Converter arrangement with an air cooling system

• US 8,854,807 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2012
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Hoffmann, Ingolf, Lottes, Wolfgang
• Primary Examiner(s): PAPE, ZACHARY
• Application Number:
  US13/564,306
• Publication Number:
  US 20130039008A1
• Time in Patent Office: 797 Days
• Field of Search: 36167946-67954, 361688-723, 363/141, 165 802- 803, 257712-713, 257721-722, 174/16.3, 174/547, 174/548
• US Class Current: 361/679.5
• 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: H02M 7/003 Constructional details, e.g. physical layout, assembly, wiring or busbar connections
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20909 Forced ventilation, e.g. on heat dissipaters coupled to components

Abstract

A converter arrangement includes a housing having a first cooling air channel, at least one capacitor disposed in the housing, a fan for generating a cooling air flow, and a first power electronics module disposed in the housing between the at least one capacitor and the fan, as viewed in a direction of the cooling air flow. The first power electronics module is positioned in relation to the fan so as to only be cooled by a first partial air flow. A second partial air flow provided for cooling the at least one capacitor is routed via the first cooling air channel past the first power electronics module such that the second partial air flow is thermally separated from the first power electronics module.

Claims

1. A converter arrangement comprising:

a housing having a first cooling air channel,

at least one capacitor disposed in the housing,

a fan for generating a cooling air flow, and

a first power electronics module disposed in the housing between the at least one capacitor and the fan, as viewed in a direction of the cooling air flow, and being positioned in relation to the fan so as to be cooled only by a first partial air flow,

wherein a second partial air flow provided for cooling the at least one capacitor is routed via the first cooling air channel past the first power electronics module such that the second partial air flow is substantially thermally separated from the first power electronics module,

wherein the housing comprises a second cooling air channel, and wherein the first partial air flow is routed via the second cooling air channel past the at least one capacitor such that the first partial air flow is substantially thermally separated from the at least one capacitor.

2. The converter arrangement of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises at least one housing part having at least one inflow opening for introducing the second partial air flow and an outflow opening for venting the second partial air flow, said at least one housing part at least partly surrounding the at least one capacitor and forming a cooling air gap between the at least one capacitor and the at least one housing part.

3. The converter arrangement of claim 2, wherein the at least one capacitor in conjunction with a plurality of additional capacitors is disposed in rows, as viewed in the direction of the cooling air flow, wherein the at least one housing part at least partly encloses a corresponding row of the additional capacitors such that a second cooling air channel is formed between the rows, through which the first partial air flow is routed past the at least one capacitor and the additional capacitors.

4. A converter arrangement comprising:

a housing having a first cooling air channel,

at least one capacitor disposed in the housing,

a fan for generating a cooling air flow,

a first power electronics module disposed in the housing between the at least one capacitor and the fan, as viewed in a direction of the cooling air flow, and being positioned in relation to the fan so as to be cooled only by a first partial air flow, wherein a second partial air flow provided for cooling the at least one capacitor is routed via the first cooling air channel past the first power electronics module such that the second partial air flow is substantially thermally separated from the first power electronics module,

a second power electronics module disposed distal of the at least one capacitor, as viewed in the direction of the cooling air flow, and

merging means for merging the first and second partial air flows, with the merged first and second partial air flows being provided for cooling the second power electronics module.

5. The converter arrangement of claim 4, wherein the second power electronics module is a rectifier.

6. A converter arrangement comprising:

a housing having a first cooling air channel,

at least one capacitor disposed in the housing,

a fan for generating a cooling air flow, and

a first power electronics module disposed in the housing between the at least one capacitor and the fan, as viewed in a direction of the cooling air flow, and being positioned in relation to the fan so as to be cooled only by a first partial air flow,

wherein a second partial air flow provided for cooling the at least one capacitor is routed via the first cooling air channel past the first power electronics module such that the second partial air flow is substantially thermally separated from the first power electronics module,

wherein the converter arrangement is constructed as a DC voltage intermediate circuit converter.

7. A converter arrangement comprising:

a housing having a first cooling air channel,

at least one capacitor disposed in the housing,

a fan for generating a cooling air flow, and

a first power electronics module disposed in the housing between the at least one capacitor and the fan, as viewed in a direction of the cooling air flow, and being positioned in relation to the fan so as to be cooled only by a first partial air flow,

wherein a second partial air flow provided for cooling the at least one capacitor is routed via the first cooling air channel past the first power electronics module such that the second partial air flow is substantially thermally separated from the first power electronics module,

wherein the first power electronics module is an inverter and the at least one capacitor is a DC voltage intermediate circuit capacitor.

8. A converter arrangement comprising:

a housing having a first cooling air channel,

at least one capacitor disposed in the housing,

a fan for generating a cooling air flow,

a first power electronics module disposed in the housing between the at least one capacitor and the fan, as viewed in a direction of the cooling air flow, and being positioned in relation to the fan so as to be cooled only by a first partial air flow, wherein a second partial air flow provided for cooling the at least one capacitor is routed via the first cooling air channel past the first power electronics module such that the second partial air flow is substantially thermally separated from the first power electronics module, and

a braking unit comprising a braking chopper and at least one braking resistor, wherein the at least one braking resistor is cooled by at least one of the first and second partial air flows.

9. A converter arrangement comprising:

a housing having a first cooling air channel,

at least one capacitor disposed in the housing,

a fan for generating a cooling air flow, and

a first power electronics module disposed in the housing between the at least one capacitor and the fan, as viewed in a direction of the cooling air flow, and being positioned in relation to the fan so as to be cooled only by a first partial air flow,

wherein a second partial air flow provided for cooling the at least one capacitor is routed via the first cooling air channel past the first power electronics module such that the second partial air flow is substantially thermally separated from the first power electronics module,

wherein the first power electronics module comprises semiconductor components and a heat sink for cooling the semiconductor components.

10. The converter arrangement of claim 9, wherein the heat sink is disposed in the first partial air flow and the second partial air flow is routed so as to bypass the heat sink and thermally separated from the heat sink.