EP3659892B1 - Rail vehicle and device for dissipating heat for a rail vehicle - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a heat dissipation device for a rail vehicle and a rail vehicle.

Rail vehicles have a large number of electronic components that are housed in cabinets or containers and entail a certain amount of power loss and radiate heat. In order to ensure reliable operation of such components, it is usually necessary to provide cooling and to dissipate the heat radiated by the electronic components. As a rule, fire protection regulations and, if necessary, filter systems for the cooling air must also be taken into account in order to provide safe heat dissipation.

From the DE 38 05 005 A1 an energy supply device for a passenger carriage is known, which is arranged in a closed space and is connected to a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger is located directly below the energy supply block and consists of a large number of rectangular tube cross-sections lying side by side, through which air from the room and air from outside flows alternately.

From the U.S. 2015/166082 A1 is a rail vehicle with a plurality of equipment units arranged in a room, certain of these units being supplied with conditioned air via air ducts and being discharged therefrom again.

It is an object on which the invention is based to provide a device for heat dissipation for a rail vehicle and a rail vehicle which enables safe, reliable and cost-effective heat dissipation of heated air.

The object is achieved by a device or a rail vehicle with the features of the relevant independent patent claim. Configurations and developments of the device are specified in the dependent patent claims.

According to a first aspect, a device for dissipating heat for a rail vehicle includes a car body with a space-defining wall that includes a plurality of separate air ducts, with a first air duct having an inlet opening and a second air duct having an outlet opening, and the first air duct having the inlet opening and the second Air duct with the outlet opening are fluidly coupled to each other.

The device also has an electronics container, which is designed to accommodate electronic components for the rail vehicle and is coupled to the wall. The electronics enclosure has an exit port and an entry port, with the exit port being fluidically coupled to the entry port of the wall and the entry port being fluidically coupled to the exit port of the wall. The electronics container, the air duct with the inlet opening and the air duct with the outlet opening form a closed flow circuit. The device further comprises a fan unit which is coupled to the electronics container and/or to the wall. The fan unit is set up to form an air flow in the flow circuit.

Using the described structure of the device, a safe, reliable and cost-effective heat dissipation of heated air is possible. The device uses elongated cavities and the air volumes therein to enable efficient heat dissipation. It is particularly suitable for use in a rail vehicle, which generally has a plurality of car bodies with extruded profiles that have such unused cavities. Efficient cooling of electronic components of a rail vehicle can be realized by means of the device described. This can contribute to safe and cost-effective operation of the rail vehicle.

An increasing number of electronic components, such as electronic control systems, train protection systems or components for data processing, which are housed in an electronics container, for example a cabinet or a container, are required for smooth train operation. In a rail vehicle, such cabinets and containers are used to protect the electronic components from external influences, for example with regard to moisture or electromagnetic compatibility. Such a cabinet or container is installed, for example, in the rail vehicle, on a roof or in an underfloor.

Even if electronic components are further developed and always generate less power loss, i.e. their individual efficiency is improved, the increasing use of electronic components means that an absolute total power loss of the electronic components together taken nevertheless increases. In the present context, the electronic components also include electrical and electromechanical components, which generally require sufficient cooling or heat dissipation in order to be able to ensure proper functioning in each case.

Electronics located in cabinets or containers can be cooled by convection, for example, with a total power loss of up to approximately 500 W. The radiated thermal energy can still be given off sufficiently well via free convection on the outside of the cabinet or container. However, the risk of hotspots or local hot spots forming is relatively high. Such can lead to limitations in service life and, under certain circumstances, also result in an emergency shutdown of the electronic components.

Cooling using a mass flow enables heat to be dissipated from electronics cabinets or containers with power loss densities of around 500 W - 1300 W. However, air intake from the passenger compartment, the driver's cab or the environment is required, which carries the risk of carrying impurities. Additional filter systems and their maintenance are required and lead to a more complex structure and higher costs. In addition, the air used for cooling must not be blown out into the passenger compartment, for example, so that concepts for further extraction must be provided. Fire protection requirements cannot be met without special constructions, for example to close existing openings safely and reliably in the event of a fire. In addition, increased noise pollution for passengers and drivers of a rail vehicle is given by air openings.

Cooling using a separate heat exchanger enables heat to be dissipated in power loss-tight electronics cabinets and containers with outputs of around 1000 W. The internal air does not come into contact with the environment, but an external part of the heat exchanger leads to contamination, so that there is an increased need for maintenance. In addition, additional space is required for the heat exchanger.

Efficient, cost-effective and environmentally friendly heat dissipation is made possible by means of the device described. It uses a car body and the separate cavities in it that serve as heat exchangers. In this way, a simple, safe and reliable heat dissipation can be realized and a contribution can be made to increasing the service life of the electronic components arranged in the electronics container.

The electronics container of the device forms, for example in the form of a cupboard or a container, a structure encapsulated from the environment for electronic components to be arranged therein, so that, for example, no or only relatively little effort is required with regard to fire protection specifications. An expanded encapsulated structure can be implemented by means of the device, so that the self-contained flow circuit and the air flow that can be generated therein are separated from the environment. Therefore, any smoke development that may occur due to electronic damage is also limited to this closed flow circuit and is separated, for example, from an interior of a carriage of a rail vehicle. Requirements based on fire protection regulations are therefore low, so that is further contributed to a particularly cost-effective heat dissipation.

Using a car body as a heat exchanger provides a relatively large area for heat dissipation, especially since a conventional car body in an integral design made of aluminum has a large number of unused cavities that can be used specifically for a heat-dissipating air flow using the device described. Such a car body has, for example in the floor area, an elongate extruded profile which has large cavities and corresponding air volumes. These cavities form a respective air duct, which is fluidically decoupled from one another by stabilizing partition walls. By means of the device, the air ducts are used and preferably fluidically connected to one another in a large number in a targeted manner in order to form a long, continuous air duct and enable efficient heat dissipation. Measures for filtering the air or with regard to fire protection regulations are not required.

According to a development of the device, the first air duct with the inlet opening and the second air duct with the outlet opening realize one and the same air duct within the wall. Such a configuration with an elongated air duct, which has the inlet opening at one end and the outlet opening at the other end, is suitable, for example, for a correspondingly designed and arranged electronics container, which is for example in the form of a narrow cabinet above the air duct in a Interior of the car body is arranged.

According to a preferred development of the device, the air duct with the inlet opening and the air duct with the outlet opening each form a separate air duct within the wall. In this case, the separate air ducts can be formed directly adjacent to one another and separated from one another by means of a wall, with the separating wall having an opening which forms the fluidic coupling between the adjacent air ducts. Alternatively, the separate air ducts can be formed at a distance from one another and can be coupled to one another by means of a fluid power bridge.

According to a particularly preferred development, the device includes a bridge element that forms the fluidic coupling between the air duct with the inlet opening and the air duct with the outlet opening. Such a bridge element can be implemented, for example, as a pipe connection or as a hose, which forms a bridge channel and connects the air channels to one another in terms of fluid technology. The air ducts each have a corresponding coupling opening, which can also be referred to as an inlet opening or outlet opening in relation to an operationally provided air flow.

According to a further particularly preferred development, the device comprises a plurality of air ducts with a respective inlet opening and a respective outlet opening, which are fluidically coupled to one another, and a plurality of bridge elements, of which a bridge element is a respective fluidic coupling between two air ducts of the plurality of air ducts trains.

For example, four relatively small holes are provided in the car body, through which the predetermined powerful fan unit blows or sucks air out of the electronics container into the car body or into the air ducts of the wall. According to one such example, the electronics box has an opening in the bottom at one end that is fluidically coupled to the inlet opening of a first air duct for exit from the electronics box. The first air duct has an outlet opening which is as far away as possible from the inlet opening and which is fluidically connected to an inlet opening of a second air duct. The second air duct correspondingly has an outlet opening which is fluidly coupled to an inlet opening of the electronics container, which for example is formed at another end in the bottom of the electronics container. A self-contained flow circuit is thus formed within the electronics container and the car body.

Air is preferably sucked in from the electronics cabinet in an upper area in relation to an operational arrangement of the electronics container on or in the car body. A bridge duct can ensure that the air drawn in can flow back to the cabinet or electronics container.

The functionality of the device described can also be implemented for underfloor components or on a roof of the car body. An implementation is also possible for end wall cabinets, since the end walls of a conventional car body usually also have drawn hollow profiles made of aluminum, which allow useful heat dissipation with the air volumes located therein. At one near the roof Arrangement, an energy input through solar radiation may have to be taken into account. In this context, the device could have a shading element to ensure appropriate shading.

According to the invention, the wall comprises an extruded profile element which has the plurality of separate air ducts and which forms at least part of a floor, an end wall, a roof or a side wall of the car body.

According to a further development, the device comprises a further fan unit which is coupled to the electronics container and/or to the wall and which is set up to generate an air flow in the flow circuit. A respective fan unit can be used to force air circulation and contribute to efficient heat dissipation. A particularly reliable and stable air flow within the closed circuit made up of the electronics container and the wall of the car body can be formed by means of two or more fan units. In addition, a contribution can be made to lower noise emissions.

One fan unit is arranged, for example, in the first coupling interface between the electronics container and the wall which forms the fluidic outlet from the electronics container, and the other fan unit is arranged in the second coupling interface which forms the fluidic input back into the electronics container. Alternatively, a fan unit or an additional fan unit can be arranged within the bridge element, if one is provided. A fan unit within such a bridging channel may be more easily accessible and allow for easy maintenance or replacement of the fan unit.

A tolerable, installed power loss in an encapsulated electronics cabinet or container can be significantly increased by means of the device described. For example, with the usual geometry of a car body for a rail vehicle, an additional power loss of 50 W/m can be dissipated in a simple loop with two air ducts, each a few meters long. The possible heat dissipation is thus significantly improved and the electronic components also remain encapsulated in the electronics container, so that no contamination occurs from outside or to the outside in operational states. The heat dissipation principle that can be implemented using the device can be implemented on the roof, in an underfloor, on the side walls or the end walls of the car body, provided that the respective space-limiting wall has appropriate cavities, such as those of an extruded hollow profile.

There is no need for air filters and due to the self-contained flow circuit isolated from the environment, fire safety requirements are low. Furthermore, the device enables simple, time-saving and cost-effective maintenance and reduced noise emissions. In addition, there is essentially no additional space requirement, since existing resources are used efficiently. The device can thus be retrofitted into existing vehicle systems in a simple manner and can be retrofitted into vehicles with an integral design with little manufacturing effort.

According to a further aspect, a rail vehicle comprises an embodiment of the heat dissipation device described above, which is coupled to a car body of the rail vehicle. In particular, the device can comprise a space in a wagon floor, an underfloor, a side wall, a front wall and/or on a roof of the wagon body and, with this available space, enable useful and cost-effective heat dissipation. Because the rail vehicle comprises an embodiment of the device described above, the properties and features of the device described are also disclosed for the rail vehicle, if applicable, and vice versa.

Figur 1

eine schematische Darstellung eines Schienenfahrzeugs mit einer Vorrichtung zur Wärmeabfuhr,

Figur 2

ein Ausführungsbeispiel der Vorrichtung zur Wärmeabfuhr in einer schematischen Ansicht,

Figur 3

ein weiteres Ausführungsbeispiel der Vorrichtung zur Wärmeabfuhr in einer perspektivischen Ansicht,

Figuren 4A-4B

ein weiteres Ausführungsbeispiel der Vorrichtung zur Wärmeabfuhr in verschiedenen Ansichten, und

Figuren 5A-5B

ein weiteres Ausführungsbeispiel der Vorrichtung zur Wärmeabfuhr in verschiedenen Ansichten.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the schematic drawings. Show it:

figure 1

a schematic representation of a rail vehicle with a device for heat dissipation,

figure 2

an embodiment of the device for heat dissipation in a schematic view,

figure 3

another embodiment of the heat dissipation device in a perspective view,

Figures 4A-4B

another embodiment of the device for heat dissipation in different views, and

Figures 5A-5B

another embodiment of the device for heat dissipation in different views.

Elements of the same design and function are identified with the same reference symbols across the figures. For reasons of clarity, not all elements in all figures may be identified with the associated reference symbols.

figure 1 shows a schematic side view of a rail vehicle 1 with a device 10, which includes an electronics container 15 for accommodating electronic components of the rail vehicle 1 and a space-defining wall 11, which in the illustrated embodiment forms a floor of a car body of the rail vehicle 1. As below based on the figures 2 to 5B, the device 10 enables a safe, reliable and cost-effective heat dissipation of heated air from the electronics container 15.

The electronics container 15 is, for example, a cabinet or a container in which electronic components for train operation of the rail vehicle 1 are arranged. Such electronic components include, for example, electronic controls, train protection systems, components for data processing and/or other electrical and/or electromechanical components. The electronics container 15 serves to protect the electronic components from external influences. The electronics container 15, as shown in the Figures 1 and 2 illustrated, represent a cabinet in an interior space 22 of the car body on a side wall or a front wall. Alternatively, the electronics container 15 is, for example, a container arranged in or under a floor 12 or on a roof of the car body.

figure 2 shows a sectional view of the device 10 in a plane perpendicular to a longitudinal extension direction of the car body. According to figure 2 the device 10 for heat dissipation for the rail vehicle 1 has the car body with the space-defining wall 11, which comprises a plurality of separate air ducts 19, one air duct 19 having an inlet opening 162 and one air duct 19 having an outlet opening 182. The air duct 19 with the inlet opening 162 and the air duct 19 with the outlet opening 182 are fluidically coupled to one another.

The device 10 also has the electronics container 15, which is coupled to the wall 11 and which has an outlet opening 161 and an inlet opening 181, the outlet opening 161 being connected to the inlet opening 162 of one air duct 19 and the inlet opening 181 being connected to the outlet opening 182 Air duct 19 are fluidically coupled, so that the electronics container 15, the air duct 19 with the inlet opening 162 and the air duct 19 with the outlet opening 182 form a self-contained flow circuit. The device 10 also includes a fan unit 17 which is coupled to the electronics container 15 and/or to the wall 11 and which is set up to form an air flow in the flow circuit.

The device 10 uses elongated cavities and the air volumes located therein to enable efficient heat dissipation and is particularly suitable for use in the rail vehicle 1, which usually has a plurality of car bodies with such cavities. The wall 11 of the car body has an extruded profile element 13 which comprises the plurality of air ducts 19 which are usually fluidly separated from one another by stabilizing partitions. For example, insulation is arranged between the electronics container 15 and the extruded profile element 13 and forms or forms a floor 12 of the car body.

The device 10 described can be used to efficiently cool electronic components in the electronics container 15 and thus contribute to safe, cost-effective and environmentally friendly operation of the rail vehicle 1 .

An intake opening 14 is preferably provided in an upper region of the electronics container 15 and is fluidically connected to the outlet opening 161 of the electronics container 15 . In this context, terms such as "above", "below", "above", "below" refer to an operational and ready-to-use state of the rail vehicle 1 or the device 10. The direction of flow of the air flow generated by the fan unit 17 is indicated by arrows indicated in the closed flow circuit. The air heated by the operation of the electronic components in the electronics container 15 is sucked in through the intake opening 14 and flows through the outlet opening 161, through the floor 12 and through the inlet opening 162 into the air duct 19. The sucked air flows through the air duct 19 and through the fluidic coupling to the further air duct 19 in this and through the associated outlet opening 182, through the floor 12, through the inlet opening 181 on the fan unit 17 over back into the Electronics container 15. On the way along the flow circuit, the heated air gives off heat to the surroundings and flows back cooled into the electronics container 15.

figure 3 shows the device 10 in a perspective representation, which, for example, shows a view of part of the figure 2 represented elements. The electronics container 15 is coupled to the extruded profile element 13 . Air flow directions are indicated by narrow arrows, while heat removal is indicated by broadly illustrated arrows. The fluidic coupling of two air ducts 19 is realized by a bridge element 20, which is arranged, for example, on an upper side of the extruded profile element 13, which would face the interior 22 of the car body in an operational state.

The bridge element 20 has, for example, a hose and/or a pipe which is fluidically coupled to corresponding openings in the respective air channels 19 and forms a fluidic bridge channel. An arrangement of such a bridge element 20 on an upper side of the wall 11 or of the extruded profile element 13 enables easy access and therefore contributes to low-effort maintenance. In addition, according to such an embodiment, the device 10 can be easily and inexpensively integrated into existing train systems and retrofitted in the corresponding car bodies.

A conventional car body, as a shell construction, forms a skeleton of a train compartment of the rail vehicle 1 and generally has an elongate extent of a few meters in relation to an intended direction of travel. According to the air ducts 19, which usually also extend in the longitudinal direction, a length of a few meters.

For example, an air duct 19 has a length of 5 m, so that a maximum possible flow path there and back is 10 m. An area of approx. 2.5 m ² can thus be used for heat dissipation. A high flow rate, which can be achieved by setting up the fan unit 17 appropriately, makes heat dissipation even more efficient based on a greater heat transfer coefficient. An estimated pressure drop, depending on the geometry of the car body, is around 250 Pa, for example, and can be easily managed using a simple diagonal fan with sufficient volume flow. As a result, a possible thermal energy output increases from an estimated 500 W to approximately 750 W, with the electronic components in the electronics container 15 being reliably and securely encapsulated from the environment. With regard to a conventional car body geometry, heat dissipation of approx. 50 W per meter of car length can be achieved by means of the device 10 when the flow circuit is implemented with a simple loop back and forth in two air ducts 19. If several loops are introduced, this value can be multiplied (see FIG. 5B).

Figures 4A and 4B show another embodiment of the device 10, in which a bridge element 20 is arranged in the interior 22 of the car body. FIG. 4A shows a sectional representation with an indicated flow circuit and FIG. 4B illustrates a schematic view from above. The electronics container 15 is coupled to the car body as a container in an underfloor or below the extruded profile element 13 . Through the exit opening 161 of the electronics container 15 and the inlet opening 162, the heated air enters a first air duct 191 and flows to the bridge element 20. The already cooler air flows through the bridge element 20 into a second air duct 192 back to the electronics container 15 and enters it through the outlet opening after it has been deheated 182 of the second air duct 192 and the inlet opening 181. The first air duct 191 has the inlet opening 162 and, coupled to the bridge element 20, an outlet opening which is fluidically connected through the bridge duct to an inlet opening of the second air duct 192. Thus, the first and second air duct 191, 192 have a respective inlet and outlet opening, so that a flow circuit through a relatively large unused air volume is made possible essentially with four through openings in the car body, the electronics container 15 and the bridge element 20.

The bridge element 20 is a separate component which can form a bridge channel between two air channels 19 at a suitable position. For example, the bridge element 20 is arranged on an upper side of the extruded profile element 13, as illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B. Alternatively, according to a further embodiment of the device 10 , the bridge element 20 can also be coupled to the extruded profile element 13 below or on the face side.

Figures 5A and 5B show another embodiment of the device 10, in which several bridge elements 201, 202, 203 are arranged in the interior 22 of the car body and several air ducts 191, 192, 193, 194 fluidly connect with each other. Figure 5A shows a sectional view with indicated directions of flow and Figure 5B illustrates a schematic view from above. The heated air passes through the outlet opening 161 of the electronics container 15 and the inlet opening 162 into a first air duct 191 and flows to a first bridge element 201. The already cooler air flows through the first bridge element 201 into a second air duct 192 to a second bridge element 202 and through this into a third air duct 193 to a third bridge element 203. The cooled air flows further through the third bridge element 203 into a fourth air duct 194 of the extruded profile element 13 back to the electronics container 15 and passes through the outlet opening 182 of the fourth air duct 194 and the inlet opening 181 of the Electronics container 15 in these. The air channels 191-194 thus each have a respective inlet and outlet opening and, together with the bridge elements 201-203, form a long and large-volume flow circuit for efficiently dissipating heat generated by the operation of the electronic components in the electronics container 15.

A tolerable, installed power loss in the encapsulated electronics container 15 can therefore be increased and reliably dissipated by means of the device 10 described. By means of a simple loop (see FIG. 4B), a heat dissipation of approximately 50 W/m in relation to conventional geometries of a car body with an extruded profile element 13 can be achieved. Heat dissipation is therefore improved and, moreover, the electronic components remain encapsulated in the electronics container 15, so that no contamination occurs from the outside in and from the inside out. The principle of heat dissipation realized by means of the device 10 can also be used on the roof, the underfloor, the side walls and the front walls, provided these have the appropriate air ducts 19 have. Due to the structure of the closed flow circuit, which is isolated from the environment, there is no need for air filters and the requirements according to fire protection regulations are also low. In addition, this contributes to low noise emissions and there is hardly any additional space requirement, since the device 10 essentially makes use of existing, unused cavities in order to provide efficient and environmentally friendly cooling.

Claims (10)

1. Device (10) for dissipating heat for a rail vehicle (1), comprising:

   - a car body with a space-delimiting wall (11), which comprises a plurality of separate air ducts (19), wherein one air duct (19) has an inlet opening (162) and one air duct (19) has an outlet opening (182) and the air duct (19) with the inlet opening (162) and the air duct (19) with the outlet opening (182) are coupled fluidically to one another,

   - an electronics container (15), which is embodied to receive electronic components for the rail vehicle (1) and is coupled to the wall (11) and which has an exit opening (161) and an entrance opening (181), wherein the exit opening (161) with the inlet opening (162) of the wall (11) and the entrance opening (181) with the outlet opening (182) of the wall (11) are coupled fluidically, so that the electronics container (15), the air duct (19) with the inlet opening (162) and the air duct (19) with the outlet opening (182) form a closed flow circuit, and

   - a fan unit (17), which is coupled to the electronics container (15) and/or to the wall (11) and which is designed to embody an air flow in the flow circuit,

   characterised in that
   the wall (11) comprises an extruded section element (13), which has the plurality of separate air ducts (19) and which embodies at least one part of a floor, a front wall, a ceiling or a side wall of the car body.
2. Device (10) according to claim 1, in which the air duct (19) with the inlet opening (162) and the air duct (19) with the outlet opening (182) form one and the same air duct (19) within the wall (11) .
3. Device (10) according to claim 1, in which the air duct (19) with the inlet opening (162) and the air duct (19) with the outlet opening (182) each form a separate air duct (19) within the wall (11) .
4. Device (10) according to claim 3, in which the air duct (19) with the inlet opening (162) and the air duct (19) with the outlet opening (182) are embodied directly adjacent to one another and separated from one another by means of a wall, and in which the wall has an opening which forms the fluidic coupling between the adjacent air ducts (19).
5. Device (10) according to one of claims 1 to 4, comprising:
   a bridge element (20, 201, 202, 203), which forms the fluidic coupling between the air duct (19) with the inlet opening (162) and the air duct (19) with the outlet opening (182).
6. Device (10) according to one of claims 1 to 5, comprising:

   - a plurality of air ducts (19, 191, 192, 193, 194) with a respective inlet opening (162) and a respective outlet opening (182), which are coupled fluidically to one another, and

   - a plurality of bridge elements (20, 201, 202, 203), of which in each case one bridge element (20, 201, 202, 203) forms a respective fluidic coupling between two air ducts (19, 191, 192, 193, 194) of the plurality of air ducts (19).
7. Device (10) according to one of claims 1 to 6, comprising:
   a further fan unit, which is coupled to the electronics container (15) and/or to the wall (11) and is designed to generate an air flow in the flow circuit.
8. Device (10) according to one of claims 1 to 7, in which the fan unit (17) is arranged in the region of the exit opening (161) of the electronics container (15) and the inlet opening (162) of the wall (11) or in the region of the entrance opening (161) of the electronics container (15) and the outlet opening (182) of the wall (11) .
9. Device (10) according to one of claims 1 to 8 in conjunction with claim 5, in which the fan unit (17) is arranged within the bridge element (20).
10. Rail vehicle (1) comprising:

    - electronic components, which are embodied to operate a functionality assigned to the rail vehicle (1), and

    - a device (10) according to one of claims 1 to 9, in the electronics container (15) of which the electronic components are arranged.

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