Thermal Bridge Heat Exchangers for Shared Switchgear Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing switchgear cooling systems require large and expensive heat exchangers designed for maximum heat loads, even though compartments often experience varying heat loads, leading to inefficiency and potential overheating.
Innovation Solution
A thermal bridge is used to connect heat exchangers, allowing them to share cooling capacity and redistribute heat between compartments with different temperature loads, utilizing thermally conductive materials to optimize heat dissipation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If heat exchangers are designed for maximum heat load, then cooling reliability is improved, but device size and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent connects multiple heat exchangers through thermal bridges to form a shared cooling system. When one compartment experiences high heat load, its heat exchanger can transfer heat to other compartments with lower heat loads through the thermal bridges, allowing the system to handle peak loads collectively rather than requiring each heat exchanger to be oversized for maximum load alone.
2Temperature
If heat exchangers are designed for maximum heat load, then peak temperature control is improved, but cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The thermal bridge system enables automatic heat redistribution without external control. When temperature differences exist between compartments, heat naturally flows through the thermal bridges from hotter to cooler compartments, allowing the cooling system to self-regulate and handle peak temperatures without requiring active control mechanisms or oversized equipment.
3Adaptability or versatility
If separate heat exchangers are used for each compartment, then compartment-specific cooling is improved, but system efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The thermal bridges act as intermediaries between separate heat exchangers and compartments. They enable heat transfer between compartments with different thermal conditions, allowing the system to maintain compartment-specific cooling capabilities while also enabling efficient heat redistribution when load conditions vary, thus improving overall system efficiency.
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 approach reduces peak temperatures in overheated compartments, optimizes the use of existing cooling devices, and allows for smaller, less expensive heat exchangers by sharing heat loads across compartments, enhancing overall cooling efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The thermal bridge is configured to conduct heat between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger
Implementation Method 2
The first heat exchanger is configured to transfer heat from the switchgear to an environment external to the switchgear
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a cooling system (100) for an electrical sub-station or switchgear, the cooling system comprising: - a first heat exchanger (20); - a second heat exchanger (30); and - a thermal bridge (40); wherein the first heat exchanger is configured to be mounted to a first part of the electrical sub-station or switchgear to transfer heat from the first part of the electrical sub-station or switchgear to an environment external to the first part of the electrical sub-station or switchgear; wherein the second heat exchanger is configured to be mounted to a second part of the electrical sub-station or switchgear to transfer heat from the second part of the electrical sub-station or switchgear to an environment external to the second part of the electrical sub-station or switchgear; wherein the thermal bridge is configured to be in thermal connection with the first heat exchanger; wherein the thermal bridge is configured to be in thermal connection with the second heat exchanger; and wherein the thermal bridge is configured to conduct heat between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger.