Water jacket

Abstract

To provide a water jacket capable of effectively cooling a heat generating component by appropriately controlling the flow of a refrigerant.SOLUTION: A water jacket WJ for cooling an inverter module IM includes a base 1 having a plate shape. The base 1 includes: a refrigerant supply passage 11 having a refrigerant inflow part 11a into which the refrigerant flows; a refrigerant discharge passage 12 having a refrigerant outflow part 12a from which the refrigerant flows out; and a chamber 13 which communicates with the refrigerant supply passage 11 and the refrigerant discharge passage 12. The chamber 13 includes: a plurality of columnar fins 133 which are erected from a first surface 131 on the side where the inverter module IM is arranged and intersect with the flow direction B of the refrigerant; and a plurality of wing-like fins 134 arranged on the second surface 132 side opposed to the first surface 131 and inclined or curved from the second surface 132 toward the first surface 131 as it goes from the upstream to the downstream in the flow direction B of the refrigerant.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a water jacket. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditionally, research and development has been conducted to contribute to energy efficiency, ensuring that more people have access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and advanced energy.

[0003] For example, research and development into electrification is being conducted for transportation equipment such as vehicles, aircraft, and manned drones. Electrifying transportation equipment requires not only a battery, a power storage device such as a capacitor, and a rotating electric machine such as a motor or generator, but also an inverter that converts DC power stored in the power storage device into AC power and supplies it to the rotating electric machine. Because the inverter is a heat-generating component, it is generally cooled by a water jacket.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a semiconductor device in which cylindrical or plate-shaped fins are provided in a chamber of a water jacket. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5975110 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in the semiconductor device described in Patent Document 1, although heat exchange occurs between the coolant and the fins, the flow of the coolant from a position far from the heat generating element to a position close to the heat generating element is not taken into consideration, so there is room for improvement.

[0007] The present invention provides a water jacket that can effectively cool heat-generating components by appropriately controlling the flow of coolant. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention provides A water jacket for cooling heat-generating components, A base having a plate shape is provided, The base is a coolant supply passage having a coolant inlet portion into which the coolant flows; a refrigerant discharge passage having a refrigerant outflow portion through which the refrigerant flows out; a chamber communicating with the coolant supply path and the coolant discharge path; The chamber includes: a plurality of columnar fins extending from a first surface on which the heat generating component is disposed and intersecting the flow direction of the refrigerant; a plurality of blade-like fins arranged on a second surface side opposite to the first surface, the blade-like fins inclined or curved from the second surface toward the first surface as they move from upstream to downstream in the flow direction of the refrigerant; 、 The blade-like fin is formed across the plurality of columnar fins arranged side by side in a width direction perpendicular to the flow direction of the refrigerant. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, the flow of the coolant can be appropriately controlled to effectively cool heat-generating components, which in turn contributes to improved energy efficiency. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a power control unit PCU connected to a motor MOT. FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the base 1 of the water jacket WJ. [Figure 3] 3 is a perspective view of the base 1 illustrating the flow of a refrigerant inside the base 1. FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 3. [Figure 5]FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the columnar fins 133 and the wing-like fins 134 in the chamber 13. [Figure 6] 10 is a schematic diagram showing the rectifying effect of the refrigerant by the blade-like fins 134. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 6. The drawings are to be viewed in the direction of the reference symbols, and in the following description, for the sake of simplicity, front, rear, left, right, and up and down are defined, and the front is indicated in the drawings as Fr, the rear as Rr, the left side as L, the right side as R, the top as U, and the bottom as D.

[0012] A water jacket WJ according to one embodiment of the present invention is provided in, for example, a power control unit PCU for a transportation device. As shown in Fig. 1, the power control unit PCU includes a power storage unit 10 and an inverter INV that converts the power of the power storage unit 10 to drive a motor MOT. The power storage unit 10 is, for example, an electric double layer capacitor, a lithium ion battery, or a nickel-metal hydride battery.

[0013] [Inverter] 2, the inverter INV has a plurality of switching elements H1-H3, L1-L3, and drives the motor MOT by controlling the switching of the plurality of switching elements H1-H3, L1-L3. Specifically, the inverter INV converts DC power output by the power storage unit 10 into AC power and outputs the converted AC power to the motor MOT. The inverter INV also converts AC power output by the motor MOT into DC power and outputs the converted DC power to the power storage unit 10. The switching elements are, for example, IGBTs (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors), power MOS (Metal Oxide Semiconductor) transistors, power bipolar transistors, etc.

[0014] More specifically, the inverter INV includes first to third arms A1 to A3 connected in parallel to the power storage unit 10. The first arm A1 includes an upper arm AH1 in which a switching element H1 and a freewheeling diode D are provided in parallel, and a lower arm AL1 in which a switching element L1 and a freewheeling diode D are provided in parallel and connected in series to the upper arm AH1 via a midpoint P1. The second arm A2 includes an upper arm AH2 in which a switching element H2 and a freewheeling diode D are provided in parallel, and a lower arm AL2 in which a switching element L2 and a freewheeling diode D are provided in parallel and connected in series to the upper arm AH2 via a midpoint P2. The third arm A3 includes an upper arm AH3 in which a switching element H3 and a freewheeling diode D are provided in parallel, and a lower arm AL3 in which a switching element L3 and a freewheeling diode D are provided in parallel and connected in series to the upper arm AH3 via a midpoint P3. The first to third arms A1 to A3 have their midpoints P1 to P3 connected to the three-phase coils of the motor MOT.

[0015] [Inverter module] The inverter INV includes three inverter modules IM (see FIG. 5), for example, one for the U-phase constituting the first arm A1, one for the V-phase constituting the second arm A2, and one for the W-phase constituting the third arm A3. Each inverter module IM is a heat-generating component having a rectangular thin plate shape. In this embodiment, the three inverter modules IM are arranged at a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction.

[0016] [Water jacket] The water jacket WJ is disposed so as to abut against the inverter module IM, thereby cooling the inverter module IM.

[0017] (Base) 2 and 3, the water jacket WJ includes a base 1. The base 1 is plate-shaped and has a flat cooling surface 1a, and an inverter module IM is arranged on the cooling surface 1a. The base 1 includes a refrigerant supply path 11 having a refrigerant inlet portion 11a through which the refrigerant flows, a refrigerant discharge path 12 having a refrigerant outlet portion 12a through which the refrigerant flows out, and a plurality of chambers 13 communicating with the refrigerant supply path 11 and the refrigerant discharge path 12. The plurality of chambers 13 cools the inverter module IM by performing heat exchange between the refrigerant and the inverter module IM arranged along the cooling surface 1a.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 3 , the coolant supply path 11 is formed along the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction) of the base 1 and at one end (left side) of the base 1 in the short direction, and the coolant discharge path 12 is formed along the longitudinal direction of the base 1 and at the other end (right side) of the base 1 in the short direction. A plurality of chambers 13 are formed between the coolant supply path 11 and the coolant discharge path 12 along the short direction (left-right direction) of the base 1 and in parallel at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction of the base 1, and communicate with both the coolant supply path 11 and the coolant discharge path 12. The plurality of chambers 13 are provided at positions corresponding to the three inverter modules IM. With this base 1, the coolant that flows into the coolant inlet portion 11a passes through the coolant supply path 11 along the longitudinal direction of the base 1 and then flows into the plurality of chambers 13 along the short direction of the base 1. This makes it possible to appropriately suppress temperature gradients and temperature variations that tend to occur in the longitudinal direction of the base 1 (inverter modules IM).

[0019] (Chamber) 4, chamber 13 is a space formed between first surface 131 and second surface 132 facing each other. First surface 131 and second surface 132 are parallel to cooling surface 1a, and of first surface 131 and second surface 132, the surface that is disposed closer to cooling surface 1a is first surface 131. One end of chamber 13 communicates with refrigerant supply channel 11 via inlet-side communication port 132a formed on the second surface 132 side, and the other end of chamber 13 communicates with refrigerant discharge channel 12 via inlet-side communication port 132b formed on the second surface 132 side.

[0020] (Columnar fins and airfoil fins) As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the chamber 13 is provided with a plurality of columnar fins 133 and a plurality of wing-like fins 134. The columnar fins 133 are erected from the first surface 131 and are substantially perpendicular to the refrigerant flow direction B (see FIGS. 3 and 4). For example, the chamber 13 is provided with a total of N×M columnar fins 133, where N columnar fins 133 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the refrigerant flow direction B and M columnar fins 133 are arranged in a width direction substantially perpendicular to the refrigerant flow direction B and the height direction of the columnar fins 133. With this configuration, the columnar fins 133 are cooled by the refrigerant while the refrigerant flows from upstream to downstream of the chamber 13 through the columnar fins 133, thereby cooling the inverter module IM via the first surface 131 and the cooling surface 1a. Note that the columnar fins 133 do not necessarily need to be perpendicular to the refrigerant flow direction B (see FIG. 4), as long as they are intersecting the refrigerant flow direction B (see FIG. 4).

[0021] 4, it is desirable that the plurality of columnar fins 133 are erected from the first surface 131 and that their tip ends are integrally connected to the second surface 132. In this way, the columnar fins 133 are supported at both ends by the first surface 131 and the second surface 132 of the chamber 13, thereby increasing the support strength of the columnar fins 133.

[0022] 5, it is desirable that the cross-sectional area of ​​the columnar fins 133 on the first surface 131 side be larger than the cross-sectional area on the second surface 132 side. In this way, by increasing the cross-sectional area of ​​the columnar fins 133 on the side closer to the inverter module IM, heat exchange is more actively carried out on the first surface 131 side than on the second surface 132 side, making it possible to cool the inverter module IM more appropriately.

[0023] Specifically, the columnar fin 133 of this embodiment includes a conical portion 133a located on the first surface 131 side and having a cross-sectional area that decreases toward the second surface 132 side, and a cylindrical portion 133b that extends from the tip of the conical portion 133a toward the second surface 132 side with the same cross-sectional area. This allows active heat exchange with the refrigerant at the base of the conical portion 133a of the columnar fin 133 closer to the inverter module IM. Furthermore, by reducing the cross-sectional area of ​​the columnar fin 133 at the tip of the cylindrical portion 133b and the conical portion 133a of the columnar fin 133, it is possible to prevent the columnar fin 133 from obstructing the flow of the refrigerant.

[0024] 4 to 6, the plurality of wing-like fins 134 are disposed on the second surface 132 side, and are inclined or curved from the second surface 132 toward the first surface 131 as they move from upstream to downstream in the refrigerant flow direction B. With these wing-like fins 134, as shown in FIG. 6, it is possible to guide a large amount of refrigerant to the first surface 131 side that is closer to the inverter module IM, thereby making it possible to more appropriately cool the inverter module IM. Note that FIG. 6 differs from the structure shown in FIG. 4 etc. in that the inlet-side communication port 132a is disposed along the flow direction B of the refrigerant flowing through the chamber 13, but the function of the wing-like fins 134 is the same.

[0025] 5, the wing-like fins 134 are desirably formed across a plurality of columnar fins 133 arranged side by side in a width direction perpendicular to the refrigerant flow direction B and the height direction of the columnar fins 133. In this way, the wing-like fins 134 can be integrally molded with the plurality of columnar fins 133, and the rigidity of the wing-like fins 134 can be increased. Furthermore, compared to when the wing-like fins 134 are integrally molded with the second surface 132, the contact area of ​​the refrigerant with the wing-like fins 134 can be increased, and more refrigerant can be guided to the first surface 131 side closer to the inverter module IM.

[0026] It is desirable that the base 1 be integrally formed by metal additive manufacturing (AM), i.e., 3D printing, using powdered metal. AM is a well-known molding technique that uses an electron beam or fiber laser to melt metal powder and then solidify it into layers to produce metal parts. This technique enables the molding of metal components with complex three-dimensional shapes and allows the creation of fine, precise 3D shapes. This makes it possible to realize complex fin shapes within the chamber 13, which previously could not be achieved by casting.

[0027] Although various embodiments have been described above with reference to the drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications or alterations within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the components of the above-described embodiments may be combined in any manner without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0028] This specification describes at least the following items. Note that the components in parentheses correspond to those in the above-described embodiment, but are not limited to these.

[0029] (1) A water jacket (water jacket WJ) for cooling a heat-generating component (inverter module IM), A base (base 1) having a plate shape is provided, The base is a refrigerant supply path (refrigerant supply path 11) having a refrigerant inlet portion (refrigerant inlet portion 11a) into which the refrigerant flows; a refrigerant discharge path (refrigerant discharge path 12) having a refrigerant outflow portion (refrigerant outflow portion 12a) through which the refrigerant flows out; a chamber (chamber 13) communicating with the refrigerant supply path and the refrigerant discharge path, The chamber includes: a plurality of columnar fins (columnar fins 133) extending upright from a first surface (first surface 131) on the side where the heat generating components are disposed and intersecting the flow direction of the refrigerant; A water jacket comprising a plurality of wing-like fins (wing-like fins 134) arranged on a second surface (second surface 132) opposite the first surface, and inclined or curved from the second surface toward the first surface as it moves from upstream to downstream in the flow direction of the refrigerant.

[0030] According to (1), the columnar fins are cooled as the coolant flows from upstream to downstream of the chamber through the columnar fins, thereby cooling the heat-generating components. Also, the chamber is provided with a plurality of wing-like fins on the second surface side, farther from the heat-generating components, that are inclined or curved from the second surface to the first surface as the coolant flows from upstream to downstream in the direction of the coolant flow. This allows more coolant to be guided to the side closer to the heat-generating components, thereby more appropriately cooling the heat-generating components.

[0031] (2) The water jacket according to (1), The water jacket has a plurality of columnar fins arranged side by side in a width direction perpendicular to the flow direction of the refrigerant, and the wing-like fins are formed across the columnar fins.

[0032] According to (2), the blade-like fin can be integrally formed with the plurality of columnar fins, and the rigidity of the blade-like fin can be increased.

[0033] (3) The water jacket according to (1) or (2), The columnar fin has a cross-sectional area on the first surface side that is larger than a cross-sectional area on the second surface side.

[0034] According to (3), by increasing the cross-sectional area of ​​the columnar fins on the side closer to the heat-generating components, the heat-generating components can be cooled more appropriately.

[0035] (4) A water jacket according to any one of (1) to (3), The columnar fin is a conical portion (conical portion 133a) located on the first surface side and having a cross-sectional area that decreases toward the second surface side; the water jacket includes a cylindrical portion (cylindrical portion 133b) extending from the tip of the conical portion toward the second surface side with the same cross-sectional area.

[0036] According to (4), by making the columnar fin closer to the heat-generating component conical, the base of the cone can actively exchange heat with the refrigerant. Also, the flow of the refrigerant can be prevented from being obstructed at the tip of the columnar and cone parts of the columnar fin.

[0037] (5) A water jacket according to any one of (1) to (4), The base is a water jacket that is integrally formed using powder metal 3D printing additive manufacturing.

[0038] According to (5), the base is integrally formed using powder metal 3D printing additive manufacturing, making it possible to realize complex fin shapes inside the chamber that could not previously be achieved using casting. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] IM inverter module (heat generating component) WJ Water Jacket 1 base 11 Refrigerant supply path 11a Refrigerant inlet 12 Refrigerant discharge path 12a Refrigerant outlet 13 Chamber 131 Page 1 132 2nd page 133 Columnar Fin 133a Cone 133b Cylindrical part 134 Winged Fin

Claims

1. A water jacket for cooling heat-generating components, A base having a plate shape is provided, The base is a coolant supply passage having a coolant inlet portion into which the coolant flows; a refrigerant discharge passage having a refrigerant outflow portion through which the refrigerant flows out; a chamber communicating with the coolant supply path and the coolant discharge path; The chamber includes: a plurality of columnar fins extending from a first surface on which the heat generating component is disposed and intersecting the flow direction of the refrigerant; a plurality of blade-like fins disposed on a second surface opposite to the first surface, the blade-like fins inclined or curved from the second surface toward the first surface as they move from upstream to downstream in the flow direction of the refrigerant, The water jacket has a plurality of columnar fins arranged side by side in a width direction perpendicular to the flow direction of the refrigerant, and the wing-like fins are formed across the columnar fins.

2. The water jacket according to claim 1, The columnar fin has a cross-sectional area on the first surface side that is larger than a cross-sectional area on the second surface side.

3. The water jacket according to claim 1 or 2, The columnar fin is a conical portion located on the first surface side and having a cross-sectional area that decreases toward the second surface side; a cylindrical portion extending from the tip of the conical portion toward the second surface side with the same cross-sectional area.

4. The water jacket according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The water jacket is integrally formed on the base using powder metal 3D printing additive manufacturing.

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