Cooling Rib Assembly with Varying Flow Resistance for Power Electronics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional coolers for power electronics face limitations in maximizing heat transfer coefficients due to pressure drop constraints, which restrict the efficient dissipation of heat from high-power semiconductors.
Innovation Solution
The cooler design incorporates a cooling rib assembly with alternating strong and weak flow resistance regions, where strong regions are positioned near heat sources and weak regions are placed at edges or between semiconductors, allowing for optimized heat transfer while minimizing pressure drop.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the heat transfer coefficient through the cooling rib assembly is increased, then cooling efficiency is improved, but the pressure drop increases beyond allowable limits
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling rib assembly implements spatially varying rib structures where rib height, spacing, or presence differs across different regions. Strong cooling regions with higher flow resistance are positioned near power semiconductors, while weak cooling regions with lower flow resistance are positioned at edges or between semiconductors. This local differentiation allows the system to achieve high heat transfer coefficients where needed while maintaining acceptable pressure drop overall.
2Temperature
If uniform cooling is provided across the entire cooling rib assembly, then all regions are cooled equally, but the pressure drop increases due to high flow resistance throughout
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than uniform cooling, the patent applies local quality by creating zones with different cooling intensities. The cooling rib assembly contains strong cooling regions with dense or taller ribs near heat-generating power semiconductors, and weak cooling regions with sparser or shorter ribs in areas with lower heat generation. This non-uniform configuration optimizes heat removal where required while reducing flow resistance in less critical areas, thereby lowering overall pressure drop.
3Temperature
If the cooling rib assembly is designed with high flow resistance to maximize heat transfer, then cooling performance improves, but the pump power requirement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling rib assembly uses local quality by concentrating high flow resistance features (taller ribs, closer spacing) only in strong cooling regions adjacent to power semiconductors where heat transfer is most needed. In weak cooling regions, the rib structure is reduced to minimize flow resistance. This selective approach achieves high overall heat transfer coefficients without requiring excessive pump power to overcome uniform high resistance throughout the entire assembly.
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 design reduces pressure drop and enhances the heat transfer coefficient, enabling more effective cooling of power electronics by strategically varying flow resistance within the cooling rib assembly.
Implementation Method 1
The cooling channel and the cooling rib assembly are designed to enable the passage of a cooling fluid... the heat transfer coefficient through the cooling rib assembly
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a housing (2) for installing the power electronics (101) and a cooling rib assembly (7) with a plurality of ribs (9) in a cooling channel (6) of the housing (2), wherein fluid can flow through the cooling rib assembly (7) along a longitudinal axis (30), wherein the cooling rib assembly (7) comprises at least one strong cooling region (20) with a first flow resistance for the fluid and at least one weak cooling region (21) with a second flow resistance for the fluid, wherein the first flow resistance is greater than the second flow resistance.