Series-parallel fans system

• US 6,501,650 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2001
• Issued: 12/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Gintz, Rick Lynn, Stott, Kyle Craig, Moore, Christopher Todd, Aiken, Brian Matthew, Boettner, Fred Henry, Phillip, Andrew Gordon, Edmunds, Howard Ross, Bittner, John Earl, McMenamin, Christopher James, Nguyen, Thanh Ngoc, Teal, Brent Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): THOMPSON, GREGORY D
• Application Number:
  US09/681,415
• Publication Number:
  US 20020141156A1
• Time in Patent Office: 641 Days
• Field of Search: 622/592, 165/80.2, 165/80.3, 312/223.2, 361/688, 361/690, 361/694-696, 361/724-726, 361/839, 363/141, 363/144, 454/184
• US Class Current: 361/695
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20572 within cabinets for removing heat from sub-racks, e.g. plenum

Abstract

An apparatus and method for mounting electrical devices in a housing at an angle relative to the ground is provided. The apparatus comprises a housing having a top, bottom, and sides, each of which may be open, closed or ventilated. One or more electrical devices are located in the housing and are oriented at an angle relative to the horizontal ground. The electrical devices may be silicon controlled rectifiers that serve as a power bridge between an exciter and a power generator. A method for mounting electrical devices in a housing at an angle relative to the horizontal ground is also provided.

Claims

1. An apparatus for mounting heat-generating electrical devices comprising:

a housing comprising a substantially horizontal bottom, a substantially horizontal top, substantially vertical sides extending vertically between the bottom and the top, and ventilation openings in at least one of the top, bottom or sides;

a supply of forced air passing through the housing;

two or more heat-generating electrical devices;

two or more platforms, each of the two or more platforms having mounted on an upper surface thereof one or more of the two or more electrical devices;

each of the two or more electrical devices and the respective platform being releasably fixed within the housing and being oriented at an angle of between about 15 degrees and about 75 degrees relative to the bottom of the housing; and

at least one of the two or more electrical devices being mounted vertically above at least another of the two or more electrical devices; and

wherein each of the two or more electrical devices receives a portion of the supply of forced air that has not been substantially heated by another of the two or more electrical devices, and the portion of the supply of forced air is free to exhaust substantially unimpeded from the housing.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises an access door through which the two or more electrical devices may be serviced.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a thermostat for measuring temperature in the housing.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a thermal protection device associated with the two or more electrical devices.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the two or more electrical devices are solid-state devices.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the two or more electrical devices are silicon controlled rectifiers.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the two or more electrical devices are high voltage devices.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the two or more electrical devices comprise six electrical devices.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising one or more heat sinks attached to each of the two or more electrical devices.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising one or more air ports in each of the two or more platforms.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein two of the two or more electrical devices are mounted in a side-by-side configuration on each of the two or more platforms.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the two or more electrical devices may be serviced while in the housing.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the angle is between about 30 degrees and about 60 degrees.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the angle is between about 40 degrees and about 50 degrees.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the angle is about 45 degrees.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the angle is selected to promote cooling of the two or more electrical devices.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the angle is selected to reduce space requirements.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the angle is selected to provide service benefits.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least two of the two or more electrical devices are oriented at different angles relative to the bottom of the housing.

42. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the two or more electrical devices are arranged in a two-dimensional array.

20. An apparatus for mounting high voltage silicon controlled rectifiers comprising:

a housing comprising a substantially horizontal bottom, a substantially horizontal top, and substantially vertical sides extending vertically between the bottom and the top;

ventilation openings in at least one of the bottom, sides, and top;

a supply of forced air passing through the housing;

three platforms;

three pairs of silicon controlled rectifiers, each pair mounted on top of one of the platforms in a side-by-side fashion, the platforms being releasably mounted in a vertical stack within the housing and oriented at an angle of between about 15 degrees and about 75 degrees relative to the bottom of the housing;

wherein each of the silicon controlled rectifiers receives a portion of the supply of forced air that has not been substantially heated by another of the silicon controlled rectifiers, and the portion of the supply of forced air is free to exhaust substantially unimpeded from the housing.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the housing further comprises an access door through which the silicon controlled rectifiers may be serviced.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising one or more heat sinks attached to each of the silicon controlled rectifiers.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising one or more air ports in each of the platforms.

24. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the angle is between about 30 degrees and about 60 degrees.

25. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the angle is between about 40 degrees and about 50 degrees.

26. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the angle is about 45 degrees.

27. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the angle is selected to promote cooling of the silicon controlled rectifiers.

28. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the angle is selected to reduce space requirements.

29. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the angle is selected to provide service benefits.

43. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the three pairs of silicon controlled rectifiers are arranged in a two-dimensional array.

30. A method for cooling electrical devices mounted in a housing comprising:

providing a housing comprising a substantially horizontal bottom, a substantially horizontal top, substantially vertical sides extending vertically between the bottom and the top, and ventilation openings in at least one of the top, bottom or sides;

providing a supply of forced air passing through the housing;

providing two or more heat-generating electrical devices;

providing two or more platforms, each of the two or more platforms having mounted on an upper surface thereof one or more of the two or more electrical devices;

releasably mounting each of the two or more electrical devices and the respective platforms within the housing at an angle of between about 15 degrees and about 75 degrees relative to the bottom of the housing, with at least one of the two or more electrical devices being mounted vertically above at least another of the two or more electrical devices;

providing a portion of the supply of forced air to each of the two or more electrical devices that has not been substantially heated by another of the two or more electrical devices, the portion of the supply of forced air being free to exhaust substantially unimpeded from the housing.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising providing an access door through which the two or more electrical devices may be serviced.

32. The method of claim 30, further comprising attaching one or more heat sinks to each of the two or more electrical devices.

33. The method of claim 30, further comprising providing one or more air ports in each of the two or more platforms.

34. The method of claim 30, further comprising mounting two or more electrical devices in a side-by-side configuration on each of the two or more platforms.

35. The method of claim 30, wherein the step of releasably mounting each of the two or more electrical devices and the respective platforms within the housing at an angle comprises mounting each of the two or more heat-generating electrical devices and the respective platforms within the housing at an angle of between about 30 degrees and about 60 degrees relative to the bottom of the housing.

36. The method of claim 30, wherein the step of releasably mounting each of the two or more electrical devices and the respective platforms within the housing at an angle comprises mounting each of the two or more heat-generating electrical devices and the respective platforms within the housing at an angle of between about 40 degrees and about 50 degrees relative to the bottom of the housing.

37. The method of claim 30, wherein the step of releasably mounting each of the two or more electrical devices and the respective platforms within the housing at an angle comprises mounting each of the two or more heat-generating electrical devices and the respective platforms within the housing at an angle of about 45 degrees.

38. The method of claim 30, wherein the step of releasably mounting each of the two or more electrical devices and the respective platforms within the housing at an angle comprises selecting an angle to promote cooling of the two or more electrical devices.

39. The method of claim 30, wherein the step of releasably mounting each of the two or more electrical devices and the respective platforms within the housing at an angle comprises selecting an angle to reduce space requirements.

40. The method of claim 30, wherein the step of releasably mounting each of the two or more electrical devices and the respective platforms within the housing at an angle comprises selecting an angle to provide service benefits.

41. The method of claim 30, wherein the step of releasably mounting each of the two or more electrical devices and the respective platforms within the housing at an angle comprises mounting at least two of the two or more electrical devices at different angles relative to the bottom of the housing.

44. The method of claim 30, further comprising the step of arranging the two or more electrical devices in a two-dimensional array.