MODULAR POWER SUPPLY WITH INDIRECT WATER COOLING

• US 3,749,981 A
• Filed: 08/23/1971
• Issued: 07/31/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Leo L. Case, Michael A. Koltuniak, Thomas N. Urquhart
• Original Assignee: Leo L. Case, Michael A. Koltuniak, Thomas N. Urquhart
• Inventors: Koltuniak, Michael A., Urquhart, Thomas N., Case, Leo L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Schaefer, Robert K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tolin, Gerald P.
• Application Number:
  US05/173,955
• Time in Patent Office: 708 Days
• Field of Search: 62/414,418 174/15R,16R,DIG.5 317/100 165/107
• US Class Current: 361/696
• CPC Class Codes: H02B 1/565 for cabinets
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20927 Liquid coolant without phase change

Abstract

A modular power supply for converting alternating current to direct current for high power applications wherein the power modules are mounted inside a sealed cabinet and each module has its own fans to cool transformers and rectifiers therein. Also mounted inside the cabinet are cooling modules, each of which has its own fan and heat exchanger. Hot air from the power module outlets is cooled by the cooling modules and returned to the power module inlets. The capacity of the cooling modules is selected so that substantially atmospheric pressure exists in the cabinet at the power module inlets and outlets and so that the combined air flow through the cooling modules is substantially equal to the combined air flow through the power modules.

Claims

1. A power supply for converting alternating current to direct current comprising a plurality of power modules each of which includes at least a transformer component and a rectifier component, exterior cabinet means, and at least one cooling module, each of said power modules having a cool air inlet, a warm air outlet and an air flow path therethrough from said inlet to said outlet, respective power module fan means in each power module to establish air flow therethrough, said components being disposed in said air flow path, and wherein said power modules are mounted in said cabinet means with said inlets communicating with a common cool air chamber in said cabinet means and said outlets communicating with a common warm air chamber in said cabinet means, said cooling module having a warm air inlet, a cool air outlet and an air flow path therethrough from said warm air inlet to said cool air outlet, cooling module fan means in said cooling module to establish air flow therethrough from said warm air inlet to said cool air outlet and heat exchange means in said cooling module in the air flow path therethrough, said cooling module being mounted in said cabinet means with its warm air inlet communicating with said warm air chamber and its cool air outlet communicating with said cool air chamber, and wherein said cabinet means is substantially closed so that air in said cabinet means is circulated from said cool air chamber through said power modules via the respective power module fan means and into said warm air chamber to cool said components and then from said warm air chamber through said cooling module via said cooling module fan means to cool the air for recirculation through said power module.

2. The power supply set forth in claim 1 wherein said cabinet means has access openings to said warm air and cool air chambers and closure means closing said access openings.

3. The power supply set forth in claim 2 wherein said cool air chamber and said warm air chamber are substantially at atmospheric pressure when said cabinet is closed and said fan means are operating.

4. The power supply set forth in claim 3 wherein said closure means and said access openings are sufficiently large so that said closures may be opened and said cooling module fan means may be disabled without reducing the air flow rate through said power modules when the power module fan means are operating.

5. The power supply set forth in claim 1 further comprising means for circulating cooling Fluid through said heat exchanger means and cooling fluid piping connected to said heat exchanger means and adapted to be connected to a source of cooling fluid exterior of said cabinet means.

6. The power supply set forth in claim 1 wherein said cooling module fan means provides a predetermined air flow rate through said cooling module, and said fan means in each of said power modules is selected so that the sum of the air flow rate through all of said power modules is substantially equal to the predetermined air flow rate through the cooling module.

7. The power supply set forth in claim 1 wherein said power modules are stacked in said cabinet means in a substantially vertical column with all of said cool air inputs opening toward the front of said cabinet means and all of said warm air outlets opening toward the rear of said cabinet means so that air flows through said power modules in a substantially horizontal direction, and wherein said cooling module is also stacked in vertical alignment with said power module column with said warm air inlet opening toward the rear of said cabinet means and said cool air outlet opening toward the front of said cabinet so that air flow from said power modules to said cooling module and from said cooling module to said power modules is in a generally vertical direction.

8. The power supply set forth in claim 7 wherein each of said power modules and said cooling module has a generally rectangular transverse cross section and wherein the width of said cooling module is substantially equal to the width of said power module.

9. The power supply set forth in claim 1 wherein said power modules are stacked in a vertical column with said cool air inlets openings toward the front of said cabinet means and said warm air outlets opening toward the rear of said cabinet means, and wherein there is a plurality of cooling modules stacked in a second vertical column side by side to said power module column with each of said cooling modules having its cool air outlet opening toward the front of said cabinet means and its warm air inlet opening toward the rear of said cabinet means.

10. The power supply set forth in claim 9 wherein each of said power modules and each of said cooling modules has a substantially rectangular transverse cross section and wherein the height of each cooling module is substantially equal to the width of each power module.

11. The power supply set forth in claim 1 wherein there is a plurality of cooling modules arranged in a plurality of vertical columns with all cool air outlets of the cooling modules opening toward the front of said cabinet means and all of the warm air inlets opening toward the rear of said cabinet means, said power modules are arranged in a plurality of vertical columns with all cool air inlets of the power modules opening toward the front of said cabinet means and all of the warm air outlets opening toward the rear of said cabinet means, and wherein said power module columns and cooling module columns are arranged in an alternating series with a front portion of said cabinet means forming said common cool air chamber for all the modules and a rear portion of said cabinet means forming said common warm air chamber for all of said modules.

12. The power supply set forth in claim 1 wherein there is a plurality of cooling modules, said power modules and said cooling modules are stacked in said cabinet means in side-by-side vertical columns with each column containing at least one power module and at least one cooling module, said warm air outlets of said power modules and said warm air inlets of said cooling modules communicate with said common warm air chamber of said cabinet means and wherein said cool air inlets of said power modules and said cool air outlets of said cooling modules communicate with said common cool air chamber of said cabinet means.

13. The power supply set forth in claim 1 wherein said power modules and said cooling module have a substantially rectangular transverse cross section and at least one of the transverse dimensions of said cooling module is equal to at least one of the transverse dimensions of said power modules.

14. The power supply set forth in claim 13 wherein the transverse cross section dimensions of said cooling module are substantially equal to the transverse cross section dimensions of said power modules.

15. The power supply set forth in claim 1 wherein each power module comprises a housing substantially closed except for said cool air inlet and said warm air outlet so that the air flow path therethrough is substantially confined, said power module fan means is located inside said housing immediately adjacent said warm air outlet, and wherein said power module fan means is constructed so that a negative pressure zone developed by said power module fan means is substantially confined within said housing.

16. The power supply set forth in claim 15 wherein said power module fan means have propeller-type blades.

17. The power supply set forth in claim 1 wherein said cooling module comprises a housing substantially closed except for said warm air inlet and said cool air outlet so that the air flow path therethrough is substantially confined, said cooling module fan means is located inside said housing immediately adjacent said cool air outlet and wherein said cooling module fan means is constructed so that a negative pressure zone developed by said cooling module fan means is substantially confined within said housing.

18. The cooling system set forth in claim 17 wherein said cooling module fan means have propeller-type blades.

19. The power supply set forth in claim 1 wherein said cabinet means has a separate control component chamber having a cool air inlet communicating with said cool air chamber and a warm air outlet communicating with said warm air chamber, and fan means in said control component chamber to circulate air from said cool air chamber through said control component chamber and into said warm air chamber.

20. The power supply set forth in claim 1 wherein there is a plurality of cooling modules and wherein the ratio of power modules to cooling modules is in the range of from two power modules for each cooling module to three power modules for each cooling module.

21. The power supply set forth in claim 1 wherein there is a plurality of cooling modules each of which has a cooling module fan means and wherein said cooling module fan means provides a total air flow rate through said cooling modules that is substantially the same as a total air flow rate through said power modules provided by said power module fan means.

22. A cooling system for use with a modularized power system wherein each of a plurality of power modules includes at least either a transformer component or a rectifier component cooled by fan means in each power module and wherein the fan means in each module is constructed to provide adequate cooling of components in each module, comprising an exterior housing, said power modules being mounted inside said housing, a plurality of cooling modules mounted inside said housing, a cool air chamber in said housing communicating with cool air inlets to said power modules and with cool air outlets of said cooling modules, a warm air chamber in said housing communicating with warm air outlets of said power modules and with warm air inlets of said cooling modules, and wherein said cooling modules each have fan means therein selected to provide a predetermined air flow rate through said cooling modules such that a collective air flow rate through all of said cooling modules is approximately equal to a collective air flow rate through all of said power modules when said power module fan means and cooling module fan means are operating.

23. The cooling system set forth in claim 22 wherein the ratio of power modules to cooling modules is in the range of from two power modules for each cooling module to three power modules for each cooling module.

24. A power supply For converting alternating current to direct current comprising a plurality of power modules each of which has a cool air inlet, a warm air outlet and power module fan means to establish air flow therethrough along an air flow path from said inlet to said outlet, respective transformer means and rectifier means mounted in each power module so as to be disposed in said air flow path therethrough, a plurality of cooling modules each of which has a warm air inlet, a cool air outlet and cooling modules fan means to establish air flow therethrough along an air flow path from said warm air inlet to said cool air outlet, respective heat exchanger means in each cooling module in said air flow path therethrough, said cooling modules being disposed adjacent said power modules, means defining a cool air chamber communicating with said cool air inlets and said cool air outlets to conduct cool air from said cool air outlets to said cool air inlets, and means defining a warm air chamber communicating with said warm air outlets and said warm air inlets to conduct air from said warm air outlets to said warm air inlets whereby air is circulated from said cool air chamber through respective power modules to said warm air chamber by respective power module fan means and from said warm air chamber through respective cooling modules to said cool air chamber by respective cooling module fan means.

25. A power supply for converting alternating current to direct current comprising a plurality of power modules each of which includes at least a transformer component and a rectifier component, exterior cabinet means and a plurality of cooling modules, each of said power modules having a cool air inlet, a warm air outlet and power module fan means to establish air flow therethrough along a path from said inlet to said outlet, said components being disposed in said air flow path of their respective power module, and said power modules being mounted in said cabinet means aligned with each other so that said inlets communicate with a common cool air chamber in said cabinet means, said outlets communicate with a common warm air chamber in said cabinet means, and said air flow paths in said power modules are generally parallel to each other, and wherein said cooling modules have a warm air inlet, a cool air outlet and cooling module fan means to establish air flow therethrough along a path from said warm air inlet to said cool air outlet, and respective heat exchanger means in each cooling module disposed in the air flow path through its respective module, and wherein said cooling modules are mounted in said cabinet means with said warm air inlets communicating with said warm air chamber, said cool air outlets communicating with said cool air chamber, and said air flow paths through said cooling modules generally parallel to each other.

26. The power supply set forth in claim 25 wherein said power modules are stacked in vertical alignment with each other in a first row so that air flows through said power modules in a first generally horizontal direction, said cooling modules are also stacked in vertical alignment with each other in a second row so that air flows through said cooling modules in substantially a second generally horizontal direction opposite to said first horizontal direction, and wherein said first and second rows of modules are in vertical alignment with each other so that air flows through said warm air chamber in one generally vertical direction and through said cool air chamber in an opposite generally vertical direction.

27. The power supply set forth in claim 25 wherein said power modules are stacked in vertical alignment with each other in a first row so that air flows through said power modules in a first generally horizontal direction, said cooling modules are also stacked in vertical alignment with each other in a second row so that air flows through said cooling modules in a second generally horizontal direction opposite to said first horizontal direction, and wherein said first and second rows of modules are side by side to each other so that air flows through said warm air chamber in a third generally horizontal direction generally perpendicular to said first and second horizontal directions and air flows in said cool air chamber in a fourth generally horizontal direction opposite to said third horizontal direction.