ARRANGEMENT AND A METHOD FOR COOLING

• US 20100014337A1
• Filed: 06/22/2006
• Published: 01/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: ABB Technology Limited (ABB Ltd.)
• Inventors: Halvarsson, Per
• Granted Patent: US 8,411,402 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 363/141
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/473 by flowing liquids H01L23/4332, H01L23/4338 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/112 Mixed assemblies
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20927 Liquid coolant without phase change
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20945 Thermal management, e.g. inverter temperature control

Abstract

An arrangement for cooling a high voltage converter including a major loop with a pump for making a coolant liquid to pass power semiconductor devices of the converter and a heat exchanger for lowering the temperature of the coolant liquid before passing the power semiconductor devices again. An extra loop is connected to the major loop. The extra loop has a cooling apparatus containing a volume of a cooling medium and adapted to cool the medium to a temperature substantially lower than the temperature of the coolant liquid after having passed the heat exchanger in the major loop. A control unit is adapted to divert at least a part of the coolant liquid to flow through the extra loop when the need of cooling the power semiconductor devices of the converter is extremely high.

Claims

1. An arrangement for cooling a high voltage converter comprising:

a major loop means adapted to conduct a coolant liquid

a pump configured to circulate the coolant liquid circulating in said loop, said loop being adapted to conduct said coolant liquid to pass power semiconductor devices of said converter for absorbing heat energy generated thereby

a heat exchanger configured to lower a temperature of said coolant liquid before passing said power semiconductor devices again,

a cooling apparatus arranged outside said loop, containing a volume of a cooling medium and adapted to cool the volume of medium to a temperature substantially lower than the temperature of said coolant liquid after having passed the heat exchanger in said loop, wherein said cooling medium volume is arranged in an extra loop connected to said major loop, and

a control unit adapted to control at least a part of the flow of said coolant liquid to be diverted from said major loop to said extra loop for delivering heat to said medium before arriving to the power semiconductor devices upon determining that there is a need of cooling said power semiconductor devices not possible to fulfil by a temperature of said coolant liquid obtainable by circulating the coolant solely in said major loop.

2. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said extra loop connects to said major loop in a direction of said flow downstream said heat exchanger and upstream said power semiconductor devices.

3. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said control unit is adapted to control the flow of said coolant liquid to normally substantially entirely pass through said major loop without being diverted to said extra loop and only temporarily during short periods of time under operation conditions of said converter with an extreme need of cooling capacity to pass the cooling medium volume adapted to deliver cooling effect to the coolant liquid under these short time periods and to be charged with cooling capacity by being cooled by said apparatus during long periods of time between such short time periods.

4. The arrangement according to claim 1 further comprising:

valves controllable by said control unit for controlling the degree of flow of coolant liquid through said cooling medium volume.

5. The arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor adapted to measure an ambient temperature in the surroundings of the converter, wherein said control unit is adapted to consider information about the measured ambient temperature when determining whether and how great part of the flow of coolant liquid is to be passed through said cooling medium volume.

6. The arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor adapted to measure power transmitted through said converter, wherein said control unit is adapted to consider the measured power value so established when determining whether and how great part of the flow of coolant liquid is to be passed through said cooling medium volume.

7. The arrangement according to claim 6, wherein said control unit is adapted to determine that at least a part of said flow of coolant liquid is to be diverted through said volume when said power value exceeds a predetermined level.

8. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said control unit is adapted to control at least a part of said flow of coolant liquid to be diverted to said extra loop each time over a time period of at most 3 hours.

9. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus is adapted to produce an ice slurry when cooling said medium.

10. The arrangement according to claim 9, wherein said control unit is adapted to conduct said coolant liquid through said ice slurry when said need of cooling exists.

11. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said pump is adapted to pump a coolant liquid in the form of water.

12. The arrangement to claim 1, wherein said cooling apparatus is adapted to cool said cooling medium to a temperature of at least 20°

C. lower than the temperature of the coolant liquid when having passed the heat exchanger.

13. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said volume of cooling medium is 100 litres-2000 litres.

14. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the arrangement is adapted to cool a converter adapted to have a voltage above 5 kV.

15. The according to claim 1, wherein the arrangement is adapted to cool a converter adapted to conduct a current therethrough exceeding 50 A.

16. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the arrangement is adapted to cool a converter having a capacity to transmit a power therethrough above 500 MW at high load operation thereof.

20. The arrangement according to claim 1 further comprising:

a status var compensator cooled by the arrangement.

21. The arrangement according to claim 1 further comprising:

a converter station for connecting an AC-system to an HVDC transmission line comprising at least one converter cooled by the arrangement.

22. The arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising:

a converter station for connecting an AC-system to another AC-system in a back-to-back application comprising at least one converter cooled by the arrangement.

23. The arrangement according to claim 1 further comprising:

a high voltage direct current transmission system comprising converter stations comprising at least one converter cooled by the arrangement.

24. The arrangement according to claim 1 further comprising:

a high voltage alternating current transmission system comprising a converter station comprising at least one converter cooled by the arrangement in a back-to-back application.

17. A method for cooling a high voltage converter, the method comprising:

pumping a coolant liquid in a major loop passing power semiconductor devices of said converter for absorbing heat energy generated thereby and a heat exchanger for lowering a temperature of said coolant liquid before passing said power semiconductor devices again, and

diverting at least a part of the flow of said coolant liquid from said major loop, to an extra loop containing a volume of a cooling medium cooled to a temperature being substantially lower than the temperature of said coolant liquid after having passed the heat exchanger in said major loop, for delivering heat to said medium before arriving to the power semiconductor devices upon determining that there is a need of cooling said power semiconductor devices not possible to fulfil by a temperature of said coolant liquid obtainable by circulating it solely in said major loop.

18. The A method according to claim 17, wherein diverting the flow from said major loop into said extra loop takes place in a direction of said flow downstream said heat exchanger and upstream said power semiconductor devices.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the flow of said coolant liquid is normally controlled to substantially entirely pass through said major loop without being diverted to said extra loop and only temporarily during short periods of time under operation conditions of said converter with an extreme need of cooling capacity to pass the cooling medium volume adapted to deliver cooling effect to the coolant liquid under these short time periods and to be charged with cooling capacity by being cooled during long periods of time between such short time periods.

25. The method according to claim 17 wherein the converter is a converter in a converter station of a high voltage direct current transmission system.

26. The method according to claim 17, wherein the converter is a converter in a back-to-back converter station of a high voltage AC transmission system.

27. The method according to claim 17, wherein the converter is a converter in a Static Var Compensator.