Power Module Cooling Layout with Cold Plate and Air-Liquid Heat Exchanger
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heat dissipation systems for power conversion apparatuses fail to simultaneously meet the heat dissipation requirements of various components, leading to high energy consumption, large volume, and difficulty in miniaturization, while existing systems that do meet these requirements are costly and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A power module design incorporating a housing with a combined cold plate and air-liquid heat exchanger arrangement, where the cold plate dissipates heat for high-heat-generating components and the air-liquid heat exchanger dissipates heat for medium- and low-heat-generating components, using a composite heat dissipation method that reduces costs and volume, and optimizes internal space utilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a heat dissipation system is designed to meet the heat dissipation requirements of various components, then heat dissipation effectiveness is improved, but energy consumption and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The heat dissipation system is segmented into two distinct subsystems: a cold plate for high-heat-generating components and an air-liquid heat exchanger for medium- and low-heat-generating components. This segmentation allows each subsystem to be optimized for its specific heat dissipation needs, avoiding the excessive energy consumption that would result from using a single high-capacity system for all components.
Solution Approach 2:
Different heat dissipation methods are applied to different regions based on local heat generation characteristics. The cold plate with liquid circulation is applied locally to high-heat-generating components, while the air-liquid heat exchanger is used for medium- and low-heat-generating components, achieving energy-efficient heat dissipation tailored to each component's specific requirements.
2Temperature
If a heat dissipation system is designed to meet the heat dissipation requirements of various components, then heat dissipation effectiveness is improved, but volume of the heat dissipation system increases
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the heat dissipation system into two specialized subsystems, each component can be minimized in size for its specific function. The cold plate is compact for high-heat components, and the air-liquid heat exchanger is compact for medium- and low-heat components, resulting in a smaller total volume compared to a single large-capacity heat dissipation system.
Solution Approach 2:
The cold plate and air-liquid heat exchanger are merged into a single integrated heat dissipation system that shares common structural elements and mounting mechanisms, reducing the total volume and eliminating redundant components that would be present in two separate systems.
3Temperature
If multiple connectors are used to connect the cold plate and air-liquid heat exchanger, then heat dissipation performance is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cold plate and air-liquid heat exchanger are merged into a single integrated system that uses a unified connector design, reducing the quantity of connectors and simplifying the overall structure while maintaining effective heat dissipation performance for all components.
Solution Approach 2:
A universal connector design is implemented that can accommodate both the cold plate and air-liquid heat exchanger connections, allowing a single connector type to serve multiple functions and reducing the variety and quantity of connectors needed in the system.
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 design achieves efficient heat dissipation for all components with reduced energy consumption and costs, facilitating miniaturization and improving reliability by optimizing component layout and reducing the number of connectors and joints.
Implementation Method 1
the cold plate in the power module is configured to dissipate heat for a high-heat-generating component
Implementation Method 2
the cold plate and the air-liquid heat exchanger are both connected to the connector, so that a quantity of connectors is reduced
Implementation Method 3
The air-liquid heat exchanger in the power module is configured to dissipate heat for medium- and low-heat-generating components
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
This application provides a power module and an energy storage system. The power module includes a housing, a connector, an inductor, a cold plate, and an air-liquid heat exchanger. The connector, the air-liquid heat exchanger, the cold plate, and the inductor are sequentially arranged inside the housing along a first direction. The housing includes a front plate and a rear plate. The front plate and the rear plate are oppositely arranged along the first direction. The connector is arranged between the air-liquid heat exchanger and the front plate along the first direction. The connector includes a cold plate inlet, a heat exchanger inlet, a cold plate outlet, and a heat exchanger outlet. Along a second direction, the cold plate inlet and the cold plate outlet are adjacently arranged, and the heat exchanger inlet and the heat exchanger outlet are adjacently arranged. Along a third direction, the heat exchanger inlet and one of the cold plate inlet and the cold plate outlet are adjacently arranged, and the heat exchanger outlet and the other one of the cold plate inlet and the cold plate outlet are adjacently arranged. The third direction, the second direction, and the first direction are perpendicular to each other. The power module in this application has a small size, and has good heat dissipation effect for various heat-generating components, and can reduce heat dissipation costs.