SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COOLING POWER ELECTRONICS

• US 20170311490A1
• Filed: 11/18/2015
• Published: 10/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Global Sourcing LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: YOUNG, Henry Todd, CILLESSEN, Sean Patrick
• Granted Patent: US 10,225,961 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20263 Heat dissipaters releasing heat from coolant
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20272 Accessories for moving fluid, for expanding fluid, for connecting fluid conduits, for distributing fluid, for removing gas or for preventing leakage, e.g. pumps, tanks or manifolds
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20927 Liquid coolant without phase change

Abstract

A cooling system for power electronics of an engine-powered unit includes at least one power electronics component, a liquid chamber in thermal communication with a frame of the engine-powered unit, and a pump configured to circulate a cooling fluid through the at least one power electronics component and the liquid chamber. The liquid chamber is configured to conductively transfer heat from the cooling fluid to the frame to cool the cooling fluid.

Claims

1. A cooling system for power electronics, comprising:

at least one power electronics component;

a liquid chamber in thermal communication with the frame of an engine-powered unit; and

a pump configured to circulate a cooling fluid through the at least one power electronics component and the liquid chamber;

wherein the liquid chamber is configured to conductively transfer heat from the cooling fluid to the frame.

2. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein:

the frame is a main support structure of the engine-powered unit.

3. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein:

the engine-powered unit is a mine haul truck; and

the frame is a metal dump body of the mine haul truck.

4. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein:

the frame is a secondary structure comprised of metal other than a main support structure of the engine-powered unit.

5. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one liquid chamber is a plurality of liquid chambers.

6. The cooling system of claim 5, wherein:

one of the plurality of liquid chambers is coupled to a first portion of the frame; and

another of the plurality of liquid chambers is coupled to a second portion of the frame;

wherein the first portion of the frame is a different component than the second portion of the frame.

7. A cooling system for power electronics, comprising:

a power electronics cooling loop having a first fluid configured for circulation through at least one power electronics component of an engine-powered unit; and

a heat rejection loop having a second fluid configured for circulation through at least at least one liquid chamber, the liquid chamber being in thermal communication with a frame of the engine-powered unit;

wherein the power electronics cooling loop is fluidly isolated from, and in thermal communication with, the heat rejection loop.

8. The cooling system of claim 7, wherein:

the frame is a main support structure of the engine-powered unit.

9. The cooling system of claim 7, wherein:

the engine-powered unit is a mine haul truck; and

the frame is a metal dump body of the mine haul truck.

10. The cooling system of claim 7, wherein:

the frame is a secondary structure comprised of metal other than a main support structure of the engine-powered unit.

11. The cooling system of claim 7, wherein:

the at least one liquid chamber is a plurality of liquid chambers.

12. The cooling system of claim 11, wherein:

one of the plurality of liquid chambers is coupled to a first portion of the frame; and

another of the plurality of liquid chambers is coupled to a second portion of the frame;

wherein the first portion of the frame is a different component than the second portion of the frame.

13. The cooling system of claim 7, further comprising:

a first pump configured to circulate the first fluid throughout the power electronics cooling loop; and

a second pump configured to circulate the second fluid throughout the heat rejection loop.

14. The cooling system of claim 7, wherein:

the power electronics cooling loop and the heat rejection loop are in thermal communication with one another via a heat exchanger.

15. The cooling system of claim 14, wherein:

the heat exchanger is a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger, through which heat is transferred from one of the first fluid and the second fluid to the other of the first fluid and the second fluid.

16-23. -23. (canceled)

24. An apparatus for cooling power electronics, comprising:

a liquid chamber configured for selective mounting to a frame of an engine-powered unit;

an inlet in the liquid chamber, the inlet being configured to receive a cooling fluid from at least one power electronics component; and

an outlet in the liquid chamber, the outlet being configured to direct the cooling fluid in the liquid chamber to a cooling loop in fluid communication with the at least one power electronics component;

wherein the liquid chamber is configured to dissipate heat from the cooling fluid through the frame of the engine-powered unit.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein:

the outlet is configured to be fluidly coupled to the inlet of a pump; and

wherein the pump is configured to circulate the cooling fluid throughout the cooling loop and through the power electronics component.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein:

the engine-powered unit is a mine haul truck;

the frame is a metal dump body of the mine haul truck, the metal dump body comprising a single unitary piece with a mass of at least 2200 kg;

the liquid chamber is mounted to the metal dump body;

the at least one power electronics component and the cooling loop are located off the metal dump body; and

the liquid chamber is fluidly coupled to the cooling loop by one or more flexible couplers for maintaining fluid coupling of the liquid chamber to the cooling loop during pivoting movement of the metal dump body relative to a remainder of the mine haul truck.

27. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein:

the engine-powered unit is a mine haul truck;

the frame is a metal dump body of the mine haul truck, the metal dump body comprising a single unitary piece with a mass of at least 2200 kg;

the liquid chamber is mounted to the metal dump body;

the apparatus further comprises a pump configured to circulate the cooling fluid through the at least one power electronics component, the cooling loop, and the liquid chamber;

the at least one power electronics component and the cooling loop are located off the metal dump body; and

the liquid chamber is fluidly coupled to the cooling loop by one or more flexible couplers for maintaining fluid coupling of the liquid chamber to the cooling loop during pivoting movement of the metal dump body relative to a remainder of the mine haul truck.