Electronic Component Cooling with Tapered Turbulator Ducts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooling devices for electronic components, such as power modules in inverters, face inefficiencies in heat dissipation due to bypass flows around turbulators, which reduce the effectiveness of heat transfer.
Innovation Solution
A cooling device design featuring a top plate with a depression forming a cooling duct and turbulators, with tapered portions adjacent to the turbulators to deflect and slow down bypass flows, ensuring a larger volume of fluid passes through the turbulators, enhancing heat dissipation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If turbulators are arranged in cooling ducts to improve heat dissipation, then heat transfer efficiency is improved, but bypass flows around the turbulators reduce the effectiveness of heat transfer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by introducing tapered portions at specific locations (upstream and downstream) of the turbulator section. These tapered portions are only present in the bypass flow regions, creating localized flow modification exactly where needed to redirect bypass flows through the turbulator, thereby improving heat transfer efficiency without requiring modification of the entire cooling duct.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the cooling duct by introducing tapered portions with specific angle ranges (5-45 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis). This parameter modification alters the flow characteristics in the bypass regions, forcing the cooling fluid to redirect through the turbulator section, thus eliminating energy loss and improving heat dissipation efficiency.
2Ease of manufacture
If the cooling duct has a constant cross-section, then manufacturing is simpler, but bypass flows reduce cooling effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent maintains a constant cross-section in the majority of the cooling duct while introducing tapered portions only in the bypass flow regions. This localized modification approach preserves manufacturing simplicity for the bulk of the duct while achieving improved cooling effectiveness through the targeted flow redirection provided by the tapered sections.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling duct is segmented into different functional regions: a constant cross-section section for straightforward manufacturing and a tapered portion section for flow control. This segmentation allows the duct to be manufactured using standard processes while incorporating flow modification features that enhance cooling effectiveness through the interaction of different geometric sections.
3Productivity
If the top plate is designed as a deep-drawn component with a depression, then the cooling duct geometry is formed, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the formation of the cooling duct geometry with the manufacturing of the top plate by integrating the depression directly into the top plate structure. This combining approach allows the cooling duct to be formed as part of the top plate manufacturing process, reducing the need for separate components and assembly steps, thereby improving productivity while managing device complexity through integrated design.
Solution Approach 2:
The top plate serves multiple functions: it forms the cooling duct through its depression, provides structural support, and incorporates the tapered portions for flow control. This multi-functionality reduces the overall number of components needed in the cooling device, simplifying the overall structure while maintaining the benefits of precise geometric control for effective 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 design significantly reduces bypass flows, increasing the efficiency and longevity of the cooling process by ensuring effective heat transfer from electronic components.
Implementation Method 1
an additional pressure drop in the part region of the cooling fluid flow close to the edge is created as a result
Implementation Method 2
the tapered portion causes the cooling fluid flow close to the edge to slow down
Implementation Method 3
a cooling fluid flow of a cooling fluid can flow through the cooling duct in the longitudinal direction
Implementation Method 4
the at least one turbulator is arranged within a turbulator section of the cooling duct
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a cooling device (1) for cooling electronic components (2) comprising: a bottom plate (3), a top plate (4) which is a deep-drawn component with a depression (40), wherein the bottom plate (3) and the top plate (4) are arranged in such a way that a cooling duct (5) is formed between the bottom plate (3) and the top plate (4) by way of the depression (40), wherein the cooling duct (5) extends along the longitudinal direction (11) from an inlet opening (51) to an outlet opening (52), wherein a cooling fluid flow of a cooling fluid can flow through the cooling duct (5) along the longitudinal direction (10); and at least one turbulator (6) which is arranged within a turbulator section (56) of the cooling duct (5), wherein at least one tapered portion (7) of a flow cross section of the cooling duct (5) is configured upstream and/or downstream of the turbulator section (56), in order to deflect a part region, close to the edge, of the cooling fluid flow within the cooling duct (5).