Power electronics system with liquid cooling system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9313922-B2
Application number	US-201314019074-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 5, 2013
Priority date	Sep 6, 2012
Publication date	Apr 12, 2016
Grant date	Apr 12, 2016

Abstract

A power electronics system includes a multipart housing having three housing elements of cuboid basic structure to define a central element with inlet and outlet ports for a cooling liquid, an upper and lower cover elements which are arranged on opposite connection surfaces of the central element. A plurality of power electronics switching devices is accommodated in the housing, and a condenser device having condenser connection elements is arranged in the central element of the housing> Further provided is a liquid cooling system having at least one first upper cooling chamber between the central element and the upper cover element, and at least two first and second lower cooling chambers between the central element and the lower cover element. The upper and lower cooling chambers are configured for circulation of the cooling liquid entering through the inlet port and exiting through the outlet port of the housing.

First claim

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims and includes equivalents of the elements recited therein:

1. A power electronics system, comprising:
a multipart housing having three housing elements of cuboid basic structure to define a central element having an inlet port and an outlet port for a cooling liquid, an upper cover element, and a lower cover element, said upper and lower cover elements arranged on opposite connection surfaces of the central element;
a plurality of power electronics switching devices accommodated in the housing;
a condenser device having condenser connection elements arranged in the central element of the housing; and
a liquid cooling system having a plurality of cooling chambers located between all three elements and including at least one first upper cooling chamber between the central element and the upper cover element, and at least two first and second lower cooling chambers between the central element and the lower cover element, said upper and lower cooling chambers configured for circulation of the cooling liquid entering through the inlet port and exiting through the outlet port of the housing.

2. The power electronics system of claim 1 , wherein each of the housing elements has a cup-shaped housing member and a cover member associated to the cup-shaped housing member.

3. The power electronics system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of an upper one of the power electronics switching devices and an upper control switching device is arranged in the upper cover element.

4. The power electronics system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of a lower one of the power electronics switching devices and a lower control switching device is arranged in the lower cover element.

5. The power electronics system of claim 1 , wherein any one of the upper and lower cooling chambers which is in exclusive thermal contact with a power electronics switching device has a highest pressure loss.

6. The power electronics system of claim 1 , wherein any one of the upper and lower cooling chambers which is in exclusive thermal contact with the condenser device has a smallest pressure loss.

7. The power electronics system of claim 1 , wherein any one of the upper and lower cooling chambers which is in exclusive thermal contact with the condenser device and a control switching device has the smallest pressure loss.

8. The power electronics system of claim 1 , wherein the upper and lower cooling chambers are circulated by cooling liquid in the order of their pressure loss, with cooling liquid flowing first through the one of the cooling chambers with a lowest pressure loss.

9. The power electronics system of claim 8 , wherein the one of the cooling chambers through which cooling liquid flows last has a pressure loss by at least a factor of 1.6 in comparison with the cooling chamber circulated first by the cooling liquid.

10. The power electronics system of claim 1 , further comprising a terminal provided between adjacent ones of the housing elements for providing an electrical connection.

11. The power electronics system of claim 1 , wherein each of the upper and lower cooling chambers has at least one cooling surface formed by a cooling element, in thermal contact with the cooling liquid to thereby define a main cooling surface.

12. The power electronics system of claim 11 , wherein the cooling element is a cooling fin or cooling finger.

13. The power electronics system of claim 1 , wherein the cooling system has a second upper cooling chamber, said cooling system being configured for flow of cooling liquid in a sequence of inlet port, first lower cooling chamber, first upper cooling chamber, second upper cooling chamber, second lower cooling chamber, and outlet port.

14. The power electronics system of claim 1 , wherein the cooling system has a second upper cooling chamber, the first lower cooling chamber being connected to the first upper cooling chamber by a first connecting channel, and the second upper cooling chamber being connected to the second lower cooling chamber by a second connecting channel.

15. The power electronics system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the condenser device and condenser connection elements of the condenser device are in thermal contact with the first upper cooling chamber and the first lower cooling chamber via associated cooling surfaces so as to provide cooling on both sides.

16. The power electronics system of claim 1 , wherein the cooling system has a second upper cooling chamber, wherein a lower one of the power electronics switching devices is in thermal contact with at least one of the second lower cooling chamber and the second upper cooling chamber.

17. The power electronics system of claim 16 , wherein an upper one of the power electronics switching devices is in exclusive thermal contact with the second upper cooling chamber, said lower power electronics switching device being in exclusive thermal contact with the second lower cooling chamber.

18. The power electronics system of claim 1 , wherein the cooling system has a second upper cooling chamber, wherein the first upper cooling chamber and the second upper cooling chamber are degenerated to form a single cooling chamber.

19. The power electronics system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the lower cooling chambers is configured in the form of plural sub-cooling chambers.

20. The power electronics system of claim 1 , wherein the central element is height-variable as a function of a capacity of the condenser device.

21. The power electronics system of claim 1 , wherein said upper cooling chamber is arranged at a horizontal location which is between horizontal locations of said lower cooling chambers.

22. The power electronics system of claim 1 , further comprising a second upper chamber located between said central element and said upper cover, said upper cooling chambers are arranged same horizontal locations as said lower cooling chambers.

Assignees

• Siemens Ag

Inventors

• Müller Alex
• Trodler Dirk

Classifications

• H05K7/20318 Primary

  Condensers · CPC title

• H05K7/20927 Primary

  Liquid coolant without phase change · CPC title