Transformer for vehicle

Abstract

This transformer for a vehicle comprises: a transformer body tank (11) having an inlet header (11a) through which a refrigerant flows in and an outlet header (11b) through which the refrigerant flows out; coolers (12a, 12b) on the front and rear sides in the direction of vehicle travel, said coolers being disposed in a split manner in the direction of vehicle travel so as not to protrude from the outer contour of the upper surface of the transformer body tank (11); two pipes (14a, 14b) connected to one end of the coolers (12a, 12b), respectively, on the front and rear sides in the vehicle travel direction; and a pump (13) connected to a vacant end of each of the two pipes (14a, 14b), said pump being aligned with the two pipes (14a, 14b) when viewed from above the vehicle, wherein the cooler (12b) on the front side in the direction of vehicle travel, the pump (13), the cooler (12a) on the rear side in the direction of vehicle travel, the inlet header (11a) of the transformer body tank (11), and the outlet header (11b) of the transformer body tank (11) are connected in the above order to obtain a circulation path along which the refrigerant is circulated by the pump (13).

Description

Vehicle transformer

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a transformer for a vehicle, and more particularly to a transformer that is installed on the roof of a vehicle.

[0002] Peripheral equipment installed in vehicles, such as air conditioners, controllers, and transformers, generates a lot of heat when powered on. Methods for cooling these peripheral equipment include forced air cooling using electric fans and natural cooling using the wind generated by the vehicle as it moves.

[0003] The natural cooling system using running air is becoming increasingly popular because it is more energy-efficient, quieter, and requires less maintenance than forced air cooling, and is being adopted as a cooling method for peripheral equipment such as vehicle transformers installed under the floor of the vehicle.

[0004] On the other hand, in low-floor vehicles popular in Europe, for example, the installation space under the floor is narrow, so peripheral equipment such as air conditioners and controllers are installed on the roof of the vehicle along with the vehicle transformer. When the vehicle transformer is installed on the roof of a vehicle where the peripheral equipment is arranged in close proximity, the peripheral equipment is separated by the wind as the vehicle travels, so compared to installing the vehicle transformer under the floor of the vehicle, it is necessary to increase the separation distance between the peripheral equipment and the vehicle transformer in the vehicle travel direction to allow the wind to enter the cooler, making it difficult to install the vehicle transformer in a reduced space. Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration of a vehicle transformer that utilizes the wind as the vehicle travels, which reduces the installation space while ensuring the separation distance between the peripheral equipment and the vehicle transformer in the vehicle travel direction.

[0005] Patent No. 6180684

[0006] The vehicle transformer of Patent Document 1 has a transformer tank containing the transformer body installed on the roof of the vehicle, and a cooler consisting of multiple cooling pipes installed on top of the transformer tank. The pump that circulates the refrigerant is installed protruding from the outer casing of the top surface of the transformer tank in the direction of vehicle travel, and the installation location of the pump needs to be optimized to further reduce the installation space.

[0007] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a vehicle transformer that utilizes the wind generated by running, thereby reducing the installation space for the vehicle transformer by installing the pump so that it does not protrude from the outer casing of the upper surface of the transformer main tank.

[0008] The vehicle transformer of the present disclosure includes a transformer main body tank having an inlet header through which a refrigerant flows in and an outlet header through which the refrigerant flows out, and storing the transformer main body; a cooler on the front side in the vehicle traveling direction and a cooler on the rear side in the vehicle traveling direction, which are divided and arranged in the vehicle traveling direction so as not to protrude from the outer shell of the upper surface of the transformer main body tank and are long in the width direction of the vehicle, and which cool the refrigerant with the traveling wind when the vehicle is traveling; a piping on the front side connected to one end of the cooler on the front side in the vehicle traveling direction, which is arranged on the upper surface of the transformer main body tank; and a piping on the front side connected to one end of the cooler on the rear side in the vehicle traveling direction, which is arranged on the upper surface of the transformer main body tank. The transformer is arranged so that one end of the two pipes is connected to the pipe located at the rear of the transformer, and the two pipes are arranged so that they do not protrude from the outer casing of the top surface of the transformer main tank.When the vehicle is viewed from above, the two pipes and a pump are arranged in a straight line in the direction of vehicle travel.Refrigerant flows in different directions through the cooler located at the front side in the direction of vehicle travel and the cooler located at the rear side in the direction of vehicle travel.The cooler is connected in the order of the cooler located at the front side in the direction of vehicle travel, the pipe located at the front, the pump, the pipe located at the rear, the cooler located at the rear side in the direction of vehicle travel, the inlet header of the transformer main tank, and the outlet header of the transformer main tank, and a circulation path is provided in which the refrigerant is circulated by the pump.

[0009] According to the present disclosure, by optimizing the installation location of the pump, it is possible to provide a vehicle transformer that utilizes the wind from the vehicle as it travels, thereby reducing the installation space for the vehicle transformer by reducing the width of the vehicle transformer in the direction of vehicle travel.

[0010] 1 is a top view of a vehicle on which a vehicle transformer showing embodiment 1 is installed on the roof. FIG. 2 is a side view of a vehicle on which a vehicle transformer showing embodiment 1 is installed on the roof. FIG. 3 is a top view of the vehicle transformer shown in embodiment 1 installed on the vehicle roof. FIG. 4 is a side view of the vehicle transformer shown in embodiment 1 installed on the vehicle roof. FIG. 5 is a refrigerant circulation path in a transformer main body tank of the vehicle transformer shown in embodiment 1 installed on the vehicle roof. FIG. 6 is a refrigerant circulation path in a cooler of the vehicle transformer shown in embodiment 1 installed on the vehicle roof. FIG. 7 is a refrigerant circulation path seen from the side of the vehicle transformer shown in embodiment 1 installed on the vehicle roof.

[0011] Embodiment 1. Figure 1 is a top view of a vehicle 1 on which a vehicle transformer 10 according to embodiment 1 is installed on the roof 2. Figure 2 is a side view of a vehicle 1 on which a vehicle transformer 10 according to embodiment 1 is installed on the roof 2. In the figure, X indicates the vehicle running direction, Y indicates the vehicle width direction, and Z indicates the vehicle height direction. The vehicle transformer 10 is installed on the roof 2 of the vehicle 1, and peripheral devices 3 such as a controller and air conditioner are installed on the roof 2 alongside the vehicle transformer 10 in the vehicle running direction X.

[0012] Fig. 3 is a top view of vehicle transformer 10 installed on the top of a vehicle in embodiment 1. Fig. 4 is a side view of vehicle transformer 10 shown in Fig. 3. Figs. 5 to 7 show the circulation path of the refrigerant within vehicle transformer 10 according to embodiment 1, with the arrows in the figures indicating the direction of refrigerant flow. In the figures, X indicates the vehicle running direction, Y indicates the vehicle width direction, and Z indicates the vehicle height direction. An x in a circle in the figures indicates that the refrigerant flows from the front to the depth of the page, and a small circle in a circle indicates that the refrigerant flows from the depth to the front of the page.

[0013] As shown in Figure 3, the vehicle transformer 10 includes a transformer main tank 11, a cooler 12, a pump 13, and pipes 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d. There are two coolers 12, each consisting of a plurality of cooling pipes 12a and 12b. An insulating partition member 15 is provided inside the transformer main tank 11.

[0014] The transformer tank 11 contains a transformer body including windings and an iron core, which are current-carrying media, and insulators, which are insulating media. A refrigerant circulates within the transformer tank 11 to cool the heat generated by the windings and the iron core due to current flow. A partition member 15 is provided within the transformer tank 11, dividing the refrigerant flow path into two. The top surface of the transformer tank 11 has an inlet header 11a, which is located on the negative side of the partition member 15 in the vehicle travel direction X, and an outlet header 11b, which is located on the positive side of the partition member 15 in the vehicle travel direction X, and through which the refrigerant flows out, aligned in the vehicle travel direction X. As shown by the arrows in Figure 5, the refrigerant flows from the inlet header 11a to the positive side in the vehicle width direction Y, reaches one end of the transformer tank 11, flows to the positive side in the vehicle travel direction X, passes over the partition member 15, flows to the negative side in the vehicle width direction Y, and flows out of the outlet header 11b.

[0015] The coolers 12 are arranged on the top surface of the transformer main tank 11 in the vehicle travel direction X and cool the refrigerant by heat exchange with the outside air. The coolers 12 extend longitudinally in the vehicle width direction Y and are composed of multiple cooling pipes arranged parallel to the vehicle travel direction X and multiple cooling pipes arranged parallel to the vehicle height direction Z. The cooling pipe of the cooler 12 on the positive side in the vehicle travel direction X is called the front cooling pipe 12b, and the cooling pipe of the cooler 12 on the negative side in the vehicle travel direction X is called the rear cooling pipe 12a. The cooling pipes 12a have their positive ends in the vehicle width direction Y connected together by pipe 14a, and the cooling pipes 12b have their positive ends in the vehicle width direction Y connected together by pipe 14b. The cooling pipes 12a have their negative ends in the vehicle width direction Y connected together by pipe 14c, and the cooling pipes 12b have their negative ends in the vehicle width direction Y connected together by pipe 14d. 6, the refrigerant flows through the cooling pipe 12a to the negative side in the vehicle width direction Y, and through the cooling pipe 12b to the positive side in the vehicle width direction Y. The number of cooling pipes 12a and 12b is not limited.

[0016] Pump 13 connects pipes 14a and 14b and is positioned so as not to protrude from the outer casing of the upper surface of transformer main tank 11. When vehicle transformer 10 is viewed from above as shown in Fig. 3, pipes 14a and 14b are aligned in a straight line, and when vehicle transformer 10 is viewed from the side in the vehicle running direction X as shown in Fig. 7, pump 13 overlaps with pipe 14a or 14b and is partially hidden. As shown by the arrow in Fig. 6, the refrigerant that flows into pump 13 from pipe 14b flows out to pipe 14a.

[0017] Pipes 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d are arranged without protruding from the outer casing of the top surface of transformer main tank 11. Pipes 14a and 14b collectively connect the positive ends of cooling pipes 12a and 12b in the vehicle width direction Y, and also connect pump 13. Pipes 14c and 14d collectively connect the negative ends of cooling pipes 12a and 12b in the vehicle width direction Y, pipe 14c is connected to inlet header 11a of transformer main tank 11, and pipe 14d is connected to outlet header 11b of transformer main tank 11.

[0018] 5 to 7, the refrigerant flowing in from the pump 13 is distributed to the plurality of cooling pipes 12a via pipe 14a, mixed in pipe 14c, and then flows into the transformer main tank 11 through the inlet header 11a of the transformer main tank 11. After circulating within the transformer main tank 11, the refrigerant flows out from the outlet header 11b of the transformer main tank 11, is distributed to the plurality of cooling pipes 12b via pipe 14d, is mixed in pipe 14b, and flows out to the pump 13.

[0019] As the refrigerant, insulating oil is used, and particularly for vehicles, highly flame-retardant silicone oil or ester oil, which has a low environmental impact when disposed of, is used.

[0020] When energized, the refrigerant, which is a cooling medium for the windings and the iron core, circulates in the order of the cooler 12 on the front side, the piping 14b on the front side, the pump 13, the piping 14a on the rear side, the cooler 12 on the rear side, the piping 14c on the rear side, the inlet header 11a of the transformer main tank 11, the outlet header 11b of the transformer main tank 11, the piping 14d on the front side, and the cooler 12 on the front side, absorbing heat from the generated windings and the iron core and dissipating it in the cooler 12 on the front side. Note that the refrigerant may also circulate in the order of the cooler 12 on the rear side, the piping 14a on the rear side, the pump 13, the piping 14b on the front side, the cooler 12 on the front side, the piping 14d on the front side, the outlet header 11b of the transformer main tank 11, the inlet header 11a of the transformer main tank 11, the piping 14c on the rear side, and the cooler 12 on the rear side.

[0021] In the vehicle transformer 10 configured in this manner, the pump 13 is installed so as not to protrude from the outer casing of the upper surface of the transformer main tank 11, thereby reducing the installation space for the vehicle transformer 10.

[0022] 1 Railway vehicle, 2 Roof, 3 Equipment, 10 Vehicle transformer, 11 Transformer main body tank, 11a Inlet header, 11b Outlet header, 12 Cooler, 12a, 12b Cooling pipe, 13 Pump, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d Piping, 15 Partition member.

Claims

1. A vehicle transformer having an inlet header into which a refrigerant flows and an outlet header from which the refrigerant flows out, a transformer body tank for storing a transformer body, and coolers disposed in a split manner in the vehicle traveling direction so as not to protrude from the outer contour of the upper surface portion of the transformer body tank, long in the vehicle width direction, and cooling the refrigerant by the traveling wind during vehicle travel, a cooler on the front side in the vehicle traveling direction and a cooler on the rear side in the vehicle traveling direction, a front pipe connected to one end of the cooler on the front side in the vehicle traveling direction disposed on the upper surface portion of the transformer body tank, a rear pipe connected to one end of the cooler on the rear side in the vehicle traveling direction disposed on the upper surface portion of the transformer body tank, a pump connecting the ends of the two pipes and disposed without protruding from the outer contour of the upper surface portion of the transformer body tank, and when the vehicle is viewed from above, the two pipes are aligned in a straight line with the vehicle traveling direction, and different-direction refrigerants flow through the cooler on the front side in the vehicle traveling direction and the cooler on the rear side in the vehicle traveling direction, and the cooler on the front side in the vehicle traveling direction, the front pipe, the pump, the rear pipe, the cooler on the rear side in the vehicle traveling direction, the inlet header of the transformer body tank, and the outlet header of the transformer body tank are connected in this order, and having a circulation path in which the refrigerant is circulated by the pump.

2. The vehicle transformer according to claim 1, wherein both the cooler on the front side in the vehicle traveling direction and the cooler on the rear side in the vehicle traveling direction are each composed of a plurality of cooling pipes extending in the vehicle width direction.

3. The vehicle transformer according to claim 1, wherein the inside of the transformer body tank is divided into two by a partition member in the vehicle width direction.

4. The vehicle transformer according to claim 3, wherein the inlet header and the outlet header of the transformer body tank are arranged side by side in the vehicle traveling direction on the upper surface portion of the transformer body tank straddling the partition member.

Images