Cooling components, converter, and aircraft

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a device for cooling components. The device includes a main body and cylindrical and/or conical cooling fins which are formed in the main body and around which a coolant may flow, wherein the cooling fins are formed in parallel first rows and equally spaced apart from one another. Neighboring first rows are arranged offset from one another in the row direction in such a way that the axes of neighboring cooling fins of the neighboring first rows are offset by at least 25% of the hydraulic diameter of the cooling fins. The disclosure also relates to a converter and an aircraft including a device of this type.

Claims

1. A device for cooling components, the device comprising: a main body; and cylindrical and/or conical cooling fins, wherein the cooling fins are positioned in the main body, wherein a coolant is configured to flow around the cooling fins in a flow direction, wherein the cooling fins are positioned in parallel first rows and equally spaced apart from one another, wherein each first row of the parallel first rows is arranged along a row direction that is different from the flow direction, and wherein adjacent first rows of the parallel first rows are arranged offset with respect to one another in the row direction such that, for each cooling fin in the parallel first rows, an axis of a respective first cooling fin in one first row is offset by at least 25% of a hydraulic diameter from an axis of a respective second cooling fin in an adjacent first row such that the respective first and second cooling fins are situated in series in the flow direction and are offset transversely to the flow direction and are not parallel with the flow direction such that no rows of cooling fins are formed in alignment with the flow direction.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein each first row of the parallel first rows is offset by a same first offset with respect to a preceding first row of the parallel first rows.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein only every second one of the parallel first rows is offset by a same first offset with respect to a preceding first row.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the first offset is 1 to 6 mm.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein adjacent second rows of the cooling fins are each positioned in a second row direction that is transverse to the row direction of the parallel first rows of the cooling fins by an offsetting of the parallel first rows, wherein the adjacent second rows of the cooling fins are arranged offset with respect to one another in the second row direction such that axes of adjacent cooling fins of the adjacent second rows are offset by at least 25% of a mean diameter of the cooling fins.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein each second row is offset by a same second offset with respect to a preceding second row.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein only every second one of the adjacent second rows is offset by a same second offset with respect to a preceding second row.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the second offset is 2 to 6 mm.

9. A converter comprising: a device having: a main body; and cylindrical and/or conical cooling fins, wherein the cooling fins are positioned in the main body, wherein a coolant is configured to flow around the cooling fins in a flow direction, wherein the cooling fins are positioned in parallel first rows and equally spaced apart from one another, wherein each first row of the parallel first rows is arranged along a row direction that is different from the flow direction, and wherein adjacent first rows of the parallel first rows are arranged offset with respect to one another in the row direction such that, for each cooling fin in the parallel first rows, an axis of a respective first cooling fin in one first row is offset by at least 25% of a hydraulic diameter from an axis of a respective second cooling fin in an adjacent first row such that the respective first and second cooling fins are situated in series in the flow direction and are offset transversely to the flow direction and are not parallel with the flow direction such that no rows of cooling fins are formed in alignment with the flow direction.

10. The converter of claim 9, wherein the converter is an inverter.

11. An aircraft comprising: a converter for an electric or hybrid-electric aircraft propulsion system, wherein the converter comprises a device having: a main body; and cylindrical and/or conical cooling fins, wherein the cooling fins are positioned in the main body, wherein a coolant is configured to flow around the cooling fins in a flow direction, wherein the cooling fins are positioned in parallel first rows and equally spaced apart from one another, wherein each first row of the parallel first rows is arranged along a row direction that is different from the flow direction, wherein adjacent first rows of the parallel first rows are arranged offset with respect to one another in the row direction such that, for each cooling fin in the parallel first rows, an axis of a respective first cooling fin in one first row is offset by at least 25% of a hydraulic diameter from an axis of a respective second cooling fin in an adjacent first row such that the respective first and second cooling fins are situated in series in the flow direction and are offset transversely to the flow direction and are not parallel with the flow direction such that no rows of cooling fins are formed in alignment with the flow direction.

12. The aircraft of claim 11, wherein the aircraft is an airplane.

13. The aircraft of claim 12, further comprising: an electric motor configured to be supplied with electrical energy by the converter; and a propeller configured to be set in rotation by the electric motor.

14. The aircraft of claim 13, wherein the converter is an inverter.

15. The aircraft of claim 11, further comprising: an electric motor configured to be supplied with electrical energy by the converter; and a propeller configured to be set in rotation by the electric motor.

16. The aircraft of claim 15, wherein the converter is an inverter.

17. The device of claim 2, wherein the first offset is 1 to 6 mm.

18. The device of claim 6, wherein the second offset is 2 to 6 mm.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further special features and advantages of the disclosure will become clear from the following explanations of an exemplary embodiments with reference to schematic drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 depicts a device having cooling fins according to the prior art.

(3) FIG. 2 depicts an example of a device having cooling fins according to the illustrated first design rule.

(4) FIG. 3 depicts an example of a device having cooling fins after the application of the first design rule.

(5) FIG. 4 depicts an example of a device having cooling fins according to an illustrated further, alternative first design rule.

(6) FIG. 5 depicts an example of a device having cooling fins according to an alternative application of the first design rule.

(7) FIG. 6 depicts an example of a device having cooling fins and the illustrated second design rule.

(8) FIG. 7 depicts an example of a device having cooling fins after the application of the second design rule.

(9) FIG. 8 depicts an example of a block diagram of an inverter having a device for cooling.

(10) FIG. 9 depicts an example of an aircraft having an electric aircraft propulsion system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(11) FIG. 2 shows a plan view of a device having first rows R1 and second rows R2 of cylindrical cooling fins 1 (e.g., pin fins), which are formed in a main body 2. The cooling fins 1 project from the plane of the drawing. The cooling fins 1 have a hydraulic diameter of about 3 mm, for example. According to the disclosure, adjacent first rows R1 of cooling fins 1 are formed in a manner offset by 1.2 mm, 3 mm, 4.5 mm, etc. in the direction of the arrow with respect to the first of the first rows R1 (e.g., first design rule), with the result that the axes C of adjacent cooling fins 1 of adjacent first rows R1 are arranged offset by in each case about 1.5 mm in the row direction with respect to the adjacent row. The result of this displacement by the first offset V1 of about 1.5 mm may be seen in the device in FIG. 3.

(12) FIG. 3 shows the cylindrical cooling fins 1 arranged offset according to the first design rule. The first rows R1 have an offset V1 of about 1.5 mm (between the axes C of adjacent cooling fins 1) with respect to one another. The cooling fins 1 are formed in a main body 2, e.g., made of metal or ceramics. They are perpendicular to the plane of the drawing. Second rows R2 of cooling fins 1 are formed transversely to the first rows R1.

(13) Simulations of speeds of flow of a coolant flowing in the direction D show that coolant flowing past an arrangement of first rows R1 of cooling fins 1 arranged in an offset manner has a large amount of contact with the surface of the cooling fins 1 owing to the offset arrangement of the first rows R1 of cooling fins 1. Moreover, the simulation shows that the lee zone behind the cooling fins 1 is reduced in size and that the coolant cannot flow through the device without heat transfer.

(14) Meandering flow of the coolant without contact with the cooling fins 1 is prevented, thereby increasing the mixing of the coolant and enabling thermodynamically desired turbulence to be formed more effectively (e.g., the degree of turbulence is increased).

(15) By virtue of the first design rule, no rows of cooling fins 1 which are in alignment with the flow direction D are formed.

(16) FIG. 4 shows an application according to the disclosure of the first design rule which is an alternative to FIG. 2. In this variant of the device, only every second of the first rows R1 is formed in manner offset by about 1.5 mm in the direction of the arrow. A similar effect to that achieved by the measure according to FIG. 2 is thereby achieved.

(17) FIG. 5 shows the results of the alternative application of the first design rule with a first offset V1 of the axes C of about 1.5 mm.

(18) In addition, the second rows R2 of cooling fins 1 which result from the abovementioned first design rule and which are formed transversely to the first rows R1 by the first design rule, may be arranged offset with respect to one another in the row direction of the second rows R2 according to a second design rule. The second design rule may be seen from FIG. 6.

(19) FIG. 7 shows the result of the application of the second design rule to the cylindrical cooling fins 1 arranged offset according to the first design rule. The second rows R2 have a second offset V2 of about 1.5 mm (between the axes C of adjacent cooling fins 1) with respect to one another. The cooling fins 1 are formed in a main body 2, e.g., made of metal or ceramics. They are perpendicular to the plane of the drawing.

(20) As a result, the coolant flowing past two adjacent cooling fins 1 may impinge upon the next cooling fin 1 as close as possible to the tip, as a result of which the speed of the coolant is also locally increased, improving heat dissipation. This advantage also applies to the first design rule.

(21) FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of an inverter 4 having a device for cooling power-electronic components according to FIG. 2 to FIG. 7. The inverter 4 has a main body 2 with cooling fins 1 formed therein. The inverter 4 is an embodiment of a converter.

(22) FIG. 9 shows an electric or hybrid-electric aircraft 5, (e.g., an airplane), including an inverter 4 according to FIG. 8 which supplies an electric motor 6 with electrical energy. The electric motor 6 drives a propeller 7.

(23) Although the disclosure has been described and illustrated more specifically in detail by the exemplary embodiments, the disclosure is not restricted by the disclosed examples and other variations may be derived therefrom by a person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of protection of the disclosure. It is therefore intended that the foregoing description be regarded as illustrative rather than limiting, and that it be understood that all equivalents and/or combinations of embodiments are intended to be included in this description.

(24) It is to be understood that the elements and features recited in the appended claims may be combined in different ways to produce new claims that likewise fall within the scope of the present disclosure. Thus, whereas the dependent claims appended below depend from only a single independent or dependent claim, it is to be understood that these dependent claims may, alternatively, be made to depend in the alternative from any preceding or following claim, whether independent or dependent, and that such new combinations are to be understood as forming a part of the present specification.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

(25) 1 cooling fin 2 main body 4 inverter 5 aircraft 6 electric motor 7 propeller C axis of a cooling fin 1 D flow direction of the coolant R1 first row of cooling fins 1 R2 second row of cooling fins 1