Cooling Fin Tube Inserts for Lightweight Electrical Machine Heat Dissipation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooling devices for electrical machines in aeronautics face limitations in weight and bulk, with conventional air-based and fluid-based cooling methods either requiring increased size or complexity, which is not optimal for compact and lightweight applications.
Innovation Solution
A cooling device combining cooling fins and heat pipes, where heat pipes are embedded within the fins to enhance thermal conductivity and reduce weight, with a design that allows for efficient heat transfer through convection and conduction, and the use of thermal grease to prevent corrosion and optimize material choice.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If air-based cooling with fins is used, then the device structure is simple, but the heat dissipation capability is limited and requires increased bulk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines two cooling approaches by embedding heat pipes (from the fluid-based cooling approach) within the fins of the air-based cooling device. This merging allows the device to utilize both convective heat transfer through fins and phase-change heat transfer through heat pipes, significantly enhancing heat dissipation capability while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling device uses composite construction by integrating heat pipe components into the fin structure. The heat pipes are embedded within the fins, creating a composite cooling system that leverages the advantages of both air-based and fluid-based cooling methods in a single integrated structure.
2Power
If fluid-based cooling with exchangers and pumps is used, then heat dissipation capability is enhanced, but weight and bulk increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential heat transfer function from the complex fluid-based cooling system and implements it through embedded heat pipes within the fins. This eliminates the need for separate exchangers and circulation pumps, significantly reducing weight and bulk while maintaining enhanced heat dissipation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat pipes embedded in the fins provide passive cooling through phase-change heat transfer without requiring external pumps or complex circulation systems. The heat pipes self-regulate heat transfer from the electrical machine to the fins, reducing the need for additional active cooling components and thereby reducing overall system weight.
3Power
If fluid-based cooling with exchangers and pumps is used, then heat dissipation capability is enhanced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the heat transfer functions of exchangers and pumps into a single integrated fin-heat pipe structure. The heat pipes are embedded directly within the fins, eliminating the need for separate exchanger components and fluid circulation systems, thereby simplifying the overall device complexity while maintaining enhanced heat dissipation capability.
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 provides an efficient and lightweight cooling mechanism that enhances heat dissipation capabilities while maintaining a compact form factor, addressing the constraints of weight and bulk in electrical machine cooling.
Implementation Method 1
at least one insert extending primarily in a second direction of the plane distinct from the first direction, the insert having, over its greater length, a thermal resistance lower than the thermal resistance of the cooling fin along the same length. According to one aspect of the invention, the insert is a heat pipe.
Implementation Method 2
The insert is a heat pipe
Implementation Method 3
an exchange of heat being able to take place by convection between the cooling device and the fluid
Data Source
AI summary
A cooling device having a surface configured to allow the circulation of a heat-transfer fluid along the surface in a first direction D1, an exchange of heat being able to take place by convection between the cooling device and the fluid, the device includes n cooling fins, n being an integer greater than or equal to one, each cooling fin forming a protuberance of the device, extending primarily in a plane (P) containing the first direction (D1), in each fin, at least two inserts having a tube form and a dimension characteristic of a section of the tube and extending primarily in a second direction (D2) of the plane P distinct from the first direction (D1), the inserts having, over their greater length, a thermal resistance lower than the thermal resistance of the cooling fin along the same length, each insert being distant in the first direction (D1) from another insert by a length equal to or greater than the characteristic dimension of the section of the tube of the insert.