Cooling System And Cooling Method For Cooling Components Of A Power Electronics

Abstract

Cooling system and cooling method for cooling components of a power electronics The invention relates to a cooling system for cooling components ( 10 ) of power electronics installed on board an aircraft, in particular a passenger aircraft, comprising a cooling device ( 30 ) which is to be coupled in a heat-transmitting and planar manner to the components of the power electronics, and which cooling device ( 30 ) comprises at least two heat sinks ( 32, 34, 36, 38, 39, 50 ) fluidly isolated from one another, the cooling system further comprising at least two cooling circuits each including a cooling fluid source, wherein the at least two heat sinks of the cooling device ( 30 ) can be separately supplied with cooling fluids from different cooling fluid sources, and wherein the cooling system is configured such that no phase transition of the cooling fluids within the cooling circuits occurs, during operation of the cooling system. The invention also relates to a method for cooling components of power electronics.

1 . Cooling system for cooling components ( 10 ) of power electronics installed on board an aircraft, in particular a passenger aircraft, comprising a cooling device ( 30 ) which is to be coupled in a heat-transmitting and planar manner to the components of the power electronics, and which cooling device ( 30 ) comprises at least two heat sinks ( 32 ,  34 ,  36 ,  38 ,  39 ,  50 ) which are fluidly isolated from one another, 
 the cooling system further comprising at least two cooling circuits each including a cooling fluid source, wherein the at least two heat sinks of the cooling device ( 30 ) can be separately supplied with cooling fluids from different cooling fluid sources, and wherein the cooling system is configured such that no phase transition of the cooling fluids within the cooling circuits occurs, during operation of the cooling system.    
     
     
         2 . Cooling device according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the at least two heat sinks ( 32 ,  34 ,  36 ,  38 ,  39 ,  50 ) is formed as a redundant heat sink.  
     
     
         3 . Cooling device according to  claim 1 , wherein the heat sinks are formed as a plurality of adjacent cooling channels ( 32 ,  34 ,  36 ,  38 ,  39 ).  
     
     
         4 . Cooling device according to  claim 3 , wherein the cooling channels ( 32 , 34 , 36 , 38 ,  39 ) extend parallel to one another in the cooling device ( 30 ), at least in sections.  
     
     
         5 . Cooling device according to  claim 3 , wherein the cooling channels ( 32 ,  34 ,  36 ,  38 ,  39 ) extend in a rectilinear manner through the cooling device.  
     
     
         6 . Cooling device according to  claim 3 , wherein the cooling channels ( 46 ,  58 ) extend in a meandering manner through the cooling device.  
     
     
         7 . Cooling device according to  claim 3 , wherein each cooling channel comprises a cooling fluid inlet ( 32   a ,  34   a ,  36   a ,  38   a ,  39   a ) and a cooling fluid outlet ( 32   b ,  34   b ,  36   b ,  38   b ,  39   b ) which are formed separately from one another.  
     
     
         8 . Cooling device according to  claim 7 , wherein the cooling fluid inlets ( 32   a ,  34   a ,  36   a ,  38   a ,  39   a ) and the cooling fluid outlets ( 32   b ,  34   b ,  36   b ,  38   b ,  39   b ) are disposed at opposite ends of the cooling device.  
     
     
         9 . Cooling device according to  claim 7 , wherein the cooling fluid inlets ( 32   a ,  34   a ,  36   a ,  38   a ,  39   a ) and the cooling fluid outlets ( 32   b ,  34   b ,  36   b ,  38   b ,  39   b ) are disposed at the same end of the cooling device.  
     
     
         10 . Cooling device according to  claim 3 , wherein the cooling channels ( 32 ,  34 ,  36 ,  38 ,  39 ) are contained completely in the interior of the cooling device.  
     
     
         11 . Cooling device according to  claim 1 , wherein the cooling device comprises on its outside a plurality of ribs ( 50 ) which are provided to air-cool the cooling device.  
     
     
         12 . Cooling device according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the cooling device is formed as an elongate cooling plate.  
     
     
         13 . Method for cooling components ( 10 ) of power electronics installed onboard an aircraft, in particular a passenger aircraft, in which method a cooling device ( 30 ) comprising at least two heat sinks ( 32 ,  34 ,  36 ,  38 ,  39 ,  50 ) which are fluidly isolated from one another is coupled in a heat-transmitting and planar manner to the components of the power electronics, and in which method the at least two heat sinks are separately supplied with a cooling fluid from different cooling fluid sources associated to different cooling circuits, and in which method no phase transition of the cooling fluid occurs.  
     
     
         14 . Method according to  claim 13 , in which a cooling device ( 30 ) comprising a plurality of cooling channels ( 32 ,  34 ,  36 ,  38 ,  39 ) fluidly isolated from one another is used, wherein adjacent cooling channels ( 32 ,  34 ,  36 ,  38 ,  39 ) of the cooling device are supplied with a pressurised cooling fluid from different cooling fluid sources.  
     
     
         15 . Method according to  claim 14 , in which the directions of flow of the cooling fluid in adjacent cooling channels ( 32 ,  34 ,  36 ,  38 ,  39 ) of the cooling device ( 30 ) are opposite to one another.