Angled Axial Fans for Power Electronic Cooling Noise Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-power electronic apparatuses, such as frequency converters, face challenges in achieving effective cooling while maintaining a compact size and minimizing noise levels, as traditional axial fans used for cooling are typically noisy and consume significant space.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of at least two adjacent axial fans disposed at an angle α with respect to each other, combined with a separating wall extending outside the housing, to reduce noise and enhance airflow efficiency without increasing the apparatus' size, allowing for effective cooling in compact power electronic apparatuses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If axial fans are used for cooling power electronic components, then effective cooling is achieved, but noise level increases
Solution Approach 1:
The housing front face is divided into multiple air inlets, each equipped with its own fan. This segmentation allows the total airflow requirement to be distributed across multiple smaller fans, reducing the noise level of each individual fan while maintaining overall cooling effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
A noise-reducing structure is introduced as an intermediary element between the fans and the external environment. This structure includes noise-reducing material that absorbs and dampens fan noise while allowing airflow to pass through, effectively decoupling the cooling function from the noise generation.
2Temperature
If multiple fans are used for effective cooling, then cooling performance improves, but device size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The air inlets and fans are integrated into the front face of the housing in a planar arrangement, utilizing the two-dimensional surface area efficiently. This allows multiple fans to be accommodated without significantly increasing the overall device volume, as the cooling components are distributed across the front surface rather than extending the device in additional dimensions.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If fan size is reduced to lower noise, then noise level decreases, but airflow efficiency is impaired
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple smaller fans are merged to work together as a unified cooling system. The combined airflow from all fans achieves the total airflow requirement, while each individual fan operates at a lower noise level. The merging of multiple low-noise fans compensates for the reduced individual fan size.
Solution Approach 2:
A noise-reducing structure with noise-reducing material serves as an intermediary that allows airflow to pass through while absorbing and dampening fan noise. This structure ensures that the reduced fan size and lower individual airflow capacity are compensated by the efficient airflow management through the noise-reducing design.
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
This configuration effectively reduces noise levels by approximately 4-5 dB while maintaining airflow efficiency, making it suitable for high-power applications like frequency converters with electrical powers between 10 kW and 5 MW.
Implementation Method 1
at least two adjacent axial fans connected to the housing for inducing airflow from outside into the housing in order to cool the power electronic components
Implementation Method 2
further noise reduction is achieved by providing the apparatus with a separating wall that extends outside the housing from between the at least two adjacent axial fans
Data Source
AI summary
A power electronic apparatus with cooling arrangement comprises a housing (1) that accommodates the power electronic components (5). At least two adjacent axial fans (4) are connected to the housing (1) for inducing an airflow from outside into the housing (1) in order to cool the power electronic components (5). Furthermore, at least one pair of said adjacent fans (4) is disposed at an angle α with respect to each other in order to reduce noise caused by the fans. Such a cooling arrangement provides a power electronic apparatus with effective cooling in compact size and also having an acceptable level of noise.