Integrated Heat Pipe Pole Assembly for Vacuum Breaker Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vacuum Circuit Breakers with high nominal current face heat dissipation challenges due to thermal resistances created by the current path in pole housings, limiting the effectiveness of heat pipes in medium voltage circuit breaker applications, especially in ultra-high vacuum and sensitive assembly environments.
Innovation Solution
An electric pole part apparatus comprising a heat pipe arrangement with heat pipes enclosed by an outer housing, where one end is connected to a heat sink and the other end is connected to an electric interruption unit, utilizing a thermal conductive material and soldering matrix for efficient heat transfer, and employing a borehole insertion method to minimize thermal resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If standard heat pipes are used in vacuum interrupter assemblies, then heat transfer capability is limited, but assembly complexity and thermal resistance increase due to sensitive ultra-high vacuum requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple heat pipes into a single integrated heat pipe arrangement with a common outer housing and shared evaporator section. This merging approach maintains high heat transfer efficiency through multiple heat pipes while reducing assembly complexity by treating them as one unit that can be installed as a single component in the vacuum interrupter assembly
Solution Approach 2:
The heat pipes are nested within a common outer housing, with multiple heat pipes arranged in parallel and enclosed together. This nesting structure allows the heat pipe arrangement to function as a compact integrated unit that simplifies installation while maintaining the heat transfer capabilities of multiple individual heat pipes
2Loss of energy
If multiple thermal resistance interfaces are created in the current path, then heat dissipation efficiency decreases, but structural flexibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the evaporator sections of multiple heat pipes into a single common evaporator structure that directly contacts the current path. This eliminates multiple thermal resistance interfaces by providing a unified heat source interface, while the integrated design maintains structural flexibility through the common housing configuration
3Manufacturing precision
If heat pipes are assembled in ultra-high vacuum environments, then manufacturing precision requirements increase, but production time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-assembling the complete heat pipe arrangement with all heat pipes enclosed in the outer housing and connected to the common evaporator before vacuum sealing. This pre-assembly is performed outside the ultra-high vacuum environment, allowing for easier manufacturing and quality control, while the entire pre-assembled unit is then installed as a single component in the vacuum interrupter, maintaining precision without sacrificing productivity
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 significantly enhances heat transport from the interruption unit to the heat sink, reducing thermal resistance and maintaining efficient cooling, even in high-voltage environments, thereby addressing the limitations of standard heat pipes in vacuum interrupter systems.
Implementation Method 1
A heat pipe arrangement (7) is provided. The heat pipe arrangement (7) comprises a plurality of heat pipes (1) enclosed at least partially by an outer housing (2)
Implementation Method 2
The plurality of heat pipes are embedded within a thermal conductive material within the outer housing
Implementation Method 3
The plurality of heat pipes are embedded within a thermal conductive material within the outer housing. The thermal conductive material comprises a matrix of soldering material
Implementation Method 4
insertion of the second end of the heat pipe arrangement into the borehole comprises a heating of at least a part of the electric interruption unit in the vicinity of the borehole
Implementation Method 5
insertion of the second part of the heat pipe arrangement into the borehole comprises a cooling of the second end of the heat pipe arrangement
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for an electric pole part apparatus, includes an electric interruption unit; a heat sink; and a heat pipe arrangement; wherein the heat pipe arrangement comprises a plurality of heat pipes enclosed at least partially by an outer housing; wherein a first end of the heat pipe arrangement is connected to the heat sink; and wherein a second end of the heat pipe arrangement is connected to the electric interruption unit.