Cooling device and method for cooling at least two power electronic devices

• US 10,080,315 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2016
• Issued: 09/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Agostini, Francesco, Torresin, Daniele, Habert, Mathieu, Agostini, Bruno
• Primary Examiner(s): Dravininkas, Adam B
• Application Number:
  US15/275,428
• Publication Number:
  US 20170094843A1
• Time in Patent Office: 723 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 15/025 having non-capillary condensate return means
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 15/0266 with separate evaporating and condensing chambers connected by at least one conduit; Loop-type heat pipes; with multiple or common evaporating or condensing chambers F28D15/043 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 15/0275 Arrangements for coupling heat-pipes together or with other structures, e.g. with base blocks; Heat pipe cores
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 13/10 by imparting a pulsating motion to the flow, e.g. by sonic vibration
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 9/0278 in the form of stacked distribution plates or perforated plates arranged over end plates
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/209 Heat transfer by conduction from internal heat source to heat radiating structure H05K7/20909 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20936 Liquid coolant with phase change

Abstract

A cooling device for cooling at least two power electronic devices by a working fluid. The cooling device has a heat receiver portion of the Pulsating Heat Pipe circuit system and a pair of thermo-conducting walls provided on mutually opposite sides of the heat receiver arrangement and sandwiching the heat receiver portion between them. These walls are adapted for being thermally connected to a respective one of the power electronic devices. The cooling device further has a heat dissipator arrangement with a heat dissipator portion of the Pulsating Heat Pipe circuit system and a plurality of fins thermally coupled to the heat dissipator portion for transferring heat from the heat dissipator portion to an external cooling fluid for cooling the working fluid in the heat dissipator portion. The Pulsating Heat Pipe circuit system connects the heat receiver portion with the heat dissipator portion for transferring heat from the heat receiver portion to the heat dissipator portion by the Pulsating Heat Pipe action of the working fluid.

Claims

1. A cooling device for cooling at least two power electronic devices by a working fluid, the cooling device comprising:

a Pulsating Heat Pipe circuit system having tubes of capillary dimension for the working fluid enabling the working fluid to perform thermo-fluidic transport by Pulsating Heat Pipe action;

a heat receiver arrangement comprising

a) a heat receiver portion of the Pulsating Heat Pipe circuit system and

b) a pair of thermo-conducting walls provided on mutually opposite sides of the heat receiver arrangement and sandwiching the heat receiver portion between them, each of the thermo-conducting walls being adapted for receiving and for being thermally connected to a respective one of the power electronic devices, wherein the thermo-conducting walls are thermally coupled to the heat receiver portion such that in an operating state heat is transferred from the power electronic devices through the respective thermo-conducting walls to the heat receiver portion thereby heating the working fluid; and

a heat dissipator arrangement comprising

a) a heat dissipator portion of the Pulsating Heat Pipe circuit system and

b) a plurality of fins thermally coupled to the heat dissipator portion for transferring heat from the heat dissipator portion to an external cooling fluid for cooling the working fluid in the heat dissipator portion, wherein

the Pulsating Heat Pipe circuit system connects the heat receiver portion with the heat dissipator portion for transferring heat from the heat receiver portion to the heat dissipator portion by the Pulsating Heat Pipe action of the working fluid.

2. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the Pulsating Heat Pipe circuit system comprises

a plurality of multitube elements, each having multiple parallel straight capillary tubes;

a first connecting manifold at a first heat receiver portion side end of the multitube elements, the first connecting manifold having first connecting passages connecting respective first ends of the capillary tubes in a selective manner; and

a second connecting manifold at a second heat dissipator portion side end of the multitube elements, the second connecting manifold having second connecting passages connecting respective second ends of the capillary tubes in a selective manner.

3. The cooling device according to claim 2, wherein the Pulsating Heat Pipe circuit system comprises a common interconnected loop having a first loop section proximate to a first one of the pair of thermo-conducting walls, and a second loop section proximate to a second one of the pair of thermo-conducting walls, for reducing thermal imbalances between the pair of thermo-conducting walls.

4. The cooling device according to claim 3, wherein the Pulsating Heat Pipe circuit system comprises a first loop proximate to a first one of the pair of thermo-conducting walls, and a second loop proximate to a second one of the pair of thermo-conducting walls, the first and second loops being independent of each other.

5. The cooling device according to claim 4, wherein the heat receiver arrangement comprises a metal block having the pair of thermo-conducting walls provided on mutually opposite sides of the metal block and multiple openings accommodating the multitube elements, the metal block thermally coupling the pair of thermo-conducting walls to the multitube elements.

6. The cooling device according to claim 5, wherein the metal block is made of one piece or is made of several pieces directly contacting each other.

7. The cooling device according to claim 4, wherein the Pulsating Heat Pipe circuit system comprises a plurality of multitube elements, each having multiple parallel straight capillary tubes, and wherein

a first metal block having a first one of the pair of thermo-conducting walls and thermally coupling the first thermo-conducting wall to a respective portion of the multitube elements, and

a second metal block having a second one of the pair of thermo-conducting walls and thermally coupling the second thermo-conducting wall to a respective portion of the multitube elements.

8. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the Pulsating Heat Pipe circuit system comprises a common interconnected loop having a first loop section proximate to a first one of the pair of thermo-conducting walls, and a second loop section proximate to a second one of the pair of thermo-conducting walls, for reducing thermal imbalances between the pair of thermo-conducting walls.

9. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the Pulsating Heat Pipe circuit system comprises a first loop proximate to a first one of the pair of thermo-conducting walls, and a second loop proximate to a second one of the pair of thermo-conducting walls, the first and second loops being independent of each other.

10. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the Pulsating Heat Pipe circuit system comprises a plurality of multitube elements, each having multiple parallel straight capillary tubes, and wherein

the heat receiver arrangement comprises a metal block having the pair of thermo-conducting walls provided on mutually opposite sides of the metal block and multiple openings accommodating the multitube elements, the metal block thermally coupling the pair of thermo-conducting walls to the multitube elements.

11. The cooling device according to claim 10, wherein the metal block is made of one piece or is made of several pieces directly contacting each other.

12. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the Pulsating Heat Pipe circuit system comprises a plurality of multitube elements, each having multiple parallel straight capillary tubes, and wherein

a first metal block having a first one of the pair of thermo-conducting walls and thermally coupling the first thermo-conducting wall to a respective portion of the multitube elements, and

a second metal block having a second one of the pair of thermo-conducting walls and thermally coupling the second thermo-conducting wall to a respective portion of the multitube elements.

13. The cooling device according to claim 12, wherein the multitube elements are separate components from the first and second metal blocks, the multitube elements being disposed between the first and second metal blocks and being in contact therewith to thermally couple the multitube elements and the first and second metal blocks.

14. The cooling device according to claim 13, wherein the first and second metal blocks comprise a plurality of openings extending therethrough, one of the multitube elements extending through each of the openings.

15. The cooling device according to claim 14, wherein each of the openings is formed as one slit in the first metal block and another slit in the second metal block.

16. The cooling device according to claim 14, wherein the parallel straight capillary tubes of each multitube element are arranged side-by-side in a longitudinal row, a first cross-sectional dimension of each multitube element corresponding to a cross-sectional dimension of one of the parallel straight capillary tubes and a second cross-sectional dimension of each multitube element corresponding to a total number of the parallel straight capillary tubes in each multitube element, the second cross-sectional dimension thereby being greater than the first cross-sectional dimension.

17. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the Pulsating Heat Pipe circuit system comprises a first loop proximate to a first one of the pair of thermo-conducting walls, and a second loop proximate to a second one of the pair of thermo-conducting walls, the first and second loops being independent of each other;

and

wherein the Pulsating Heat Pipe circuit system comprises a plurality of multitube elements, each having multiple parallel straight capillary tubes, and wherein

the heat receiver arrangement comprises a metal block having the pair of thermo-conducting walls provided on mutually opposite sides of the metal block and multiple openings accommodating the multitube elements, the metal block thermally coupling the pair of thermo-conducting walls to the multitube elements.

18. A power electronic arrangement comprising:

a cooling device including;

a Pulsating Heat Pipe circuit system having tubes of capillary dimension for a working fluid enabling the working fluid to perform thermo-fluidic transport by Pulsating Heat Pipe action;

a heat receiver arrangement comprising

a) a heat receiver portion of the Pulsating Heat Pipe circuit system and

b) a pair of thermo-conducting walls provided on mutually opposite sides of the heat receiver arrangement and sandwiching the heat receiver portion between them, each of the thermo-conducting walls being adapted for receiving and for being thermally connected to one of a respective power electronic device, wherein the thermo-conducting walls are thermally coupled to the heat receiver portion such that in an operating state heat is transferred from the power electronic devices through the respective thermo-conducting walls to the heat receiver portion thereby heating the working fluid; and

a heat dissipator arrangement comprising

a) a heat dissipator portion of the Pulsating Heat Pipe circuit system and

b) a plurality of fins thermally coupled to the heat dissipator portion for transferring heat from the heat dissipator portion to an external cooling fluid for cooling the working fluid in the heat dissipator portion, wherein

the Pulsating Heat Pipe circuit system connects the heat receiver portion with the heat dissipator portion for transferring heat from the heat receiver portion to the heat dissipator portion by the Pulsating Heat Pipe action of the working fluid; and

and at least two devices to be cooled, each being thermally coupled to a respective one of the thermo-conducting walls of the cooling device for cooling the respective device.

19. The power electronic arrangement according to claim 18, wherein at least half of the devices to be cooled are power electronic devices.

20. The power electronic arrangement according to claim 19, comprising a plurality of cooling devices, wherein the devices to be cooled and the cooling devices are stacked in an alternating order so that at least one of the devices to be cooled is thermally coupled to two thermo-conducting walls of adjacent cooling devices sandwiching the respective device to be cooled.

21. The power electronic arrangement according to claim 18, comprising a plurality of cooling devices, wherein the devices to be cooled and the cooling devices are stacked in an alternating order so that at least one of the devices to be cooled is thermally coupled to two thermo-conducting walls of adjacent cooling devices sandwiching the respective device to be cooled.

22. The power electronic arrangement according to claim 21, further comprising a clamping device pressing the alternating stack of the devices to be cooled and the cooling devices against each other.

23. A method for cooling at least two power electronic devices by a cooling device, the cooling device having a Pulsating Heat Pipe circuit system containing a working fluid and a pair of thermo-conducting walls, each of which is thermally connected to a respective one of the power electronic devices, the method comprising:

transferring heat from the power electronic devices through the respective one of the thermo-conducting walls to the working fluid being in a heat receiver portion of the Pulsating Heat Pipe circuit system, thereby heating the working fluid;

transporting heat of the working fluid from the heat receiver portion to a heat dissipator portion of the Pulsating Heat Pipe circuit system by Pulsating Heat Pipe action of the working fluid; and

transferring heat from the working fluid in the heat dissipator portion of the Pulsating Heat Pipe circuit system to an external cooling fluid.