Bus Bar Cavity Design for Heat Dissipation and Force Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional bus bars experience significant heating issues when conducting current, limiting their current-carrying capability and generating electromagnetic forces that compromise their performance, especially during fault currents, requiring excessive insulating support.
Innovation Solution
A bus bar design featuring a conducting body with angled slots for fixing and a cavity structure that reduces material usage, enhancing heat dissipation and minimizing magnetic forces by distributing electromagnetic fields externally.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional bus bars with solid rectangular cross-section are used, then structural simplicity is maintained, but heat dissipation is poor and current-carrying capability is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The bus bar incorporates cavities within its body structure, creating a porous configuration that increases surface area for heat dissipation. The cavities allow heat to be released from multiple surfaces simultaneously, improving thermal management without requiring additional material. This porous structure enables better current-carrying capability while using the same or less material compared to solid rectangular bus bars.
Solution Approach 2:
The bus bar body is segmented by introducing cavities that divide the solid structure into multiple regions. This segmentation creates additional internal surfaces for heat transfer and allows the conducting material to be distributed more effectively. The segmented structure with cavities provides enhanced heat dissipation pathways while maintaining structural integrity for current conduction.
2Reliability
If conventional bus bars are placed adjacent to each other, then space utilization is achieved, but electromagnetic forces generated during current flow jeopardize electrical conducting performance
Solution Approach 1:
The cavities in the bus bar structure serve to redirect and distribute electromagnetic forces generated during current flow. Instead of allowing these forces to concentrate and compromise electrical conducting performance, the cavity structure disperses the electromagnetic field distribution, converting the potentially harmful concentrated forces into distributed forces that the bus bar can better withstand. This improves reliability by preventing force concentration at critical points.
3Productivity
If conventional bus bars are used, then adequate current conduction is achieved, but significant heating limits current conducting capability
Solution Approach 1:
The porous structure with cavities increases the effective surface area of the bus bar, enabling more efficient heat dissipation to the surrounding environment. This reduced energy loss as heat allows the bus bar to maintain lower operating temperatures, thereby increasing its current conducting capability and overall productivity without excessive heating limitations.
4Strength
If conventional bus bars are used, then structural integrity is maintained, but large dimensioned insulating supporting elements are required to handle electromagnetic forces
Solution Approach 1:
The cavity structure transforms the way electromagnetic forces are distributed within the bus bar, converting concentrated forces into distributed forces that the existing structural integrity can handle. This reduces the need for additional large dimensioned insulating supporting elements, as the bus bar's own structure is better equipped to withstand the electromagnetic forces through the distributed force pattern created by the cavities.
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 improves heat dissipation and current-carrying capacity, allowing for higher nominal currents while reducing material usage and supporting element requirements, thus enhancing overall performance and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
minimizing magnetic forces by distributing electromagnetic fields externally
Implementation Method 2
enhancing heat dissipation and minimizing magnetic forces
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 4
AI summary
A bus bar for electric power distribution, comprising a conducting body which longitudinally extends along a principal axis and which, seen in a transversal cross-section, has a first side and a second side transversally connected by a third side and a fourth side. The body has, on the first side, at least a first slot and a second separated slot which are adapted for coupling with fixing means, the first slot having a first bottom portion from which a first lateral wall and a second lateral wall protrude transversally facing to each other, and the second slot having a second bottom portion from which a third lateral wall and a fourth lateral wall protrude transversally facing to each other. Each of the first bottom portion and the second bottom portion comprises two substantially straight tracts which form an angle of less than 180° between them. The third lateral wall is adjacent to the second lateral wall along a transversal extension of the body with respect to the principal axis. The body has, on the second side, at least one cavity extending at least over a corresponding portion of the body which extends between the second and third lateral walls.