JP2009182313A - Component cooling structure - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a component cooling structure capable of cooling an electronic component by efficiently utilizing the entire cooling medium while reducing the pressure loss of the cooling medium flowing through a cooling medium flow path. <P>SOLUTION: The component cooling structure 1 is composed by closely arranging the electronic component 2 and a cooling pipe 3 for distributing the cooling medium 5 for cooling the electronic component 2 in the inside. The cooling pipe 3 partially has a narrowed part 4 where the flow path width of the cooling medium flow path 31 is narrowed in a flow path width direction Z orthogonal to the distributing direction X of the cooling medium 5 and a laminating direction with the electronic component 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a component cooling structure in which an electronic component and a cooling pipe that circulates a cooling medium for cooling the electronic component are arranged in close contact with each other.

There is a component cooling structure that cools an electronic component by placing a cooling pipe for circulating a cooling medium in close contact with the electronic component (Patent Document 1).
In such a component cooling structure, the electronic component is cooled by exchanging heat between the electronic component that generates heat and the cooling pipe arranged in close contact therewith.

  Since the heat generation amount of the electronic component is usually the largest at the central portion, it is preferable to improve the cooling efficiency most at the portion of the cooling pipe corresponding to the central portion of the electronic component. For this purpose, it is conceivable to improve the flow rate of the cooling medium near the center of the cooling pipe. From this viewpoint, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, among the plurality of inner fins provided inside the cooling pipe, the inner fin near the center in the flow path width direction is shortened to reduce the pressure loss near the center. Thus, the circulation speed of the cooling medium is improved.

JP 2006-60114 A

However, considering the role of the inner fin to increase the heat transfer area with the cooling medium and improve the cooling effect, shortening the inner fin reduces the heat transfer area and lowers the cooling efficiency. It is thought that it leads to it.
On the other hand, Patent Document 1 also describes that the heat transfer area is improved by narrowing the interval between the inner fins in the central portion in the flow path width direction. In this case, however, the pressure loss in the central portion is reversed. Increases and the flow rate of the cooling medium decreases.

  In addition, when the calorific value at the center of the electronic component is large as described above, the temperature of the cooling medium flowing in the vicinity of the center of the coolant channel in the channel width direction becomes particularly high, and there is a risk that temperature distribution may occur in the channel width direction. is there. As a result, the entire cooling medium flowing through the refrigerant flow path cannot be effectively used, and it becomes difficult to improve the cooling efficiency.

  The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and it is possible to cool an electronic component by efficiently using the entire cooling medium while reducing the pressure loss of the cooling medium flowing through the refrigerant flow path. An object of the present invention is to provide a component cooling structure that can be used.

The present invention provides a component cooling structure in which an electronic component and a cooling pipe that circulates a cooling medium for cooling the electronic component are closely arranged.
The cooling pipe is partially provided with a throttle portion that narrows the flow passage width of the refrigerant flow passage in the flow passage width direction orthogonal to the flow direction of the cooling medium and the stacking direction with the electronic component. In the characteristic component cooling structure (claim 1).

Next, the effects of the present invention will be described.
In the component cooling structure, the cooling pipe is partially provided with the throttle portion that narrows the flow path width of the refrigerant flow path. For this reason, the cooling medium that flows in the refrigerant channel so as to spread over the entire channel width gathers in the throttle portion in the middle of the refrigerant channel. And the flow of a cooling medium becomes quick in this throttle part and its circumference. Therefore, for example, by placing the electronic component in close contact with the position where the throttle portion is formed in the cooling pipe, the cooling efficiency of the electronic component can be improved.

  Moreover, the cooling medium that flows over the entire flow path width gathers in the throttle portion, whereby the cooling medium is mixed in the flow path width direction. Therefore, the temperature distribution of the cooling medium can be prevented from being formed in the flow path width direction, and the entire cooling medium can be effectively used for cooling the electronic component.

  In addition, the throttle portion is partially formed in the refrigerant flow path, and the flow path width can be sufficiently increased in other portions. As a result, the pressure loss of the cooling medium flow can be reduced.

  As described above, according to the present invention, there is provided a component cooling structure capable of cooling an electronic component by efficiently using the entire cooling medium while reducing the pressure loss of the cooling medium flowing through the refrigerant flow path. be able to.

In the present invention (Claim 1), for example, the cooling pipe may be disposed in close contact with one surface of the electronic component, or may be disposed in close contact so as to sandwich the electronic component from both sides. .
In addition, the electronic component may be disposed in close contact with one surface of the cooling pipe, or may be disposed in close contact so as to sandwich the cooling pipe from both sides.

Further, it is preferable that the throttle portion is formed in a portion of the cooling pipe where the electronic component is in close contact.
In this case, since the flow rate of the cooling medium in the portion where the electronic component is in close contact with the cooling pipe can be increased, the cooling efficiency of the electronic component can be improved.

Further, it is preferable that the throttle portion is formed at a central portion of a portion of the cooling pipe where the electronic component is in close contact.
In this case, the cooling efficiency of the electronic component can be further improved. That is, normally, since the heat generation amount tends to be the largest at the central part of the electronic component, the electronic component is cooled by providing the throttle portion at a position corresponding to the central part of the electronic component at which the heat generation amount is likely to be maximum. Can be done efficiently.

In addition, a plurality of the electronic components are arranged in close contact with the cooling pipe, and the throttle portion is formed at a portion corresponding to a portion between the adjacent electronic components in the cooling pipe. (Claim 4).
In this case, the cooling medium in which the temperature distribution is formed in the flow path width direction by heat exchange with the electronic components arranged in close contact with the cooling pipe on the upstream side of the throttle part is mixed by gathering in the throttle part. And the temperature distribution is reduced. The electronic component placed in close contact with the cooling pipe on the downstream side of the throttle portion can be cooled by the cooling medium having a small temperature distribution. As a result, the cooling efficiency of the electronic component on the downstream side of the throttle portion can be brought close to the cooling efficiency of the electronic component on the upstream side, and the plurality of electronic components can be sufficiently cooled.

Moreover, it is preferable that the said narrowing part is formed in the center part of the said flow path width direction of the said refrigerant flow path (Claim 5).
In this case, it becomes easy to cool the central part of the electronic component effectively. That is, normally, the electronic component is brought into close contact with the cooling tube so that the central portion of the electronic component is disposed at the central portion of the cooling tube in the flow path width direction. For this reason, the cooling efficiency of the electronic component can be improved by arranging the throttle portion in the central portion in the flow path width direction with respect to the normal arrangement of the electronic component.

Preferably, the refrigerant flow path is provided with an inclined fin that is inclined with respect to the flow direction and the flow path width direction toward the throttle part on the upstream side of the throttle part. ).
In this case, the cooling medium flowing over the entire flow path width of the refrigerant flow path can be easily collected in the throttle portion by the inclined fins. As a result, the flow of the cooling medium can be smoothed and the pressure loss can be reduced. Further, by providing the inclined fins, the contact area between the cooling pipe and the cooling medium can be increased, and the cooling efficiency of the electronic component can be improved.

Further, the inclined fins are formed in three or more, and it is preferable that the density of the inclined fins is higher as the central part of the electronic component is closer to the portion in close contact with the cooling pipe. .
In this case, the cooling efficiency of the electronic component can be improved while suppressing the pressure loss of the cooling medium. That is, by increasing the arrangement density of the inclined fins near the portion where the central part of the electronic component is in close contact with the cooling pipe, the heat exchange efficiency between the electronic component and the cooling medium is improved and the electronic component is separated from the electronic component. By reducing the arrangement density of the inclined fins at the position, the pressure loss of the cooling medium can be reduced.

The electronic component may be a semiconductor module incorporating a semiconductor element.
In this case, the semiconductor module can be efficiently cooled.
In addition to the semiconductor module, examples of the electronic component include a resistor and a capacitor.

Example 1
A component cooling structure according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The component cooling structure 1 includes an electronic component 2 and a cooling pipe 3 through which a cooling medium 5 for cooling the electronic component 2 is circulated.
The cooling pipe 3 is partially provided with a throttle portion 4 that narrows the flow passage width of the refrigerant flow passage 31 in the flow passage width direction Z orthogonal to the flow direction X of the cooling medium 5 and the stacking direction Y with the electronic component 2. ing.

The throttle portion 4 is a portion of the cooling pipe 3 where the electronic component 2 is in close contact, and is particularly formed at the center thereof.
Further, the throttle portion 4 is formed at the center portion of the refrigerant flow passage 31 in the flow passage width direction Z. In this example, two pairs of triangular protrusions 33 are formed from the pipe walls 32 at both ends of the cooling pipe 3 in the flow path width direction Z toward the center of the refrigerant flow path 31 in the flow path width direction Z. It is formed to face each other. Between the two pairs of projecting portions 33 facing each other, the throttle portions 4 are respectively formed.
In addition, when the width of the throttle portion 4 is a and the channel width of the general portion in the refrigerant channel 31 is b, for example, a / b is about ½.

In this example, the electronic component 2 is a semiconductor module in which a semiconductor element 21 is built. The semiconductor element 21 is built in the central part of the electronic component 2.
Two electronic components 2 are arranged in close contact with the cooling pipe 3 in the flow direction X of the cooling medium 5. However, an insulating plate having thermal conductivity may be interposed between the two.

  The cooling pipe 3 is made of a metal having excellent thermal conductivity such as aluminum, and a refrigerant inlet 341 for introducing the cooling medium 5 and a refrigerant outlet 342 for discharging the cooling medium 5 are formed at both ends in the longitudinal direction. Yes. The direction of the straight line connecting the center of the refrigerant inlet 341 and the center of the refrigerant outlet 342 is the flow direction X.

As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of cooling pipes 3 are stacked while being spaced from each other. Adjacent cooling pipes 3 are connected to each other by a connecting pipe 301 at a refrigerant inlet 341 and a refrigerant outlet 342, respectively. It is connected. The electronic component 2 is sandwiched between the adjacent cooling tubes 3, and both main surfaces of the electronic component 2 are in close contact with the cooling tube 3.
In addition, the cooling pipe 3 disposed at one end in the stacking direction Y includes a refrigerant introduction pipe 302 for introducing the cooling medium 5 into the laminated body of the plurality of cooling pipes 3 and a refrigerant discharge for discharging the cooling medium 5. A tube 303 is provided.

  Thereby, the cooling medium 5 introduced from the refrigerant introduction pipe 302 is distributed and circulated to the refrigerant flow paths 31 of the respective cooling pipes 3 through the connection pipes 301 as appropriate. During this time, the cooling medium 5 exchanges heat with the electronic component 2. Then, the cooling medium 5 whose temperature has been increased by heat exchange with the electronic component 2 is appropriately discharged from the refrigerant discharge pipe 303 through the connection pipe 301.

  The electronic component 2 in this example is a semiconductor module including the semiconductor element 21 as described above, and although not shown in the drawing, the heat sink is exposed on both main surfaces thereof, and the semiconductor element 21 is thermally It is connected to the. And the electronic component 2 is closely_contact | adhered with the cooling pipe 3 directly or via the insulating material in the heat sink exposed to both main surfaces.

Next, the function and effect of this example will be described.
In the component cooling structure 1, the cooling pipe 3 is partially provided with a throttle portion 4 that narrows the flow path width of the refrigerant flow path 31. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, the cooling medium 5 that flows through the refrigerant flow path 32 over the entire flow path width gathers in the throttle portion 4 in the middle of the refrigerant flow path 31. Then, the flow of the cooling medium 5 becomes faster in the throttle portion 4 and its surroundings. Therefore, for example, the cooling efficiency of the electronic component 2 can be improved by placing the electronic component 2 in close contact with the formation position of the throttle portion 4 in the cooling pipe 3.

  Further, the cooling medium 5 that flows over the entire flow path width gathers in the throttle portion 4, whereby the cooling medium 5 is mixed in the flow path width direction Z. Therefore, the temperature distribution of the cooling medium 5 can be prevented from being formed in the flow path width direction Z, and the entire cooling medium 5 can be effectively used for cooling the electronic component 2.

  Further, the throttle portion 4 is partially formed in the refrigerant flow path 31, and the flow path width can be sufficiently increased in other portions. As a result, the pressure loss of the flow of the cooling medium 5 can be reduced.

  In addition, since the throttle portion 4 is formed in a portion of the cooling pipe 3 where the electronic component 2 is closely attached, the flow rate of the cooling medium 5 in the portion can be increased, and the cooling efficiency of the electronic component 2 is improved. be able to. In particular, since the throttle portion 4 is formed at the central portion of the portion of the cooling pipe 3 where the electronic component 2 is in close contact, the cooling efficiency of the electronic component 2 can be further improved. That is, the electronic component 2 can be efficiently cooled by providing the throttle portion 4 at a position corresponding to the central portion of the electronic component 2 where the amount of heat generation is likely to be maximized.

  As described above, according to this example, there is provided a component cooling structure capable of cooling an electronic component by efficiently using the entire cooling medium while reducing the pressure loss of the cooling medium flowing through the refrigerant flow path. be able to.

(Example 2)
In this example, as shown in FIG. 4, straight fins 35 along the flow direction X of the cooling medium 5 are provided in the refrigerant flow paths 31 on the upstream side and the downstream side of the throttle unit 4.
The straight fins 35 are disposed in a state where a corrugated metal plate such as an aluminum plate is joined to a pair of inner wall surfaces in the cooling pipe 3.
Others are the same as in the first embodiment.

In the case of this example, by providing the straight fins 35, the contact area between the cooling pipe 3 and the cooling medium 5 is improved, and the heat exchange efficiency between the electronic component 2 and the cooling medium 5 is improved. Can do.
In addition, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are obtained.

(Example 3)
In this example, as shown in FIG. 5, inclined fins 36 that are inclined with respect to the flow direction X and the channel width direction Z toward the throttle unit 4 are provided on the upstream side of the throttle unit 4 in the refrigerant channel 31. It is an example. The inclined fins 36 are arranged in a state where a corrugated metal plate such as an aluminum plate is joined to a pair of inner wall surfaces in the cooling pipe 3.
Further, on the downstream side of the throttle unit 4, there are reverse inclined fins 37 that are inclined with respect to the flow direction X and the channel width direction Z from the throttle unit 4 toward both ends in the channel width direction Z of the refrigerant channel 31. It is arranged.
The inclination angle of the inclined fin 36 and the reverse inclined fin 37 with respect to the flow direction X is, for example, about 30 °.
Others are the same as in the first embodiment.

  In the case of this example, the cooling medium 5 flowing over the entire flow path width of the refrigerant flow path 31 is easily collected in the throttle portion 4 by the inclined fins 36. As a result, the flow of the cooling medium 5 can be smoothed and the pressure loss can be reduced. That is, among the cooling medium 5 introduced from the refrigerant inlet 341 into the refrigerant flow path 31, the cooling medium 5 that flows in the vicinity of both ends in the flow path width direction Z extends along the inclined fins 36 in the center of the flow path width direction Z. Change the flow so that it goes to the vicinity of the club. Thereby, the cooling medium 5 is smoothly collected in the throttle part 4.

In addition, a part of the cooling medium 5 that has passed through the throttle unit 4 changes its flow so as to go to the vicinity of both ends in the channel width direction Z along the reverse inclined fins 37 disposed on the downstream side of the throttle unit 4. Thereby, the cooling medium 5 spreads smoothly throughout the refrigerant flow path 31.
Thus, by providing the inclined fin 36 and the reverse inclined fin 37, the flow of the cooling medium 5 can be smoothed.

Further, by providing the inclined fins 36 and the reverse inclined fins 37, the contact area between the cooling pipe 3 and the cooling medium 5 can be increased, and the cooling efficiency of the electronic component 2 can be improved.
In addition, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are obtained.

Example 4
In this example, as shown in FIG. 6, the arrangement density of the inclined fins 36 and the reverse inclined fins 37 is increased as the center of the electronic component 2 comes closer to the portion in close contact with the cooling pipe 3.
Moreover, in this example, the protrusion part 33 shown in Example 1 (refer FIGS. 1-3) is not formed. That is, in this example, the narrowed portion 4 is formed by the inclined fin 36 and the reverse inclined fin 37.

  A plurality of the inclined fins 36 are arranged in parallel on both sides in the channel width direction Z on the upstream side of the throttle portion 4. As the inclined fins 36 arranged in parallel approach the throttle part 4, that is, as they approach the part where the central part of the electronic component 2 is in close contact with the cooling pipe 3, the arrangement pitch decreases. Length increases.

A plurality of reversely inclined fins 37 are arranged in parallel on both sides in the flow path width direction Z on the downstream side of the throttle portion 4. Each of the reversely inclined fins 37 arranged in parallel also has a smaller arrangement pitch as it gets closer to the throttle portion 4, that is, closer to the portion where the central part of the electronic component 2 is in close contact with the cooling pipe 3. The length of 37 becomes longer.
Others are the same as in the first embodiment.

In the case of this example, the cooling efficiency of the electronic component 2 can be improved while suppressing the pressure loss of the cooling medium 5. That is, heat exchange between the electronic component 2 and the cooling medium 5 is achieved by increasing the arrangement density of the inclined fins 36 and the reverse inclined fins 37 near the portion where the central portion of the electronic component 2 is in close contact with the cooling pipe 3. By improving the efficiency and lowering the arrangement density of the inclined fins 36 and the reverse inclined fins 37 at positions away from the electronic component 2, the pressure loss of the cooling medium 5 can be reduced.
In addition, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are obtained.

(Example 5)

In this example, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the throttle portion 4 is formed in a portion corresponding to a portion between the adjacent electronic components 2 in the cooling pipe 3.
The cooling pipe 3 shown in FIG. 7 is not provided with fins in the refrigerant flow path 31, and the cooling pipe 3 shown in FIG. It is provided on each of the upstream side and the downstream side.
Others are the same as in the first embodiment.

In the case of this example, the cooling medium 5 in which the temperature distribution is formed in the flow path width direction Z by heat exchange with the electronic component 2 disposed in close contact with the cooling pipe 3 on the upstream side of the throttle unit 4 is the throttle unit. 4 is mixed by gathering, and the temperature distribution is reduced. The electronic component 2 placed in close contact with the cooling pipe 3 on the downstream side of the throttle portion 4 can be cooled by the cooling medium 5 having a small temperature distribution. As a result, the cooling efficiency of the electronic component 2 on the downstream side of the throttle unit 4 can be brought close to the cooling efficiency of the electronic component 2 on the upstream side, and the plurality of electronic components 2 can be sufficiently cooled.
In addition, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are obtained.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a component cooling structure in the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1. Explanatory drawing which shows the state which laminated | stacked the electronic component and the cooling pipe alternately in Example 1. FIG. Explanatory drawing of the components cooling structure in Example 2. FIG. Explanatory drawing of the components cooling structure in Example 3. FIG. Explanatory drawing of the components cooling structure in Example 4. FIG. Explanatory drawing of the components cooling structure in Example 5. FIG. Explanatory drawing of the components cooling structure in Example 5. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Component cooling structure 2 Electronic component 3 Cooling pipe 31 Refrigerant flow path 4 Constriction part 5 Cooling medium X Flow direction Y Stacking direction Z Flow path width direction

Claims (8)

In a component cooling structure in which an electronic component and a cooling pipe for circulating a cooling medium for cooling the electronic component are closely arranged,
The cooling pipe is partially provided with a throttle portion that narrows the flow passage width of the refrigerant flow passage in the flow passage width direction orthogonal to the flow direction of the cooling medium and the stacking direction with the electronic component. Part cooling structure.   2. The component cooling structure according to claim 1, wherein the throttle portion is formed in a portion of the cooling pipe where the electronic component is in close contact.   3. The component cooling structure according to claim 2, wherein the throttle portion is formed at a central portion of a portion of the cooling pipe where the electronic component is in close contact.   2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the electronic components are arranged in close contact with the cooling pipe, and the throttle portion is formed in a portion corresponding to a portion between the adjacent electronic components in the cooling pipe. Parts cooling structure characterized by that.   5. The component cooling structure according to claim 1, wherein the throttle portion is formed at a central portion of the refrigerant flow channel in the flow channel width direction.   6. The refrigerant flow path according to claim 1, wherein the refrigerant flow path is provided with an inclined fin that is inclined with respect to the flow direction and the flow path width direction toward the restriction part on the upstream side of the restriction part. A component cooling structure characterized by being provided.   In Claim 6, the said inclined fin is formed three or more, The arrangement | positioning density of the said inclined fin is so high that it approaches the part which contact | adhered the center part of the said electronic component to the said cooling pipe, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. Parts cooling structure.   The component cooling structure according to claim 1, wherein the electronic component is a semiconductor module including a semiconductor element.

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