High current low voltage liquid cooled switching regulator DC power supply

• US 4,142,231 A
• Filed: 01/03/1978
• Issued: 02/27/1979
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Honeywell Information Systems, Inc. (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honeywell Information Systems, Inc. (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Nowell, John R., Wilson, Edward A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shoop, William M.
• Application Number:
  US05/868,097
• Time in Patent Office: 420 Days
• Field of Search: 363/141, 363/144, 363/146, 357/81
• US Class Current: 363/141
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/473 by flowing liquids H01L23/4332, H01L23/4338 take precedence
• 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: H01L 2924/3011 Impedance
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/315 using semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20927 Liquid coolant without phase change

Abstract

An improved high current low voltage switching regulator power supply in which the major heat producing components of the power modules of the power supply are mounted on a pair of chill plates with a liquid cooled heat exchanger between the plates. The chill plates are electrically isolated from each other and the heat exchanger. One chill plate also serves as the positive power output bus and the other as the negative power output bus of the power supply which significantly reduces the parasitic inductance of the power supply.

Claims

1. In a liquid cooled switching regulator power supply having at least one power module, said module having a pair of reactors, each reactor having a primary winding and a secondary winding, a pair of current switches for controlling current flow through the primary windings of the reactors, current rectifying means having an anode and a cathode connected in series with the secondary winding of the reactor to rectify current flow through said secondary winding, a first and a second chill plate, a liquid cooled heat exchanger for cooling the chill plates, means for fastening the chill plates and heat exchanger together so that the heat exchanger can cool the chill plates, the improvements comprising:

means for electrically insulating the chill plates from each other;

the reactors, current switches and current rectifying means of the power module being mounted on the first chill plate;

the anodes of the current rectifying means of the power module being connected to the first chill plate and the cathodes of the current rectifying means being connected to the second chill plate through the secondary winding of the reactor, whereby the first chill plate is the negative power bus and the second chill plate is the positive power bus of the power supply.

2. In a power supply as defined in claim 1 in which the first chill plate is provided with a segment electrically insulated from the rest of the first chill plate, and a current switch of the power module is directly mounted on each segment.

3. In a power supply as defined in claim 2 in which the cathodes of the current rectifying means of the power module are connected to the second chill plate through openings formed in the first chill plate.

4. In a liquid cooled switching regulator power supply having 2 "n" power modules where "n" is a positive integer, each module having a pair of reactors, each reactor having a primary winding and a secondary winding, a pair of SCR'"'"'s for controlling current flow through the primary windings of the reactors, power diodes connected in series with the secondary windings of the reactors to rectify current flow through said secondary windings, a first and a second chill plate, a liquid cooled heat exchanger for cooling the chill plates, means for fastening the chill plates and heat exchanger together so that the heat exchanger can cool the chill plates, the improvements comprising:

means for electrically insulating the chill plates from each other;

the reactors, SCR'"'"'s and power diodes of the odd numbered power modules being mounted on the first chill plate;

the reactors, SCR'"'"'s and power diodes of the even numbered modules being mounted on the second chill plate, the anodes of the power diodes of the power modules being connected to the first chill plate and the cathodes of the power diodes being connected to the second chill plate, whereby the first chill plate is the negative power output bus and the second chill plate is the positive power output bus of the power supply.

5. In a power supply as defined in claim 4 in which the chill plates are provided with segments electrically insulated from the rest of the chill plate, and one SCR is directly mounted on each segment.

6. In a power supply as defined in claim 5 in which the cathodes of the diodes of the odd numbered power modules are connected to the second chill plate through an opening formed in the first chill plate and the anodes of the diodes of the even numbered power modules are connected to the first chill plate through openings formed in the second chill plate.

7. In a power supply as defined in claim 6 in which "n" equals one.

8. In a power supply as defined in claim 6 in which "n" equals four.