Switchable Contact Cooling for Higher Current Capacity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Switchable contacting devices, such as short circuit switching devices or contactors, face challenges in enhancing current-carrying capacity due to limitations in installation space and moving masses, making it difficult to increase the cross-section of current-carrying components, which in turn restricts thermal management.
Innovation Solution
The integration of a heat dissipating component that can provide various cooling functionalities, including internal passive, internal active, external passive, and external active cooling, using thermally conductive materials and liquid cooling systems to efficiently dissipate heat from current-carrying components outside the housing, thereby improving current-carrying capacity without altering the cross-section of electrical conductors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the cross-section of current-carrying components is increased to improve current-carrying capacity, then the current-carrying capacity is improved, but the installation space requirements increase and the moving masses increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the thermal management function from the current-carrying components themselves and implements it through a separate cooling system. The cooling component is introduced as an independent element that actively removes heat from the current-carrying components, allowing these components to maintain high current density without requiring increased cross-sectional area for thermal reasons.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a cooling component as an intermediary element between the heat-generating current-carrying components and the environment. This mediator actively transfers heat away from the electrical conductors, enabling them to operate at higher current densities without thermal damage, thus improving current-carrying capacity without increasing their cross-section.
2Temperature
If the cross-section of current-carrying components is increased to improve thermal management, then the heat dissipation capability is improved, but the installation space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the heat dissipation function from the current-carrying components and implements it through a dedicated cooling system. The cooling component serves as a separate thermal management element that actively removes heat from the electrical conductors, allowing them to maintain compact dimensions while achieving superior heat dissipation performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling component acts as an intermediary thermal management system between the heat-generating electrical components and the environment. It provides an active heat removal mechanism that enables compact current-carrying components to achieve high heat dissipation capability without requiring increased installation space.
3Temperature
If active cooling systems are implemented to improve heat dissipation, then the cooling efficiency is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a switchable cooling system that can dynamically adapt its operation mode based on thermal conditions. The cooling component can be activated or deactivated, and its cooling intensity can be adjusted, allowing the system to optimize between cooling efficiency and energy consumption, and between cooling performance and system complexity depending on the operational requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a cooling system with adjustable parameters, including switchable operation modes and variable cooling intensity. This allows the cooling efficiency to be optimized according to thermal conditions while managing system complexity by only activating cooling functions when necessary and at the appropriate intensity levels.
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 solution effectively enhances the current-carrying capacity of switchable contacting devices by efficiently dissipating heat, allowing for higher performance without increasing the cross-sectional area of components, thus addressing thermal management limitations.
Implementation Method 1
The thermally conductive mass body protrudes into the housing of the switchable contacting device with one side, and out of the housing with its other side. The thermally conductive mass body may be arranged with its side protruding inside the housing close to the switchable contacts to absorb heat caused by the current flow through the closed contacts. The absorbed heat is dissipated at the side of the thermally conductive mass body protruding out of the housing.
Implementation Method 2
The heat dissipating component may be provided in the form of a heat sink, through which a cooling liquid such as water or cooling oil flows. The heat dissipating component may comprise a body formed to provide a flow channel which protrudes from the outside inside the housing of the switchable contacting device, and thus enables to transfer the heat from the inside of the switchable contacting device to a suitable heat exchanger located outside the device via the liquid flowing in the flow channel.
Data Source
AI summary
A switchable contacting device with cooling functionality comprises a current-carrying component, a housing for encasing the current-carrying component, and a heat dissipating component. The heat dissipating component is arranged to dissipate heat from the current-carrying component outside the housing. The switchable contacting device allows to realize an internal passive cooling, an internal active cooling, an external passive cooling, and an external active cooling.