby forming a concave, rounded inner corner between the first end and the winding branch among the plurality of winding branch sections, and further spatially separating the winding branch among the plurality of winding branch sections.

[0212] The process of monolithically integrating the first end and the winding branch may be carried out using various methods, such as additive manufacturing including 3D printing, casting, and simply removing material from a bulk metal slab through machining to form the winding branch integrated with the first end.

[0213] In step S2 of this method, the first end and the second end are electrically and mechanically coupled via the outer part of the electric winding formed by a plurality of winding branch sections.

[0214] Any process, namely heat treatment, may be applied to the finished conductor / winding. The heat treatment may be, for example, 400°C for 4 hours, or longer depending on the material. The advantage of heat treatment is that both electrical and thermal conductivity are enhanced by the alignment or fusion of the particles of the manufactured conductor. This is true at least for Aheadd® CP1 20 / 63 aluminum powder and other aluminum-iron-zirconium powder solutions. Such powders may be used in a powder bed fusion apparatus. The use of this type of powder and heat treatment can result in improved thermal stability, thermal conductivity, corrosion resistance, surface finish, and even electrical conductivity.

[0215] The outer section may, in principle, have any design / geometry that provides flexibility to the outer section, allowing the electrical winding to deform. The outer section may be formed by a winding branch section that is solid or has an internal cavity in order to reduce the amount of material required to manufacture the electrical winding. The outer section may be formed by a mesh section, or as a hybrid of a winding branch section and a mesh section, but this is merely a list of a few possible designs.

[0216] The internal cavity may be used as a cooling channel and / or an additional surface for conducting high-frequency currents. Therefore, the ends and outer portions may be designed, for example, to conduct a specific type of current for the particular panel / electrical system used, or to have a desired function or dual function.

[0217] In addition to the functions described above, one such function may be that of a structural support. Therefore, if necessary, the electrical winding may be designed to help support the weight of the electrical components connected to it. Thus, its dimensions may be larger than those required for the electrical winding to conduct the required current. Similarly, its geometry may be designed for a combined purpose of mechanical support and electrical conductivity. This is especially true if such a winding is flexible / deformable and can assist in both support and vibration absorption.

[0218] It should be noted that the electrical winding 1 may be manufactured with two or more resolutions. The thicker the layer, the faster the manufacturing process. The layer thickness depends on the material and the printing equipment and may vary from a few millimeters to 20 μm, and using several combinations, the layer thickness will be between 50 μm and 150 μm. In additive manufacturing, the resolution may be determined by the thickness of the layer on which the electrical winding is constructed (in other words, machined and processed). A first resolution, which is finer than the second resolution, i.e., has a thinner layer thickness, may be used when manufacturing the interface between the electrical winding and the part connected to it. Such an interface may be part of a terminal that comes into contact with other parts. Alternatively, the resolution may be determined by the material deposition rate, material flow rate, etc., depending on the type of additive manufacturing used.

[0219] To avoid electrical losses at the connection between two electrical windings, it is crucial that the two components have flat surfaces. The more precisely these interfaces are manufactured, the better / less the post-manufacturing work required to ensure sufficiently flat surfaces will be.

[0220] For example, a second resolution, manufactured to have a thicker layer, becomes coarser and results in a larger surface area. At least for medium and high frequency currents, this can result in greater current conduction without increasing the required amount of winding material / dimensions. In fact, the outer portion may be intentionally manufactured to have a corrugated surface to increase the outer surface over which the electric winding current flows (through medium and high frequency currents) for more efficient cooling, for example, by turbulence in the cooling airflow caused by the corrugated surface. Furthermore, if the winding includes an internal space, the inner surface of the winding forming such an internal space may also be corrugated for the same purpose. A corrugated surface has the effect of introducing turbulence into the flow of a cooling fluid, such as air. An increase in the velocity of the cooling fluid can result in a greater cooling effect.

[0221] As an example, the depth of a winding used to conduct medium and high-frequency currents may be about 1.5 mm in a particular embodiment. In this particular example, the winding is made of copper with a resistivity of about 1.68 μΩ·cm and a relative permeability of about 1 at a frequency of 2 kHz. Therefore, the winding for this particular embodiment may be hollow with a winding thickness of twice 1.5 mm. In fact, such a winding may be manufactured with a thickness of 4–5 mm, leaving space for internal cooling or for a simple reduction in the winding material and thus weight.

[0222] Since the skin effect is known to appear even at 50Hz, for example, the mid-frequency reference for the skin effect is a reference to frequencies starting from around 500Hz, when winding design can take the skin effect into account. The mid-frequency range may be between 500Hz and 10kHz, and frequencies above 10kHz may be referred to as high frequencies where the skin effect reliably occurs (the higher the frequency, the closer the conducted current is to the surface).

[0223] Furthermore, it should be noted that the outer surface may be corrugated, or it may be designed to have fins to enhance heat dissipation from the electrical windings.

[0224] Electrical windings obtained by this method may be used as electrical windings in electrical installations. These electrical installations may include electrical panels, which may be part of renewable energy facilities such as wind turbines. Furthermore, the electrical windings obtained by this method may be used inside electrical panels, i.e., in cabinets / enclosures, or outside such panels, for example, to connect spaced-out panels. Electrical systems in battery storage systems in vehicles, power-to-X systems, ships, and the like may also benefit from the windings according to the present invention.

[0225] One embodiment of the electrical winding according to the present invention is connected to a conventional cable or busbar. In such an embodiment, for example, a conventional busbar on the back of an electrical panel, or a conventional cable between two electrical panels, for example, may be connected to the electrical winding of the present invention. Thus, a conventional cable or busbar may be connected to a component via the winding according to the present invention. Therefore, simple connections are facilitated by the flexibility of the electrical winding according to the present invention.

[0226] However, it should be noted that the manufacturing of the electric winding, i.e., achieving the electrical and mechanical coupling between the first and second ends, is typically performed before the electric winding is incorporated into the electrical installation and before the electrical installation is installed in a renewable energy facility. Therefore, in a typical embodiment of the present invention, the electrical and mechanical coupling is performed before the installation / incorporation of the electric winding. Nevertheless, the methods according to the present invention are not necessarily limited to a specific order of steps. Furthermore, various methods according to the present invention may include additional steps such as performing digital geometry optimization, additive manufacturing of the electric winding, and conducting current.

[0227] In short, the designer designs the digital representation of the winding according to electrical, mechanical, and structural requirements using 3D CAD software such as Solidworks. The file (digital representation) from such a 3D development tool is then exported to a 3D printer, for example, where the winding is printed according to the CAD file.

[0228] The electric winding is a conductive embodiment in which the electric winding comprises a first end 3 and a second end 4, the second end 4 being located away from the first end 3 and spaced apart from each other by an outer portion. Each of these ends may be galvanically coupled, for example, to the respective terminals of an electrical installation. Typically, these terminals may be located inside an enclosure that is part of an electrical panel, i.e., an enclosure that satisfies requirements for high voltages, such as 110V, 230V, 400V, 690V, etc., greater than 24V, but this is merely an example of some of the voltage levels of electrical installations to which the electric winding of the present invention may be applicable. While these voltages have been listed, it should be noted that, in principle, there are no lower limits with respect to voltage and current, i.e., such a form of electric winding may be used in a 24V or 48V system conducting currents of less than 2A, but this is merely an example. Accordingly, the electric winding of the present invention may be manufactured as a wire harness, as a substitute for traces on a printed circuit board or as a substitute for a wire harness mounted on an electrical panel. With respect to current, the electrical windings according to the present invention may be designed to conduct several hundred amperes (16A, 32A, 64A, etc., up to 100A, 200A, and even up to, for example, 900A) up to several thousand amperes (1000A–3000A). Such electrical installations may be located, for example, within energy facilities, and the electrical windings can facilitate the transmission of current and / or voltage in such panel / energy facilities. Energy facilities may be, for example, renewable energy facilities.

[0229] In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the outer portion and the first end and the outer portion and the second end are monolithically integrated because they are manufactured from a single block and machined to provide the electric winding 1. Here, the block should be understood as the material used to make the electric winding 1.

[0230] The electric winding 1 may be manufactured by an additive manufacturing process. Such a manufacturing process may be based on, but is not limited to, any of the following additive manufacturing processes: 3D printing, layer-by-layer printing, wire arc additive manufacturing, fused deposition modeling, directed energy deposition, direct metal deposition, sinter-based processing, laser-based processing, etc. It should be noted that the actual additive manufacturing process used to print or construct the electric winding may not be important, as long as the material used to construct the electric winding is an electrically conductive material.

[0231] Even if the electrical windings 1a–1n are illustrated as non-uniform windings, the design / geometry can take any machinable / printable shape. Such a shape may be optimized for current conduction (skin effect) and cooling, including air induction.

[0232] In one embodiment, a particular electric winding 1a may have a non-uniform diameter along its longitudinal direction (measured transversely), but nevertheless, a clearly defined winding diameter may be determined in a cross-section where such winding has its smallest diameter.

[0233] Some figures further illustrate how the adjacent spacing between two adjacent winding branches can be quantified. With respect to the diameter / cross-sectional area of ​​the branches, the non-uniform diameter / cross-sectional area of ​​the winding branches can result in a non-uniform distance between two winding branches. Nevertheless, a clearly defined adjacent spacing (e.g., the gap between two winding branches) may be determined by measurements in the cross-section where the largest spatial separation between two given winding branches exists.

[0234] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the perimeter may vary in cross-sections at different locations along the longitudinal direction of the electric winding. The perimeter of a given segment may be simply measured as the sum of the perimeters of each region in a given cross-section. Thus, the perimeter of the second end 3 may, as a result, be the length of the perimeter of a cross-section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the electric winding.

[0235] The circumference of the outer section may be the sum of the circumferences of all individual winding branches. When a single winding branch branches from the main section into two or more sub-branch sections, the circumference of one part of the outer section (sub-branch) may differ from that of another part (main section). Therefore, the sum of the circumferences of the outer section may be the sum of all the individual sub-branch sections or the sum of all the individual main sections. If there are multiple different possible circumferences of the outer section, the shortest circumference may preferably be used in calculating the current conduction capacity of the electrical winding.

[0236] In one embodiment, the electric winding may have one or more cooling channels, which may be located on the outer side of one or more winding branch sections.

[0237] From the above, it is now clear that the present invention relates to an electric winding designed to have a first geometric shape on the inside and a second geometric shape on the outside, wherein the first and second geometric shapes are different from each other. Therefore, the electric winding of the present invention is non-uniform in its longitudinal direction, i.e., in the direction of the current path from the first end of the conductor to the second end of the electric winding. Thus, it can be said that the current path includes at least two different geometries, i.e., when current is conducted from the first end to the second end, it is conducted through an electric winding having at least two different geometries. Preferably, the two different geometries are monolithically integrated so that there are no physical connections between the two different geometries.

[0238] The present invention is illustrated for illustrative purposes with reference to specific examples of methods for manufacturing electric windings and embodiments of electric windings, and is not limited thereto. Details such as specific methods and system structures are provided to help understand embodiments of the present invention. Detailed descriptions of known systems, devices, circuits, and methods have been omitted to avoid obscuring the description of the present invention with unnecessary details. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0239] 1 Electrical winding 2 cooling channels 2a Internal cooling channel 2b External cooling channel 3 First end 4 Second end 5 Terminal connection section 5a First terminal connection section 5b Second terminal connection 6 intersection 7 void 8. Inner part 9 Outer part 10 Internal cooling channel inlet 11 Internal cooling channel outlet 12 Current path 12' Individual current paths 13 coils 14 Distance between two adjacent windings 15 Insulating materials 16 cores 16a First Core Section 16b Second Core Section 17 Core internal cooling channels 18 Cooling Unit 19 Air induction section 20 Fans 21 Reactor 22 Conductor branch section 23 Heat exchanger 24 Air induction section 25 Cooling fluid inlet C1 cross-sectional area d1 Diameter / Cross-sectional area of ​​the internal geometry / Current path of the internal geometry d2 Outer geometry diameter / width d2' Diameter / cross-sectional area of ​​the current path in the outer geometry

Claims

1. An electric winding (1) configured to be wound, wherein the electric winding (1) has a non-uniform geometry.

2. An electric winding according to claim 1, wherein the electric winding is made of an electrically conductive material.

3. An electric winding according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the electric winding is composed of a non-electrically conductive material and the non-electrically conductive material is covered with an electrically conductive material.

4. An electric winding according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the electric winding (1) is a liquid electrically conductive material provided inside a shell.

5. An electric winding according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the shell is made of a non-electrically conductive material and is manufactured by an additive manufacturing process.

6. An electric winding according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the electric winding comprises a cooling channel (2).

7. An electric winding according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the electric winding has a first end (3) and a second end (4).

8. An electric winding according to claim 7, wherein the first end and the second end have terminal connection portions (5).

9. An electric winding according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the electric component and the electric winding (1) are monolithic.

10. An electric winding according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the cross-sectional area of ​​the electric winding (1) is in the range of 0.1 mm to 100 mm, preferably in the range of 0.2 mm to 50 mm, and most preferably in the range of 0.3 mm to 10 mm.

11. An electric winding according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the electric winding (1) comprises a clip.

12. An electric winding (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the electric winding (1) comprises an inner portion (8) and an outer portion (9), and the diameter of the inner portion (8) is smaller than the diameter of the outer portion (9).

13. An electric winding according to claim 12, wherein the inner portion and the outer portion are monolithic.

14. An electric winding according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the inner portion (8) of the electric winding is solid.

15. An electric winding according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the inner portion (8) comprises an internal cooling channel (2a).

16. An electric winding according to claim 15, wherein the internal cooling channel (2a) comprises an internal cooling channel inlet (10) and an internal cooling channel outlet (11).

17. An electric winding according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the outer portion (9) of the electric winding (1) has a geometry that is included in the group including bionic, mesh, spongy and honeycomb.

18. An electric winding according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the electric winding (1) includes an intersection (6).

19. An electric winding according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein the electric winding (1) comprises a gap (7).

20. An electric winding according to any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein at least one current path (2) branches off through the electric winding (1).

21. An electric winding according to any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein the geometry is configured to provide a plurality of current paths (12) through the electric winding.

22. An electric winding according to any one of claims 1 to 21, wherein the electric winding is a first electric winding (1a) connected in series to a second electric winding, and the second electric winding (1b) is an electric winding according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

23. A first electric winding (1a) and a second electric winding (1b) according to claim 22, wherein the first electric winding (1a) comprises a first end (3) and the second electric winding (1b) comprises a second end (4).

24. A first electric winding (1a) and a second electric winding (1b) according to any one of claims 22 to 23, wherein the first electric winding (1a) is provided with a first terminal connection, the second electric winding (1b) is provided with a second terminal connection, and the first electric winding (1a) and the second electric winding (1b) are connected to one or more intermediate electric windings (1c, 1d, ..., 1n).

25. An electric winding (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 24, wherein the electric winding (1) is wound around a core (16).

26. An electric winding (1) according to claim 25, wherein the core (16) is made of air or a ferromagnetic material.

27. An electric winding (1) according to any one of claims 25 to 26, wherein the core is closed.

28. An electric winding (1) according to any one of claims 25 to 27, wherein the core (16) comprises two or more core portions (16a, 16b).

29. An electric winding (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 28, wherein the core (16) comprises a cooling channel (17).

30. An electric winding according to any one of claims 1 to 29, wherein the core is made of a ferromagnetic fluid provided within a shell.

31. An electric winding according to any one of claims 1 to 30, wherein the shell is made of a non-electrically conductive material and is manufactured by an additive manufacturing process.

32. An electric winding (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 31, wherein the internal cooling channel (2a) is fluidly connected to a cooling unit (18).

33. An electric winding (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 32, wherein the external cooling channel (2b) is fluidly connected to a cooling unit (18).

34. An electric winding (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 33, wherein the core (16) is fluidly connected to a cooling unit (18).

35. An electric winding (1) according to any one of claims 32 to 34, wherein the cooling unit (18) is a heat exchanger or a fan.

36. An electric winding (1) according to any one of claims 32 to 34, wherein the cooling unit (18) is a combination of a heat exchanger and a fan.

37. An electric winding (1) according to any one of claims 32 to 36, wherein the cooling unit (18) generates an airflow through the external cooling channel (2b).

38. An electric winding (1) according to claim 37, wherein the airflow is guided by an air guide unit (19).

39. An electric winding (1) according to any one of claims 37 to 38, wherein the air guide portion (19) is the insulating material (15).

40. An electric winding (1) according to any one of claims 32 to 40, wherein the cooling unit (18) is fluidly connected to the internal cooling channel (2a).

41. An electric winding (1) according to any one of claims 32 to 40, wherein the cooling unit (18) is fluidly connected to the cooling channel (17) of the core (16).

42. An electric winding according to any one of claims 1 to 41, wherein at least a portion of the electric winding is manufactured by additive manufacturing.

43. A transformer comprising a plurality of electric windings (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 42, wherein the plurality of electric windings (1) are wound around the core (16).

44. A reactor (21) comprising a plurality of electric windings (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 43, wherein the plurality of electric windings (1) are wound around the core (16).

45. A coil (13) comprising two or more electric windings (1a-1n) as described in any one of claims 1 to 42.

46. A coil (13) according to claim 45, wherein the two or more electric windings (1a-1n) are all identical.

47. A coil (13) according to claim 45, wherein the two or more electric windings (1a-1n) are not identical.

48. A coil (13) according to claim 45, wherein two adjacent electric windings of the two or more electric windings are spaced apart by an arbitrary distance (14).

49. A coil (13) according to claim 48, wherein the distance (14) between two adjacent electric windings is variable.

50. A coil (13) according to claim 48, wherein the distance (14) is less than 25 mm, preferably less than 15 mm, and more preferably less than 10 mm.

51. A coil (13) according to claim 48, wherein an insulating material (15) is arranged between two or more adjacent electrical windings.

52. A coil (13) according to claim 51, wherein the insulating material (15) is selected from the group including sheet material, coated material, or structure manufactured by additive manufacturing.

53. A core for winding around an electric winding according to any one of claims 1 to 42, wherein the core (16) comprises a cooling channel (17).

54. A core according to claim 53, wherein the core (16) comprises a cooling channel inlet (17a) and a cooling channel outlet (17b).

55. A core according to any one of claims 53 to 54, wherein the core (16) is manufactured by additive manufacturing in at least a portion thereof.

56. A method for connecting the first end (3) of a coil (13) having a plurality of electric windings (1a-1n) to the second end (4) of the coil (13), wherein the method is: A step of monolithically integrating the first end portion (3) and the first electric winding (1a) of the plurality of electric windings (1a-1n) via an additive manufacturing process, A step of establishing the coil (13) by monolithically integrating one or more additional electric windings (1) with the first electric winding (1) via the additive manufacturing process, A step of monolithically integrating the second end (4) and the second electric winding (1n) of the plurality of electric windings (1a-1n) via an additive manufacturing process, Methods that include...

57. A method for connecting to a first end (3) of a coil (13) according to claim 56, wherein at least one of the plurality of electrical windings (1a-1n) has a non-uniform geometry.

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