Arrangement and a method for cooling
AssigneeABB Technology AG
InventorPer Halvarsson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An arrangement for cooling a high voltage converter including a major loop with a pump for making a coolant liquid to pass power semiconductor devices of the converter and a heat exchanger for lowering the temperature of the coolant liquid before passing the power semiconductor devices again. An extra loop is connected to the major loop. The extra loop has a cooling apparatus containing a volume of a cooling medium and adapted to cool the medium to a temperature substantially lower than the temperature of the coolant liquid after having passed the heat exchanger in the major loop. A control unit is adapted to divert at least a part of the coolant liquid to flow through the extra loop when the need of cooling the power semiconductor devices of the converter is extremely high.
Claims29
An arrangement for cooling a high voltage converter, comprising:
- a major loop adapted to conduct a coolant liquid,
- a pump configured to circulate the coolant liquid in said loop, said loop being adapted to conduct said coolant liquid to pass power semiconductor devices of said converter for absorbing heat energy generated thereby,
- a heat exchanger configured to lower a temperature of said coolant liquid before passing said power semiconductor devices again,
- a cooling apparatus arranged outside said loop, containing a volume of a cooling medium and adapted to cool the volume of medium to a temperature substantially lower than the temperature of said coolant liquid after having passed the heat exchanger in said loop, wherein said cooling medium volume is arranged in an extra loop connected to said major loop, and
- a control unit adapted to control at least a part of the flow of said coolant liquid to be diverted from said major loop to said extra loop for delivering heat to said medium before arriving to the power semiconductor devices upon determining that there is a need of cooling said power semiconductor devices not possible to fulfil by a temperature of said coolant liquid obtainable by circulating the coolant solely in said major loop.
A method for cooling a high voltage converter, the method comprising:
- pumping a coolant liquid in a major loop passing power semiconductor devices of said converter for absorbing heat energy generated thereby and a heat exchanger for lowering a temperature of said coolant liquid before passing said power semiconductor devices again, and
- diverting at least a part of the flow of said coolant liquid from said major loop to an extra loop containing a volume of a cooling medium cooled to a temperature being substantially lower than the temperature of said coolant liquid after having passed the heat exchanger in said major loop, for delivering heat to said medium before arriving to the power semiconductor devices upon determining that there is a need of cooling said power semiconductor devices not possible to fulfil by a temperature of said coolant liquid obtainable by circulating the said coolant solely in said major loop.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.