JP2001128321A - Cooling device for switchboard - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To introduce external air into a switchboard and reduce the cost and size of the switchboard, while the switchboard is protected from dust, salt, etc., without using an expensive special filters, etc., even if the switchboard is used in an severe environment which requires countermeasures against dusts and salt damage. SOLUTION: There are provided an enclosed chamber 13 which is placed in a switchboard 1 and isolated from the atmosphere, an aeration dust 18 both whose ends are connected with the suction inlet 5a and exhaust outlet 6 of the switchboard 1, a ventilation fan 10 which makes the air flow from the suction inlet 8a to the aeration duct 18, an aperture 21 formed in the wall surface of the duct 18 and a radiation plate 22 which is attached t the aperture 21, whose front surface heater (a power semiconductor module 24) is placed in the enclosed chamber 13 and whose rear surface heater is placed in the duct 18.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a switchboard cooling device for cooling by introducing outside air.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a switchboard such as a closed-type self-contained switchboard installed in a bad environment where dust and salt damage countermeasures are required, not only a control circuit section including an electronic circuit but also a power supply of a main circuit section. In order to cool the inside of the panel so that the heating elements such as semiconductors and resistors are not affected by the heating elements, first and second cooling devices described below are provided.

[0003] First, the first cooling device has a completely enclosed structure of the switchboard, completely shuts off the inside of the switchboard from the outside air to prevent dust and salt from entering the switchboard, and prevents corrosion and rust from progressing. The entire inside of the panel is cooled by an electronic cooling device, air conditioner, cooler, etc. installed in the panel.

[0004] The second cooling device is equipped with a special filter for dust and salt damage prevention at the intake of the switchboard to remove dust and salt, and the outside air is introduced from the intake to the inside of the panel by the cooling fan provided in the panel. Is introduced and exhausted from the exhaust port to cool the inside of the panel.

[0005]

The above-mentioned conventional cooling device has the following problems. First, in the first device of the related art, when the calorific value in the closed panel exceeds natural cooling by heat radiation from the panel surface, the inside of the panel is kept at an allowable temperature or less. It is necessary to provide an electronic cooling device, an air conditioner, and the like.

For this reason, a large-sized and large-capacity electronic cooling device, an air conditioner, and the like are required, resulting in a large cost (initial cost and running cost) and an increase in the size and size of the switchboard. There is.

[0007] In the conventional second device,
Special filters for dust / salt damage as intake filters are extremely expensive, and even with this special filter, it is difficult to completely prevent dust and salt from entering the panel. There is a problem that a great deal of cost is required and sufficient measures against dust and salt damage cannot be taken.

The present invention introduces outside air into a switchboard so as not to be affected by dust and salt without using an expensive special filter even in a bad environment requiring measures against dust and salt damage. Another object of the present invention is to reduce the size of the switchboard at low cost and to cool the inside of the switchboard.

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in the cooling device for a switchboard according to the present invention, a closed chamber provided in the switchboard and shielded from the outside air, and both ends of which are provided with an inlet of the switchboard. A ventilation duct that communicates with the exhaust port, a ventilation fan that ventilates from the intake port to the exhaust port through the ventilation duct, and an opening formed in the wall of the ventilation duct; A radiator located in the chamber, and a radiator on the back side provided with a radiator plate located in the ventilation duct.

Therefore, the heat generating element such as the power semiconductor module on the surface of the heat radiating plate is provided in a closed room shielded from the outside air, and the heat radiating element on the rear surface of the heat radiating plate is located in the ventilation duct.

Then, outside air is introduced into the ventilation duct from the intake port by the ventilation fan, passes through the radiator, and the air passing through the radiator is exhausted to the outside from the exhaust port.

By the introduction and exhaust of the outside air, a cooling air flows through the ventilation duct, and the heating air is cooled by the cooling air through the radiator, thereby suppressing a rise in temperature in the closed chamber.

[0013] Since dust and salt contained in the outside air pass through the ventilation duct and do not enter the closed chamber, it is necessary to store, in the closed chamber, various devices such as a control circuit unit and the like that need to take measures against dust and salt damage together with the heating element. Accordingly, sufficient dust and salt damage countermeasures can be taken without using a special filter for dust and salt damage countermeasures in the intake filter.

[0014] Further, since the entire distribution panel is not completely sealed, but is cooled by passing outside air through the panel,
A large-capacity, large-sized electronic cooling device that cools the entire inside of the switchboard,
There is no need to provide an air conditioner.

Therefore, the inside of the panel can be cooled while preventing the influence of dust and salt content at low cost and without increasing the size of the switchboard.

The ventilation duct is preferably formed by attaching a vertical frame having a U-shaped cross section to a plate forming a closed chamber.

In this case, since the plate forming the closed chamber forms a ventilation duct, not only the radiator but also the walls of the closed chamber are sufficiently cooled by the cooling air flowing through the ventilation duct, and the cooling performance is improved. Further improve.

Further, a partition plate may be provided inside the wall plate of the switchboard, the front side of the partition plate may be a closed chamber, and the back side of the partition plate may be a ventilation duct.

The present invention is extremely effective when the heating element on the surface of the heat sink is a power semiconductor module.

[0020]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. (First Embodiment) First, a first embodiment provided with the ventilation duct of claim 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 are a front view, a plan view, and a side view, respectively, showing the external shape of a closed-type self-contained switchboard 1. The switchboard 1 includes a frame 2
The cubicle main body 3 having an open front surface is mounted thereon.

The front opening of the main body 3 is closed by doors 4a and 4b of a double-opening structure, and the doors 4a and 4b are provided with intake ports 5a and 5b with a filter at the lower part. Also, body 3
The top plate 3a has an exhaust port 6 with a filter substantially at the center.

FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 are a cut front view, a cut plan view, and a cut side view of the switchboard 1. In these drawings, 3b and 3c denote side plates of the main body 3 and 3d and 3e.
Denotes a back plate and a bottom plate of the main body 3.

An upper plate 7 is provided below the top plate 3a.
An exhaust unit 8 is provided between the top plate 3 a and the upper plate 7, that is, in the upper part of the main body 3.
To form

The exhaust unit 8 has a front surface closed by an upper front plate 9 and accommodates a ventilation fan 10 attached to the exhaust port 6.

Next, the middle plate 1 is moved between the bottom plate 3e and the upper plate 7.
1, a horizontal lower plate 12 is provided in front of the middle plate 11 and above the bottom plate 3e, at a position substantially at the upper end of the intake ports 5a and 5b.

The front opening of the main body 3 is detachably and airtightly closed by a front plate 14, and the upper plate 7, the middle plate 11, the lower plate 12, the both side plates 3b and 3c and the front plate 1
A closed chamber 13 on the front side surrounded by 4 is formed.

On the other hand, the space between the bottom plate 3e and the lower plate 12 is defined as an air intake portion 15 communicating with the air inlets 5a and 5b. The upper plate 7, the middle plate 11, the rear plate 3d and the bottom plate 3e And a closed chamber 16 on the back side surrounded by both side plates 3b and 3c.

Further, three vertical frame members 17 having a U-shaped cross section are arranged and mounted on the surface side of the middle plate 11 as a plate member constituting the closed chamber 13, and three ventilation ducts 18 are provided. To form

Each of the ventilation ducts 1 of the upper plate 7 and the lower plate 12
Openings 18 a, 18 b are formed at the end positions of 8, and each ventilation duct 18 communicates with the intake ports 5 a, 5 b via the intake section 15, and communicates with the exhaust port 6 via the exhaust section 8.

By operating the ventilation fan 10, outside air is introduced from the intake ports 5 a and 5 b, cooling air is blown from the intake section 15 to each ventilation duct 18, and the air passing through each ventilation duct 18 is discharged to the exhaust section 8. To the outside through the exhaust port 6.

Reference numeral 19 in the drawing denotes a filter provided at the intake ports 5a and 5b, which is not an expensive special filter for dust and salt damage countermeasures of the conventional apparatus, but a filter (not shown) inside the exhaust port 6. It consists of a simple and inexpensive general-purpose air filter similar to.

The closed chamber 13 houses three converter units 20, and the closed chamber 16 houses main circuit devices such as a transformer and a switch.

An opening 21 is formed in the frame 17 forming the front wall of each ventilation duct 18, and each converter unit 2
A heat radiating plate 22 made of a heat sink made of aluminum, copper, or the like is hermetically attached to the front side of each opening 21.

Each converter unit 20 is, for example, a module obtained by modularizing a main circuit portion and a control circuit portion of an inverter device. As shown in the front view of FIG. 7, the plan view of FIG. 8, and the side view of FIG. It is formed.

On the surface of the heat radiating plate 22, a control circuit of an electronic circuit configuration including a plurality of electrolytic capacitors 23 and a plurality of power semiconductor modules 24 of a main circuit portion and their drive circuits (signal interface circuits) is provided. A circuit 25 is provided in the closed chamber 13.

On the back surface of the heat radiating plate 22, a large number of heat radiating fins 26 are provided in the vertical direction. These fins 26 are located in each ventilation duct 18. Here, an example of the radiator fin 26 is shown as the radiator, but the radiator is not limited to this and may be a radiator such as a heat pipe.

As shown by the arrows in FIGS. 7 and 9, the direction of the cooling air in each ventilation duct 18 may be from the bottom to the top along the radiating fins 26 or vice versa.
Here, since the cooling air flows from the intake ports 5a and 5b to the exhaust port 6, the direction of the cooling air is from bottom to top.

The radiation fins 2 of the converter unit 20
When the cooling air volume of 6 is accurately set and the air volume of each ventilation duct 18 is made uniform, it is preferable to directly attach a small fan to the radiation fin 26 of each converter unit 20.

In each converter unit 20 forming a heating element, heat is mainly generated by the power semiconductor 24, and the heat is transmitted through the heat radiating plate 22 to the radiating fin 26 and the ventilation duct 1.
8 and is discharged out of the closed chamber 13.

At this time, since the cooling air passes through the radiation fins 26 and the wall surfaces of the ventilation ducts 18, the converter units 20 are forcibly cooled by cooling air on the surfaces of the radiation fins 26, and are sufficiently cooled.

Moreover, in this embodiment, some of the plates surrounding the closed chamber 13, ie, the upper plate 7, the lower plate 12, the middle plate 11, the frame 17 and the like are formed by the intake unit 15 and the exhaust unit 8 of the ventilation duct 18. Since the cooling air flows through these wall surfaces, the heat transfer effect is extremely high, and the cooling air is extremely effectively cooled by the cooling air.

Therefore, a rise in the temperature of the sealed chamber 13 due to the heat generated by each of the converter units 20 can be suppressed without providing a large-sized electronic cooling device, an air conditioner, or the like in the sealed chamber 13, thereby reducing the outside air. The closed chamber 13 is introduced and cooled, the allowable heat generation of the closed chamber 13 is increased, and the closed chamber 13 is cooled.
Can increase the equipment storage amount (density) of the device and downsize the switchboard. The closed chamber 16 is similarly cooled by the cooling air.

Even if the cooling air contains dust and salt, they do not enter the closed chambers 13 and 16,
Without providing expensive special filters in the intake ports 5a and 5b, the control circuit unit such as the converter unit 20 and the equipment of the main circuit unit can be reliably protected from dust and salt.

Therefore, the initial cost and running cost are lower than those in the case of the conventional completely sealed structure and the case where a special filter is used, and the switchboard 1 can be downsized to perform cooling in a poor environment. it can.

The heating element housed in the closed chamber 13 is not limited to the power semiconductor module, but may be, for example, a resistor with a heat sink.

The upper plate 7 and the lower plate 1 surrounding the closed chamber 13
2. The plate body such as the middle plate 11 is usually formed of the same iron plate as the other plate bodies. However, when the calorific value in the closed chamber 13 is large, the thickness is increased to further enhance the cooling effect. It is preferable to make it thinner, process it into a fin shape such as a corrugated plate, or form it with another metal member having high thermal conductivity.

Further, when the amount of heat generation in the closed chamber 13 is extremely large, cooling in the closed chamber 13 by an electronic cooling device or an air conditioner may be used together. Since the sufficient cooling effect can be obtained with the cooling wind, the cooling load on the electronic cooling device and the air conditioner is small, and they can be downsized. Can be planned. The number and dimensions of the ventilation ducts 18 and the like are not limited to the embodiment.

(Other Embodiment) Next, another embodiment of the present invention having the ventilation duct of claim 3 will be described with reference to FIG. (A), (b), and (c) of FIG. 10 are a cut front view, a cut plan view, and a cut side view of the closed switchboard 1 '.
In those drawings, those with a dash (') added to the reference numerals in FIGS. 1 to 9 indicate the same or corresponding parts as those in FIGS. 1 to 9.

The switchboard 1 'has only a closed chamber 13' in the main body 3 'as a closed chamber, and the closed chamber 13' accommodates one converter unit 20 '.

One door 4 'is provided on the front surface of the main body 3', and one intake port 5 'is provided below the door 4'.

Further, in the main body 3 ', a partition plate 27 is provided in front of a back plate 3d which is one of the wall plates of the switchboard 1'.
Is provided.

The upper plate 7 ', the lower plate 12', and the front plate 1
A closed chamber 13 'is formed on the surface side of the partition plate 27 by the 4', the partition plate 27, and both side plates 3b 'and 3c'.
A ventilation duct 18 'communicating with the intake port 5' and the exhaust port 6 'is formed between the partition plate 27 on the back side and the back plate 3d'.

An opening 28 is formed in the partition plate 27, and a heat radiating plate 2 of the converter unit 20 'is provided on the front side of the opening 28.
2 'is attached, the heat radiating plate 22' and the circuit portion on the surface thereof are positioned in the closed chamber 13 ', and the heat radiating fins 26' on the back side of the heat radiating plate 22 'are positioned in the ventilation duct 18'.

Then, by the ventilation of the ventilation fan 10 ',
Cooling air flows from the intake port 5 'to the exhaust port 6' through the intake section 15 ', the ventilation duct 18', and the exhaust section 8 ', and the cooling air performs the same cooling as in the first embodiment.

At this time, in the ventilation duct 18 ', the gap between the radiation fin 26' and the side plates 3b ', 3c' is closed by the horizontal shielding plates 29a, 29b, and the ventilation duct 18 '
Is prevented from passing through the radiation fins 26 'and outside of the fins 26', and the cooling air is effectively used.

In the case of this embodiment, there is an advantage that the inside of the board can be partitioned back and forth by the partition plate 27 and can be easily formed.

When a plurality of heating elements such as the converter unit 20 'are accommodated in the closed chamber 13', the partition plate 27
It is needless to say that the present invention can be similarly applied by attaching a heat radiating plate for each heating element.

The present invention can be applied to various switchboards installed indoors and outdoors.

[0059]

The present invention has the following effects. First, closed chambers 13, 13 'are provided in switchboards 1, 1', and ventilation ducts 18, 18 'and ventilation fans 10, 1' are provided.
0 ′ and the heat radiating plates 22 and 22 ′ attached to the openings 21 and 28 in the wall surfaces of the ducts 18 and 18 ′, the heat radiating plate 2
Power semiconductor modules 24, 2 on the surface of
A closed chamber 13, 1 in which a heating element such as 4 'is shielded from the outside air
3 ', the radiator on the back surface of the radiator plates 22, 22' can be located in the ventilation ducts 18, 18 '.

Then, by the ventilation fans 10, 10 ',
Outside air is introduced as cooling air into the ventilation ducts 18, 18 ′ from the intake ports 5 a, 5 b, 5 ′, and the cooling air is exhausted to the outside from the exhaust ports 6, 6 ′ via a radiator, and heat is generated through the radiator. Dissipates heat, cools switchboards 1 and 1 '
The temperature rise of 3, 13 'can be suppressed.

In this case, since dust and salt contained in the outside air pass through the ventilation ducts 18 and 18 'and do not enter the closed chambers 13 and 13', it is necessary to take measures against dust and salt damage of the control circuit and the like together with the heating element. By storing various devices in the closed chambers 13 and 13 ', sufficient dust and salt damage countermeasures can be taken without using expensive special filters for dust and salt damage countermeasures in the filters of the intake ports 5a, 5b and 5'. Can be.

Further, since the entire distribution boards 1, 1 'are not completely sealed, but are cooled by introducing outside air into the boards, a large-capacity, large-sized electronic cooling device for cooling the entire inside of the boards,
There is no need to provide an air conditioner or the like, and the cost is low, and the size of the switchboards 1 and 1 'can be reduced.

Therefore, even in a poor environment where dust and salt damage countermeasures are required, an outside air is introduced into the switchboards 1 and 1 'without using an expensive special filter so as not to be affected by dust and salt. In addition, cooling can be performed at a low cost, and at the same time, the size of the switchboards 1 and 1 'can be reduced.

The ventilation duct 18 is preferably formed by attaching a vertical frame 17 having a U-shaped cross section to a plate (intermediate plate 11) forming the closed chamber 13. Since the plate to be formed constitutes the ventilation duct 18, the cooling air flowing through the ventilation duct 18 sufficiently cools not only the radiator but also the wall surface of the closed chamber, so that the cooling performance can be further improved.

The wall plate of the switchboard 1 '(back plate 3d')
A partition plate 27 is provided on the inner side of the partition plate 27. The front side of the partition plate 27 is a closed chamber 13 ', and the back side of the partition plate 27 is a ventilation duct 18'.
In this case, the same effect as in the case where the ventilation duct 18 is provided with a simple structure can be obtained.

The present invention is suitable when the heating elements on the surfaces of the heat radiating plates 22 and 22 'are power semiconductor modules that generate a large amount of heat.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a switchboard according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cut-away front view of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a cut-away plan view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a cut-away side view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a front view of the converter unit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a side view of FIG. 7;

FIGS. 10A, 10B, and 10C are a cut front view, a cut plan view, and a cut side view of a switchboard according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1,1 'Closed-type independent switchboard 5a, 5b, 5' Intake port 6, 6 'Exhaust port 10, 10' Ventilation fan 11 Middle plate 17 Frame plate 18, 18 'Vent duct 20, 20' Converter unit 21, 28 Openings 22, 22 'Heat radiating plates 26, 26' Heat radiating fins 27 Partition plate

Claims (4)

[Claims] A closed chamber provided in a switchboard and isolated from outside air; a ventilation duct having both ends communicating with an intake port and an exhaust port of the switchboard; and the exhaust port from the intake port via the ventilation duct. A ventilation fan for ventilating the ventilation duct; an opening formed in the wall surface of the ventilation duct; a heat radiating plate attached to the opening, wherein a heating element on the surface is located in the closed chamber, and a radiator on the back face is located in the ventilation duct. And a cooling device for a switchboard. 2. The cooling device for a switchboard according to claim 1, wherein a ventilation duct is formed by attaching a vertical frame having a U-shaped cross section to the plate forming the closed chamber. 3. The cooling of the switchboard according to claim 1, wherein a partition plate is provided inside the wall plate of the switchboard, a front side of the partition plate is a closed chamber, and a back side of the partition plate is a ventilation duct. apparatus. 4. A power semiconductor module according to claim 1, wherein the heating element on the surface of the heat sink is a power semiconductor module.
Or the cooling device for a switchboard according to claim 3.