Capacitor Cooling via Vertical Air Ducts in PCB Housing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooling arrangements for heat-generating electrical components, such as capacitors, often fail to achieve homogeneous heat distribution and efficient heat dissipation, leading to reduced service life and increased internal resistance due to uneven cooling.
Innovation Solution
A receiving part with recesses and air ducts is designed to accommodate capacitors on a printed circuit board, allowing for guided air flow through the board and sealed channels for efficient heat dissipation, using a two-piece construction for reduced parts inventory and enhanced sealing, and incorporating a thermally conductive interface for improved heat transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If air flow is guided along the walls of power modules in a planar arrangement, then cooling is provided, but homogeneous heat distribution and direct heat dissipation from heat sources are not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The air ducts extend vertically through the receiving part from the first side to the second side, perpendicular to the printed circuit board, rather than following planar wall paths. This three-dimensional duct configuration enables direct airflow through heat-generating components, achieving homogeneous cooling without increasing overall system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The receiving part serves as an intermediary structure that houses both the printed circuit board with heat-generating components and the air ducts. The ducts are integrated within the receiving part itself, acting as a mediator to transport cooling air directly to heat sources while maintaining structural organization
2Ease of manufacture
If the receiving part is composed of multiple receiving sections, then a capsule housing can be formed and parts inventory is reduced, but sealing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The receiving part is divided into multiple receiving sections that can be tightly connected to form a capsule housing. This segmentation allows identical pieces to be used, reducing parts inventory, while the segmentation itself provides defined interfaces for sealing
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple receiving sections are tightly connected together to form a complete capsule housing that encloses the printed circuit board and air ducts. The merging of sections creates a sealed environment while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through modular assembly
3Temperature
If the receiving part encloses the connecting device and components, then effective cooling is achieved, but adaptability to different component types is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The receiving part is designed with a universal structure that can accommodate different types of heat-generating components. The air ducts and receiving sections provide a standardized cooling framework that works with various component configurations, including capacitors connected by busbars or printed circuit boards, maintaining cooling efficiency across different applications
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 arrangement achieves homogeneous heat distribution and efficient heat dissipation, increasing the service life of capacitors by maintaining uniform temperatures and reducing heat transfer resistance, while also providing airtight and watertight protection against environmental influences.
Implementation Method 1
air flow driven by a fan, i.e. actively, is guided along the walls of the power modules
Implementation Method 2
The surface is rough in the area of the recesses arranged in the receiving part. The elevations of the roughened surface are deformed, in particular elastically deformed, when the component is connected to the receiving part, and a reduced heat transfer resistance is thus achieved
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to an arrangement for cooling electrical components that generate heat, in particular capacitors, wherein an accommodating part has openings, in which the components can be accommodated, wherein the components are mounted on a circuit board, wherein air channels are arranged in the accommodating part, and air channels lead from the side of the accommodating part facing away from the circuit board to the side of the circuit board facing away from the accommodating part.