Motor Drive Cooling Duct with Parallel Channels
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Solution Overview
Problem
In power electronic devices, such as motor drives, the compactness of control units leads to increased heat generation and reduced cooling efficiency, limiting motor power output and reliability due to diminished air cooling effectiveness as air travels through heated channels.
Innovation Solution
A motor drive duct system with parallel duct channels for the converter and inverter sections, featuring a blower for efficient air flow and angled interfaces for modular assembly, allowing for enhanced air flow rates and reduced air flow resistance while maintaining high thermal performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the control unit is made compact to reduce size, then the volume of the cooling channel is reduced, but the cooling efficiency deteriorates due to preheating of air and diminished cooling effect at the exhaust end
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling channel is divided into multiple separate channels, each dedicated to a specific heat sink (converter heat sink and inverter heat sink). This segmentation prevents air from being preheated by passing through multiple heat sinks in series, as each channel receives ambient air directly from the environment, thereby maintaining high cooling efficiency while allowing compact control unit design.
2Volume of moving object
If the control unit is made compact, then the space is reduced, but the air flow resistance increases and cooling effectiveness diminishes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces separate air flow paths that extend outward from the control unit to ambient air sources, utilizing external space in multiple dimensions rather than confining all air flow within the compact internal volume. This dimensional approach allows sufficient air flow rates and cooling effectiveness while maintaining a compact control unit housing.
3Reliability
If separate air channels are provided for each heat sink, then the cooling efficiency is improved by preventing preheating, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The air intake function is extracted from the internal duct system and provided separately for each cooling channel. Each channel has its own independent air intake from the environment, eliminating the need for complex internal air distribution mechanisms and reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high cooling efficiency.
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 system achieves improved cooling efficiency by ensuring ambient air is used for each heat sink, preventing preheating and increasing air flow rates, thus allowing higher motor power levels and reduced risk of failure due to heat-related issues.
Implementation Method 1
The air inlet section may include a blower for blowing cooling air through the duct channel paths of the converter and inverter sections
Implementation Method 2
The converter section houses a converter heat sink, an inverter section that houses an inverter heat sink
Implementation Method 3
components near the exhaust end of the air channel will usually experience a diminished cooling effect
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure is generally directed to efficiently cooling converter and inverter components of a drive system. Present techniques relate to a motor drive duct system that facilitates efficient cooling and access to motor drive components. The motor drive duct system includes duct channel paths that are parallel and adjacent to one another. The duct system includes a converter section that houses a converter heat sink, an inverter section that houses an inverter heat sink, an exhaust section, and an air inlet section. The converter section and the inverter section are configured to be attached and detached from each other at end sections that are angled to receive one another. Further, the inverter section, converter section, and air inlet section are configured to roll into and out of a cabinet, which facilitates access to field wiring.