Electrical cabinet with improved heat dissipation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10375851-B2
Application number	US-201414196347-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 4, 2014
Priority date	Mar 12, 2013
Publication date	Aug 6, 2019
Grant date	Aug 6, 2019

Abstract

An electric cabinet that includes a front part and a rear part, and designed to receive removable electric functional units, further including: a separating partition delineating a first thermal area formed by a first space located at the front part of the electric cabinet, the first thermal area being designed to receive first electric apparatuses of the removable electric functional units, and a second thermal area formed by a second space located at the rear part of the cabinet, the second thermal area being designed to receive second electric apparatuses of the removable electric functional units, and the second thermal area is hotter than the first thermal area, and the first electric apparatuses heat more than the second electric apparatuses, the electric cabinet further includes a cooling source; and an actuator allowing air to flow.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electric cabinet designed to receive removable electric functional units, said electric cabinet comprising:
a front panel;
a rear panel;
a top panel;
a bottom panel; and
a separating partition delineating:
a first thermal area formed by a first space located closer to the front panel than the rear panel of the electric cabinet, said first thermal area being designed to receive first electric apparatuses or parts of the first electric apparatuses of the removable electric functional units, the front panel, the top panel, the bottom panel and the separating partition enclosing the first space, and
a second thermal area formed by a second space located closer to the rear panel than the front panel of the electric cabinet, said second thermal area being designed to receive second electric apparatuses or pans of the second electric apparatuses of the removable electric functional units, the rear panel, the top panel, the bottom panel and the separating partition enclosing the second space, wherein

the separating partition comprises the removable electric functional units,
the electric cabinet further comprises a cooling and regulating device of temperature of the first and second spaces, said cooling and regulating device comprising:
an air-conditioner positioned in contact with the first space of the first thermal area to cool the first space without being in physical contact with the second space of the second thermal area, the air-conditioner being positioned within the front panel; and
a computer controlled actuator that is designed configured to be operated to allow air to flow from the first space to the second space to cool the second thermal area with air from the first thermal area when a measured temperature of the second thermal area is higher that the critical operating temperature of a most sensitive apparatus of the second electrical apparatuses or parts of the second electric apparatuses, the actuator being positioned in the separating partition of the electric cabinet, the actuator being positioned closer to the bottom panel than the top panel.

2. The electric cabinet according to claim 1 , wherein the actuator is connected to processing circuitry, said actuator being configured to make the air flow circulate from the first space to the second space.

3. The electric cabinet according to claim 1 , characterized in that a volume of the first space is modulable.

4. The electric cabinet according to claim 1 , wherein the removable electric functional units each comprises a support supporting at least one of the first electric apparatuses or the parts of the first electric apparatuses and the second electric apparatuses or the parts of the second electric apparatuses.

5. The electric cabinet according to claim 1 , wherein the removable functional units comprise an electric apparatus passing through the separating partition so as to arrange a first part located in the first space and a second part located in the second space.

6. The electric cabinet according to claim 5 , wherein the second part comprises a ventilation system in the second space.

7. The electric cabinet according to claim 1 , wherein
the separating partition is extending from the bottom panel of the electric cabinet toward the top panel of the electric cabinet, and
an opening connecting the first space and the second space is provided in an area closer to the top panel than the bottom panel.

8. The electric cabinet according to claim 1 , wherein
the separating partition is extending from the bottom panel of the electric cabinet toward the top panel of the electric cabinet, and
an opening connecting the first space and the second space is provided between the separating partition and the top panel.

9. The electric cabinet according to claim 1 , wherein the air-conditioner is further configured to exhaust heat to outside the electric cabinet.

Assignees

• Schneider Electric Ind Sas

Inventors

• Agnaou Abderrahmane
• Wasner Olivier
• Perrin Alain
• Socquet Dominique
• Laye Jerome
• Lepretre Pascal

Classifications

• H02B1/565 Primary

  for cabinets · CPC title

• H05K7/20518

  Unevenly distributed heat load, e.g. different sectors at different temperatures, localised cooling, hot spots · CPC title

• H05K7/206

  Air circulating in closed loop within cabinets wherein heat is removed through air-to-air heat-exchanger · CPC title

• H05K7/202

  Air circulating in closed loop within enclosure wherein heat is removed through heat-exchangers · CPC title

• H05K7/20909

  Forced ventilation, e.g. on heat dissipaters coupled to components · CPC title