Power Electronics Cooling Assembly for Gas Turbine
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air pressurization systems for gas turbine engines face challenges in efficiently cooling power electronics, particularly due to the need to maintain low semiconductor junction temperatures while avoiding the efficiency reduction caused by bleeding high-pressure air from the engine.
Innovation Solution
A power electronics cooling assembly is provided, comprising a housing mountable to a bulkhead for separating fire and non-fire zones, ducts and fluid supply/return pipes carrying an ignitable fluid coolant, and a heat exchange structure within the housing to facilitate heat transfer from power electronics to the coolant.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If high pressure air is bled from the gas turbine engine for cabin pressurisation, then the air pressurisation system can operate, but the engine efficiency is reduced and fuel consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the air source for pressurisation from the bypass duct rather than bleeding it from the compressor section. This allows the engine core to operate at optimal efficiency while the bypass air, which would otherwise be wasted, is utilized for cabin pressurisation after being compressed by the blower compressor.
Solution Approach 2:
The blower compressor serves multiple functions: it compresses bypass air for cabin pressurisation and also provides a cooling function by directing compressed air through the heat exchange structure to cool the power electronics. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate cooling systems that would otherwise consume additional energy.
2Temperature
If power electronics are positioned in low temperature locations away from the engine core, then semiconductor junction temperatures are maintained, but the power electronics still require active cooling systems
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system for power electronics is merged with the air pressurisation system. The same blower compressor and fluid distribution network that provide pressurisation air are used to deliver cooling air to the power electronics heat exchange structure, eliminating the need for a separate cooling system.
Solution Approach 2:
The power electronics cooling is achieved using the compressed bypass air that is already available in the system. The heat exchange structure allows the compressed air to absorb heat from the power electronics, and the cooled air is then recirculated or discharged, creating a self-sustaining cooling loop that requires no additional energy input.
3Use of energy by moving object
If a heat exchange structure is used to cool power electronics with compressed air, then cooling efficiency is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchange structure is nested within the existing air pressurisation system architecture. The cooling channels are integrated into the housing that also serves as part of the pressurisation system, and the fluid distribution network is combined with the existing air delivery system, allowing the cooling function to be added without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.
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 cooling assembly effectively maintains power electronics at suitable temperatures by utilizing an ignitable fluid coolant in a heat exchange structure, while also being designed to operate in the non-fire zone, thus avoiding efficiency losses associated with high-pressure air bleeding.
Implementation Method 1
facilitate transfer of heat from the power electronics within the housing to the ignitable fluid coolant
Implementation Method 2
receive the ignitable fluid coolant from the fluid supply pipe, facilitate transfer of heat from the power electronics within the housing to the ignitable fluid coolant
Data Source
AI summary
A power electronics cooling assembly with a housing for power electronics. The housing is mountable to a bulkhead for separating a fire zone from a non-fire zone of a gas turbine engine. In the non-fire zone, one or more ducts extend from the bulkhead to the housing. A fluid supply and return pipes extend through the one or more ducts from the bulkhead to the housing. The fluid supply and return pipes are for carrying an ignitable fluid coolant. A heat exchange structure arranged within the housing is configured to receive the ignitable fluid coolant from the fluid supply pipe, facilitate transfer of heat from the power electronics within the housing to the ignitable fluid coolant, and output the ignitable fluid coolant to the fluid return pipe. A system, gas turbine engine assembly and an aircraft comprising the power electronics cooling assembly are also provided.