Circuit Breaker Panel Passive Cooling Through Chassis Heat Conduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional circuit breaker panels face challenges in efficiently managing thermal rise, particularly in dual-source systems, leading to potential fire hazards and increased failure rates due to excessive heat build-up, which active cooling methods like fans and Peltier effect coolers are inefficient and costly.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a thermally conductive, electrically insulating material between circuit breaker stabs and the panel chassis to passively conduct heat for radiant dissipation, enhanced by heat spreaders and a main heat sink, creating a thermal path from stabs to the chassis for effective cooling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If active cooling methods (fans, Peltier coolers) are used to manage thermal rise, then cooling effectiveness is improved, but system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the cooling function from active mechanical systems (fans, Peltier coolers) and transfers it to the panel chassis structure itself. The chassis is designed with thermally conductive features that passively draw heat away from circuit breakers through direct thermal contact, eliminating the need for separate active cooling components.
Solution Approach 2:
The panel chassis serves its own cooling function by incorporating thermally conductive elements that automatically dissipate heat from circuit breakers. The system uses its own structural components (chassis, mounting surfaces) as heat sinks, requiring no external cooling systems or additional energy input.
2Temperature
If active cooling methods are used, then thermal management is improved, but reliability decreases due to additional failure points
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes active cooling components (fans, Peltier coolers, power supplies) that introduce potential failure points. Instead, it uses passive thermal conduction through the chassis structure, which has no moving parts or electronic control systems that could fail.
Solution Approach 2:
The chassis structure performs self-cooling through its inherent thermal conductivity and design features (heat sinks, thermal pathways). This self-service approach eliminates dependence on external cooling systems that could fail, improving overall system reliability.
3Device complexity
If passive thermal conduction through chassis is used, then system simplicity is improved, but heat dissipation capability may be insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The chassis is designed with localized thermal management features at specific heat-generating locations. Circuit breaker mounting areas incorporate enhanced thermal conduction paths, heat sinks, or thermally conductive materials precisely where heat is generated, rather than uniformly treating the entire chassis.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extends thermal management into the structural dimension by making the chassis itself the cooling system. Thermal pathways are integrated into the three-dimensional chassis structure, using vertical and lateral heat conduction paths rather than relying solely on surface-level cooling.
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 solution effectively manages thermal rise, meeting UL-67 specifications without active cooling, reducing failure risks and costs, and ensuring safe operation of high-current circuit breakers.
Implementation Method 1
a thermally conductive, electrically insulating (TCEI) material interposed between a second side of the PCB opposite the first side, and the back wall of the chassis. The TCEI material is configured to conduct heat from the breaker stabs to the chassis for radiant cooling.
Implementation Method 2
The TCEI material is configured to conduct heat from the breaker stabs to the chassis for radiant cooling.
Data Source
AI summary
Heat is passively removed from circuit breaker stabs in a circuit breaker panel (i.e., without the use of active components such as cooling fans), and transferred to the panel chassis for radiant dissipation. A thermally conductive, electrically insulating (TCEI) material is interposed between the breaker stabs and the chassis. The TCEI material both spreads heat from each breaker stab over a large area, and passively conducts the heat to the panel chassis. In some embodiments, heat spreaders attached to the breaker stabs and embedded in the TCEI material, and/or a main heat sink interposed between the TCEI material and the circuit breaker panel chassis, enhance the passive conductance of heat from the breakers to the chassis for radiant cooling.