Blower Pressure Equalization for Dry Electronics Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing blowers for internal combustion engines face issues with contaminants and liquids entering the electronics chamber, leading to potential damage and impaired functionality, which limits their operating time.
Innovation Solution
A blower design with a housing that includes a pressure equalization element to allow gas exchange between the electronics and motor chambers while preventing liquid ingress, combined with efficient cooling mechanisms for both the motor and electronics components, using a permeable membrane and thermal conductive housing parts to protect sensitive electronics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a conventional blower design is used, then the structure is simple, but the airflow generation capability is insufficient and the motor efficiency is low
Solution Approach 1:
The blower is divided into multiple independent impellers (first impeller and second impeller) that operate simultaneously. Each impeller generates airflow independently, and their combined effect produces the total airflow. This segmentation allows the blower to achieve higher productivity without requiring a single complex high-performance impeller, thus resolving the contradiction between airflow generation capability and structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple impellers are combined within a single blower housing, with each impeller driven by the motor through different transmission paths. The first impeller and second impeller work together to generate airflow, merging their individual contributions into a unified high-performance system. This combining approach enables the blower to achieve superior airflow generation while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure through modular integration.
2Productivity
If high airflow is generated using conventional means, then the motor power increases, but the noise level increases and efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The airflow generation task is segmented across multiple impellers, each operating at optimized speeds and loads. This segmentation allows the motor to drive multiple smaller impellers more efficiently than a single large impeller, reducing energy losses and improving overall motor efficiency while maintaining high total airflow output.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters by using multiple impellers with different configurations and speeds. The first and second impellers can rotate at different speeds and have different blade configurations, allowing optimization of each impeller's performance parameters to maximize efficiency while achieving high total airflow, thereby reducing energy losses.
3Productivity
If high airflow is generated using conventional means, then the motor power increases, but the noise level increases
Solution Approach 1:
The noise generation is segmented across multiple impellers, each producing less noise individually compared to a single high-power impeller. The distributed configuration of multiple impellers reduces the concentration of noise sources, and the overall system operates more quietly while maintaining high airflow generation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters by using multiple impellers that can rotate at different speeds and have different blade designs. This allows optimization of noise-generating parameters such as rotational speed and blade geometry for each impeller, reducing overall noise levels while maintaining high airflow output.
4Ease of manufacture
If the blower structure is simplified, then the manufacturing cost decreases, but the airflow generation capability and efficiency decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The blower uses multiple standardizable impeller units that can be manufactured independently using conventional processes. Each impeller is a relatively simple component that can be produced efficiently, and the modular segmented design allows for easier manufacturing and assembly compared to a single complex high-performance impeller, thus reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining high airflow capability.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple simpler impeller components are combined within a single blower housing to achieve high airflow generation capability. This merging of multiple simple, easily manufactured components creates a system with superior performance compared to a single complex component, while the overall structure remains relatively simple and cost-effective to manufacture.
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
The design ensures reliable operation for extended periods by preventing liquid ingress and effectively cooling the motor and electronics, enabling a powerful electric motor and motor electronics to function efficiently.
Implementation Method 1
a first impeller and a second impeller arranged along a rotation axis of the motor in parallel with each other at different radial positions
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The invention relates to a blower (10) comprising: a housing (12) on which an intake opening (1232) and an outlet opening (1212) are formed and which forms a conveying chamber (14), a motor chamber (18) and an electronics chamber (22), the housing (12) being designed such that a fluid can be conveyed from the intake opening (1232) through the motor chamber (18) and the conveying chamber (14) to the outlet opening (1212); an impeller (16) which is arranged in the conveying chamber (14), the conveying chamber (14) and the impeller (16) being designed such that a fluid is conveyed through the conveying chamber (14) when the impeller (16) rotates; an electric motor (20) which is arranged in the motor chamber (18) and which is designed to drive the impeller (16) in rotation; and a motor electronics unit (24) which is arranged in the electronics chamber (22) and which is designed to control the electric motor (20) in order to drive the impeller (16), the housing (12) having a pressure equalization opening (1235) via which the electronics chamber (22) is fluidically connected to the motor chamber (18), a pressure equalization element (32) being arranged at the pressure equalization opening (1235) and being designed to allow gas to be exchanged between the electronics chamber (22) and the motor chamber (18) via the pressure equalization opening (1235) and to prevent liquid from infiltrating into the electronics chamber (22) via the pressure equalization opening (1235).