Power Electronics Device Common Substrate Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing power electronics devices, such as frequency converters, face challenges in achieving effective cooling and balanced current distribution when multiple units are connected in parallel, leading to increased complexity and cost due to the need for individual mechanical and cooling structures, as well as potential current imbalances.
Innovation Solution
A structural arrangement where mechanically separate power units are mounted on a common metallic substrate, sharing a common cooling and power circuit, with symmetrical cooling and electrical interfaces, and connected via a fast communications bus, allowing for simultaneous control and flexible configuration for different tasks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If multiple power units are connected in parallel to increase power handling capability, then the power density and cooling efficiency improve, but the current balance between units deteriorates due to impedance variations
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple power units are mounted on a common substrate that provides shared cooling channels and electrical connections, merging the cooling and electrical infrastructure to ensure uniform operating conditions and current distribution across all units
Solution Approach 2:
The common substrate design creates equipotential electrical connections and uniform thermal pathways, ensuring that all power units operate under identical electrical and thermal conditions, thereby preventing current imbalance
2Ease of manufacture
If each power unit has its own separate mechanical and cooling structures, then the manufacturing and servicing ease improve, but the device complexity and space occupation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The common substrate serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides mechanical support for power units, establishes electrical connections between units and the external circuit, and delivers uniform cooling to all units, thereby reducing overall structural complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The power units are designed as separate modular components that can be independently manufactured and serviced, while sharing the common substrate infrastructure, combining modularity with integrated cooling and electrical connections
3Reliability
If separate cooling apparatuses are used for each power unit, then the cooling reliability improves, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple power units share a common cooling system integrated into the substrate, with cooling channels that distribute coolant uniformly to all units, reducing the number of separate cooling apparatuses while maintaining reliable cooling through symmetric flow path design
4Temperature
If additional valves are installed to adjust cooling flows for each device, then the cooling distribution uniformity improves, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling channels in the substrate are designed with asymmetric cross-sectional areas or lengths to compensate for positional differences of power units, creating symmetric cooling conditions without requiring additional flow control valves
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling channel dimensions (cross-sectional area, length) are varied along different paths to adjust flow distribution, using geometric parameter changes rather than mechanical valves to achieve uniform cooling across all power units
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 arrangement enables efficient cooling, balanced current distribution, and flexible configuration of power units, reducing manufacturing and servicing costs while maintaining high power density and modularity, with the ability to save energy by selectively activating units based on power requirements.
Implementation Method 1
by transferring the dissipation power produced in the components via liquid circulating in the device to outside the device
Implementation Method 2
A refrigerant channel through which a refrigerant for cooling the power semiconductor and the smoothing capacitor flows is provided in the cooling plate
Implementation Method 3
The support may aid in removing heat from the circuits through fluid circulating through the support
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4A~5
Figure 6~7
AI summary
Power electronics device, such as a frequency converter, which comprises liquid-cooled power units (REC5, REC6, AFE5, AFE6, INU4, INU5, DC/DC, DC/AC) and also a substrate arrangement, in which power units there is at least one power semiconductor component, e.g. an IGBT or a diode, and which power units are connected to at least one power circuit (11, 12) connecting them. The power units are mechanically separate and they are disposed on at least one substrate (1) provided with liquid cooling ducts (4, 5), which substrate is common to more than one power unit, which substrate comprises liquid cooling interfaces (7, 8) and power circuit interfaces (9, 10) for each power unit that can be connected to it, and which substrate comprises one liquid cooling interface (2, 3) and one power circuit interface (DC+, DC-) to outside the substrate.