Air conditioning assembly with heat conduction heat exchanger
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional control cabinets using fluorinated refrigerants for heat dissipation pose environmental risks due to global warming potential, and the transition to flammable or highly flammable alternatives necessitates a safe design to prevent explosive atmospheres in the event of leaks.
Innovation Solution
An air conditioning arrangement with a partitioned housing and a first heat exchanger that transfers heat from the control cabinet area to a refrigerant circuit in the outer area via conduction, using an air-liquid heat exchanger with no refrigerant in the control cabinet side, ensuring safe operation with flammable refrigerants.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If fluorinated refrigerants are used for heat dissipation, then heat dissipation efficiency is improved, but environmental harm increases due to global warming potential
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the refrigerant parameter from fluorinated refrigerants (high GWP) to alternative refrigerants with lower environmental impact. This involves selecting refrigerants with different thermodynamic properties and adjusting the system design to accommodate these alternatives while maintaining heat dissipation efficiency.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If flammable or highly flammable alternative refrigerants are used, then environmental harm is reduced, but safety risk increases due to potential explosive atmospheres in case of leaks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the control cabinet into multiple sealed compartments using partition walls. The refrigerant circuit is isolated in specific zones, and electronic components are separated from areas where refrigerant leaks could occur. This segmentation prevents the formation of explosive atmospheres by ensuring that flammable refrigerant does not come into contact with ignition sources.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediate barriers such as partition walls and sealed compartments that act as mediators between the refrigerant circuit and electronic components. These intermediaries prevent direct contact between potential refrigerant leaks and ignition sources, thereby eliminating the explosion risk while allowing the use of flammable refrigerants.
3Power
If conventional piping systems with bends and joints are used, then heat exchanger functionality is achieved, but leakage risk increases at connection points
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the piping system into an integrated refrigerant circuit with minimized connection points. By reducing the number of joints and bends, and using seamless piping where possible, the overall leakage risk is reduced while maintaining the heat exchanger's functionality for heat dissipation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Minimizes the risk of explosions and simplifies design while effectively dissipating heat, eliminating the need for expensive safety devices and ensuring safe operation with flammable refrigerants.
Implementation Method 1
a heat absorption section (14) arranged in the control cabinet housing area for absorbing heat from the control cabinet housing area and for transferring the heat to the evaporator section by means of heat conduction
Implementation Method 2
the transfer of heat energy from the air occurs, in particular exclusively, by conduction. Specifically, no refrigerant or refrigeration fluid is present within the heat absorption section of the first heat exchanger
Data Source
Figure 1a
Figure 1b
Figure 2a~2b
AI summary
To provide an air conditioning arrangement for a control cabinet which enables explosion-proof operation of the air conditioning arrangement with a flammable or highly flammable refrigerant, an air conditioning arrangement (100) for a control cabinet (21) is proposed, comprising a housing (22) with a control cabinet-side housing area (A) and an external housing area (B), comprising a partition (13) arranged between the control cabinet-side housing area (A) and the external housing area (B), which fluidically separates the control cabinet-side housing area (A) and the external housing area (B), and comprising a first heat exchanger (10) extending through the partition (13), wherein the first heat exchanger (10) is an air-liquid heat exchanger.with an evaporator section (15) arranged in the outer housing area (B) and a heat absorption section (14) thermally coupled to the evaporator section (15) and arranged in the control cabinet-side housing area (A) for absorbing heat from the control cabinet-side housing area (A) and for transferring the heat to the evaporator section (15) by means of heat conduction, wherein a refrigerant circuit (12), in particular comprising a flammable and/or toxic refrigerant, is arranged in the outer housing area (B) such that the heat transferred to the evaporator section (15) from the control cabinet-side housing area (A) can be transferred to the refrigerant circuit.