Flat Conductor Winding with Protrusions for Transformer Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-frequency, high-current power transformers face significant cooling challenges due to increased power losses, particularly in high current windings, which existing designs struggle to efficiently address, especially when multiple turns are required.
Innovation Solution
The use of a substantially flat and elongate conductor with shaped ends that protrude to allow direct connection to a bus bar, enabling efficient heat transfer and improved electrical conductance, allowing for higher current capacity and efficient cooling by eliminating hot spots at junctions between round and flat conductors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a conventional round conductor is used for high current winding, then the transformer can be manufactured with standard components, but heat buildup occurs at junctions between round and flat conductors creating hot spots
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the round conductor and flat conductor into a single unitary flat conductor structure. The flat conductor is formed with a protrusion that directly contacts the bus bar, eliminating the junction between round and flat conductors that previously created hot spots. This merging removes the thermal discontinuity while maintaining electrical connection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a round (1D circular cross-section) conductor to a flat (2D rectangular cross-section) conductor with a protrusion. This dimensional change allows the conductor to maintain better thermal contact with the bus bar surface, increasing the contact area and improving heat dissipation from the junction.
2Reliability
If the high current winding has only one turn, then the design from U.S. Pat. No. 7,123,123 works well, but the transformer cannot handle higher current requirements that need multiple turns
Solution Approach 1:
The flat conductor is segmented into functional zones: a winding portion that wraps around the core multiple times and a protrusion portion that contacts the bus bar. This segmentation allows the conductor to perform both winding functions (multiple turns for higher current) and thermal management functions (direct bus bar contact for cooling) simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The flat conductor with protrusion serves multiple functions: it provides the winding structure for multiple turns to increase current capacity, maintains thermal contact with the core throughout the winding, and creates a direct thermal path to the bus bar through the protrusion. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction between cooling performance and current capacity.
3Temperature
If a flat conductor is used for high current winding, then heat transfer efficiency is improved, but the conductor requires special shaping at the ends to enable connection to power source
Solution Approach 1:
The protrusion is pre-formed as an integral part of the flat conductor during the winding process. By preparing this thermal contact feature in advance, the design simplifies the assembly process and ensures optimal thermal contact between the conductor and bus bar without requiring additional machining or assembly steps.
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 configuration enhances cooling efficiency, increases current capacity, and reduces heat buildup, achieving improved electrical conductance and thermal management for high-frequency transformers with multiple turns in the high current winding.
Implementation Method 1
The flat conductor bolted to a bus bar offers a relatively higher surface area at the junction, which mitigates heat buildup
Implementation Method 2
a high current transformer winding made from a flat conductor having opposing ends that are shaped (e.g. a lateral protrusion), such that when a middle portion of the conductor is wound around a transformer core
Data Source
AI summary
A high current transformer winding made from a flat conductor having opposing ends that are shaped (e.g. a lateral protrusion), such that when a middle portion of the conductor is wound around a transformer core, one or both opposing ends protrude to allow operative connection to a power source.