Power Source Device Dew Condensation Control via Segmented Cooling Room
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Solution Overview
Problem
In power source devices housing fuel cells or batteries, dew condensation often occurs above the fuel cell or battery due to the placement of coolers, leading to water droplets potentially falling onto the fuel cell or battery, which can cause issues during operation.
Innovation Solution
The device incorporates a small room within the casing with a cooler at its floor, where electric components generating less heat are positioned to induce dew condensation, and a through hole connects this room to the main space, preventing dew droplets from falling onto the fuel cell or battery by ensuring dew condensation occurs within the small room.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a cooler is placed above the fuel cell or battery to cool electric components, then the electric component cooling performance is improved, but dew condensation occurs and water droplets may fall onto the fuel cell or battery
Solution Approach 1:
The casing is divided into a main space for the fuel cell or battery and a small room for electric components. This segmentation isolates the dew condensation issue to the small room, preventing water droplets from falling onto the fuel cell or battery while maintaining effective cooling of the electric components through the cooler located at the floor of the small room.
Solution Approach 2:
A communication hole is provided in the floor of the small room to enable thermal interaction between the cooler and the main space. This intermediary structure allows the cooler to effectively cool electric components while the partitioned space configuration prevents dew condensation water droplets from reaching the fuel cell or battery.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If electric components generating small heat are placed in the small room, then dew condensation occurs in the small room rather than the main space, but the small room temperature becomes cooler reducing space utilization
Solution Approach 1:
Electric components generating small amounts of heat are specifically placed in the small room to create localized dew condensation conditions. This local quality arrangement ensures dew condensation occurs only in the small room, away from the fuel cell or battery, while the communication hole maintains thermal connection to the main space.
Solution Approach 2:
The communication hole in the floor of the small room creates a vertical thermal pathway that connects the small room to the main space. This dimensional arrangement allows the cooler at the floor level to cool electric components in the small room while the dew condensation is contained in the upper small room space, preventing water droplet fall to the fuel cell or battery in the main space.
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 configuration effectively prevents dew condensation from occurring in the main space where the fuel cell or battery is located, thereby avoiding water droplet adhesion and ensuring reliable operation by directing dew condensation to occur inside the small room.
Implementation Method 1
During operation of the cooler, dew condensation may sometimes occur at a location far from the electric component that generates a large amount of heat
Implementation Method 2
the cooler has a sufficient cooling capacity to cool the first electric component that generates a large amount of heat
Implementation Method 3
the main space and the small room communicate with each other
Data Source
AI summary
A power source device may include a casing housing a fuel cell or a battery; a small room provided in the casing, the small room partitioned from a main space in which the fuel cell or the battery is housed; a cooler arranged at a floor of the small room; a first electric component being in contact with a lower surface of the floor so as to be opposed to the cooler; and a second electric component being in contact with an upper surface of the floor so as to be opposed to the cooler, an amount of heat generated by the second electric component being smaller than an amount of heat generated by the first electric component, wherein the casing may include a through hole communicating the small room with the main space.