Heat Sink Assembly With Cross-Flow Cooling Circuits
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional heat sink assemblies for power converters face inefficiencies in heat dissipation, leading to thermal gradients, premature component failure, and mechanical challenges, particularly in air cooling systems and fluid cooling systems where coolant temperature increases unevenly, causing overheating and structural issues.
Innovation Solution
A heat sink assembly with a main body featuring two serpentine cooling circuits that provide opposing cross flows of coolant, ensuring uniform cooling and reducing thermal gradients by maintaining lower coolant temperatures across the power modules, thereby enhancing heat transfer efficiency and structural integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a fluid cooling system is employed with a single cooling circuit, then the system structure is simple, but the coolant attains high temperature within an initial portion or mid-portion of the heat sink causing thermal gradients
Solution Approach 1:
The single cooling circuit is segmented into multiple parallel cooling circuits (first cooling circuit with first plurality of passages, second cooling circuit with second plurality of passages). Each circuit independently cools different regions of the heat sink, preventing the coolant from attaining high temperatures too quickly and reducing thermal gradients across the heat sink.
2Ease of manufacture
If air cooling system is used, then the system is simple to implement, but the cooling efficiency is lower and requires high air flow rates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from air cooling to fluid cooling by employing coolant flowing through multiple parallel passages. The fluid cooling system with multiple parallel cooling circuits provides superior heat transfer efficiency and higher heat dissipation rates compared to air cooling, while maintaining reasonable system complexity.
3Device complexity
If coolant flows through a single path in the heat sink, then the system structure is simple, but the coolant attains high temperature much before exiting the heat sink
Solution Approach 1:
The single coolant path is segmented into multiple parallel paths (first cooling circuit and second cooling circuit with respective pluralities of passages). This segmentation distributes the heat load across multiple flow paths, allowing the coolant to maintain lower temperatures throughout the heat sink and preventing premature temperature rise that would cause thermal gradients and component failure.
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 cross-flow design achieves improved cooling efficiency, reduces thermal gradients, and minimizes the risk of premature component failure, while also simplifying the system architecture and reducing costs by utilizing a single coolant pump for dual cooling circuits.
Implementation Method 1
The heat sink may be provided in thermal contact with the components of the power converter in order to dissipate the generated heat therefrom
Implementation Method 2
a first cooling circuit adapted to provide a first flow of a coolant through the main body; a second cooling circuit adapted to provide a second flow of the coolant through the main body
Data Source
AI summary
A heat sink assembly for a power module is provided. The assembly includes a main body having a first cooling circuit and a second cooling circuit. The first cooling circuit includes a first plurality of channels, at least one first end channel, at least one second end channel, a first inlet, and a first outlet. The first cooling circuit is adapted to provide a first flow of a coolant through the main body. The second cooling circuit includes a second plurality of passages, at least one first end passage, at least one second end passage, a second inlet, and a second outlet. The second cooling circuit is adapted to provide a second flow of the coolant through the main body. The first cooling circuit and second cooling circuit is adapted to provide a cross flow of the first flow and second flow through the main body respectively.