JP7089833B2 - Power converter - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a power conversion device including a water-cooled cooling device.

In a large-scale power conversion device, a water-cooled cooling device may be used to cool a power semiconductor or the like for power conversion. The water-cooled cooling device cools the object to be cooled by connecting a pipe through which cooling water circulates to the cooling fins.

The power converter including the main circuit of such a power converter has a module configuration in which multiple layers are stacked, and it is necessary to have a sufficient creepage distance in order to insulate between the plurality of modules. Each module is mutually supported by struts formed of an insulating material, and for such insulating stanchions, insulators or the like having a corrugated surface are used in order to increase the creepage distance.

Piping is provided between the modules to supply and circulate cooling water to each module. Since the head loss of the cooling water becomes large in the piping between such modules, it is not possible to adopt a corrugated shape that takes a creepage distance inside the piping. Therefore, in order to obtain the creepage distance between the modules, it is necessary to lengthen the length of the piping between the modules, the distance between the modules is widened, and the height of the power converter becomes higher than necessary.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-93935

Embodiments provide a power conversion device that reduces the distance between modules and reduces the height of the device.

The power conversion device according to the embodiment is a plurality of modules vertically stacked via insulating columns and isolated from each other to perform power conversion operation, and between the plurality of modules arranged adjacent to each other. It is provided with an insulating first pipe, which is arranged at an angle from the vertical direction and supplies a cooling medium to each of the plurality of modules. The plurality of modules have a first joint and a second joint for fluidly connecting to an internal pipe, respectively. Further, a second pipe for fluidly connecting the first joint and the second joint provided in one of the plurality of modules is provided. One end of the first pipe provided between the modules arranged adjacent to each other among the plurality of modules is fluidly connected to the first joint, and the other end is fluidly connected to the second joint. Module.

In this embodiment, a power conversion device is realized in which the distance between modules is shortened and the mounting height is reduced.

It is a schematic side view which illustrates the power conversion apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic side view which illustrates the power conversion apparatus of the comparative example. It is a schematic side view which illustrates the power conversion apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
It should be noted that the drawings are schematic or conceptual, and the relationship between the thickness and width of each part, the ratio of the sizes between the parts, and the like are not necessarily the same as the actual ones. Further, even when the same part is represented, the dimensions and ratios may be different from each other depending on the drawing.
In addition, in the present specification and each figure, the same elements as those described above with respect to the above-mentioned figures are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

(First Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic side view illustrating the power conversion device according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, the power conversion device 10 of the present embodiment includes a plurality of modules 22, a plurality of insulating columns 24, and inter-module piping 30. Each of the plurality of modules 22 has a metal housing. Each of the plurality of modules 22 is stacked up and down via an insulating column 24 made of an insulating material. The plurality of modules 22 stacked one above the other are installed on the installation surface via the insulating column 24 and the metal base 26.

Each of the plurality of modules 22 is equipped with a stack including a plurality of power semiconductor elements, a control board, and the like. These electric circuits are connected to an external electric circuit via conductors 28 provided in each of the plurality of modules 22.

In the stack, for example, a plurality of power semiconductor elements sandwiched by two water-cooled fins are stacked and fastened with screws or the like. A pipe is connected to each of the water-cooled fins, and each pipe is fluidly connected to the joint 34a of each module 22.

The joint (first joint) 34a is provided on the side surface of the module 22. The joint 34a is fluidly connected to the inter-module pipe 30 and the connection pipe 32 outside the module 22 in addition to the pipe inside the module 22.

In addition, a joint (second joint) 34b is provided on the side surface of the module 22. The joint 34b is provided to fluidly connect the inter-module pipe 30 and the connecting pipe. The module 22 at the bottom is also provided with the joint 34b, but in this example, it is not connected.

The joints 34a and 34b are unevenly distributed in the front and rear of the module 22. In this example, the joints 34a are unevenly distributed behind the module 22, and the joints 34b are unevenly distributed in front of the module 22. The joints 34a and 34b are provided so as to have substantially the same height.

The inter-module piping (first piping) 30 is provided between the modules 22 arranged vertically adjacent to each other. One end of the inter-module piping 30 is fluidly connected to a joint 34a unevenly distributed behind the upper module 22. The other end of the inter-module piping 30 is fluidly connected to a joint 34b unevenly distributed in front of the lower module 22. Therefore, the inter-module piping 30 that fluidly connects the upper and lower modules 22 is arranged at an angle from the vertical direction, that is, in an oblique direction.

The connection pipe (second pipe) 32 is connected between the joints 34a and 34b. The connection pipe 32 fluidly connects the inter-module pipes 30 connected to the upper and lower modules 22 in the module 22 between them. As a result, the cooling water flows from one of the inter-module pipes 30 installed in the oblique direction to the other inter-module pipe 30 via the connection pipe 32.

Circulation equipment such as a pump is fluidly connected to the pipe of the power conversion device 10 via the pipe 38 and the joint 36. The cooling water is supplied to the inter-module pipe 30 connected to the joint 36 by the circulation facility. A part of the cooling water is supplied to the stack inside the module 22 via the joint 34a of the lowermost module 22, and the remaining part of the cooling water is supplied to the connection pipe 32 via the joint 34b. , Is supplied to the other inter-module piping 30.

The cooling water that has cooled the stack in each module 22 is collected through the inter-module pipe 30 and the connection pipe 32 provided on the other side surface, and is circulated by the circulation facility. The cooling medium is preferably pure water from the viewpoint of insulation and corrosion resistance, but an appropriate refrigerant can be used depending on the application.

The inter-module piping 30 is made of an insulating material. From the viewpoint of insulation performance and strength, the inter-module piping 30 is made of fluororesin, for example, from the viewpoint of weight, strength and insulation performance. The fluororesin is, for example, PolyTetraFluoroEthylene (PTFE). The connecting pipe 32 is made of any material. It may be insulating or conductive. From the viewpoint of unifying the members, it may be formed of the same material as the inter-module piping 30.

The inter-module piping 30 is preferably formed in a straight line from the viewpoint of shortening the length of the piping as much as possible and reducing the head loss of the cooling water flowing inside.

The joints 34a and 34b are made of any material, and are made of metal, for example, from the viewpoint of strength and the like.

The length of the inter-module piping 30 is set according to the creepage distance required between the modules 22 arranged adjacent to each other in the vertical direction. By providing the inter-module piping 30 diagonally, the spatial distance between the vertically adjacent modules 22 can be made shorter than the required creepage distance.

The effect of the power conversion device of the present embodiment will be described while comparing with the power conversion device of the comparative example.
FIG. 2 is a schematic side view illustrating a power conversion device of a comparative example.
As shown in FIG. 2, in the power conversion device 110 of the comparative example, cooling water is supplied to the upper and lower modules 122 by the inter-module pipe 130. The inter-module piping 130 is set to a length required to secure a creepage distance between the upper and lower modules 122, and is provided in a direction substantially perpendicular to the installation surface of the power conversion device 110.

The surface of the insulating column 124 is processed into a corrugated shape, for example, to secure a creepage distance between the upper and lower modules 122. In order to secure the creepage distance, the length of the inter-module piping 130 needs to be set only for the required creepage distance. Therefore, the distance between the modules is determined by the length of the inter-module piping 130, and the height of the power conversion device 110 is determined by the number of stages of the module 122 and the length of the inter-module piping 130.

In the power conversion device 10 of the present embodiment, the length of the inter-module piping 30 is set by the creepage distance required between the modules 22. For example, the length of the inter-module piping 30 can be substantially the same as the length of the inter-module piping 130 in the comparative example.

Here, in the present embodiment, joints 34a and 34b are provided at two locations unevenly distributed in front of and behind each module 22. Then, the joints 34a and 34b are fluidly connected by a connecting pipe 32. Therefore, the inter-module piping 30 that fluidly connects the upper and lower modules 22 can be arranged diagonally so as to have an angle from the vertical direction. Therefore, the distance between the modules 22 can be shortened according to the angle arranged diagonally.

For example, in the case of the present embodiment, when the arrangement angle of the inter-module piping 30 is set to 45 ° from the vertical direction, the distance between the vertically adjacent modules 22 is 1 / √2≈0.7 in the case of the comparative example. Can be doubled. That is, in the present embodiment, the height of the power conversion device 10 can be lowered by about 30% as compared with the case of the comparative example.

Further, in the present embodiment, since the joints 34a and 34b of each module 22 can be provided at the same position, the shape and structure of the housing and the like of the module can be made common. Therefore, the cost of a member such as a housing can be reduced.

(Second embodiment)
In the other embodiment described above, the joints 34a and 34b are unevenly distributed in the front-rear direction and are fluidly connected by the connecting pipe 32. Since the connecting pipe 32 is provided, the process in which the cooling water flows becomes long, so that the head loss of the cooling water becomes larger than that in the case of the power conversion device 110 of the comparative example, for example. In the present embodiment, a power conversion device capable of suppressing an increase in head loss of cooling water is provided.

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view illustrating the power conversion device according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 3, in the power conversion device 210 of the present embodiment, the uneven distribution positions of the joints 234a and 234b are different for each of the modules 222a and 222b provided adjacent to each other on the upper and lower sides. In this figure, in the uppermost module 222a, the joint (first joint) 234a is unevenly distributed behind the module 222a. In the second-stage module 222b, the joint (second joint) 234b is unevenly distributed in front of the module 222. In the module 222a at the lowermost stage (third stage), the joints 234a are unevenly distributed behind the module 222a. That is, the joints 234a and 234b are alternately arranged so as to be unevenly distributed in the front-rear direction between the modules 222 arranged adjacent to each other.

The inter-module piping 30 provided between the modules 222 is fluidly connected between the joints 234a and 234b. As described above, also in the present embodiment, the uneven distribution positions of the joints 234a and 234b are different in the adjacent modules 222, so that the inter-module piping 30 connecting the joints 234a and 234b has an angle from the vertical direction, that is, diagonally. Will be installed.

The effect of the power conversion device 210 of this embodiment will be described.
In the power conversion device 210 of the present embodiment, the front and rear uneven distribution positions of the joints 234a and 234b are different for each of the modules 222 that are vertically adjacent to each other. Therefore, the module-to-module piping 30 connecting the joints 234a and 234b can diagonally connect the upper and lower modules. By setting the length of the inter-module piping 30 according to the creepage distance between the modules 234a and 234b, the distance between the upper and lower modules 222a and 222b can be shortened.

In the present embodiment, since the uneven distribution positions before and after the joints 234a and 234b are different, it is possible to form a cooling water flow path in one module without using a connection pipe connecting the two joints. .. Since the diversion water path that does not use the connection pipe can be shortened, the head loss of the cooling water can be reduced.

Further, in order to secure the creepage distance while suppressing the height of the device, there is an example in which the piping between the modules is not linear but spiral or wavy. Even as compared with such a case, in the present embodiment, the increase in the head loss of the cooling water can be suppressed by making the inter-module piping 30 linear. Further, since a complicated shape is not formed, it is possible to suppress an increase in manufacturing cost and the like.

According to the embodiment described above, it is possible to realize a power conversion device in which the distance between modules is shortened and the mounting height is reduced.

Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other embodiments, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims. In addition, each of the above-described embodiments can be implemented in combination with each other.

10,210 Power converter, 22,222a, 222b module, 24 insulation column, 26 base, 30 module-to-module piping, 32 connection piping, 34a, 34b, 234a, 234b joint

Claims (5)

Multiple modules that are stacked vertically via insulating stanchions and are isolated from each other to perform power conversion operations.
An insulating first pipe that is arranged at an angle from the vertical direction between the modules arranged adjacent to each other among the plurality of modules and supplies a cooling medium to each of the plurality of modules.
Equipped with
The plurality of modules have a first joint and a second joint for fluidly connecting to an internal pipe, respectively.
Further, a second pipe for fluidly connecting the first joint and the second joint provided in one of the plurality of modules is provided.
One end of the first pipe provided between the modules arranged adjacent to each other among the plurality of modules is fluidly connected to the first joint, and the other end is fluidly connected to the second joint. Power converter. The power conversion device according to claim 1 , wherein the first pipe linearly connects the first joint and the second joint. The power conversion device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the first pipe contains a fluororesin. A third module that has a third joint for fluidly connecting to the internal pipe and operates for power conversion,
A fourth module, which has a fourth joint for fluidly connecting to an internal pipe, is provided adjacent to the lower part of the third module via an insulating column, and operates for power conversion.
A fifth module, which has a fifth joint for fluidly connecting to an internal pipe, is provided adjacent to the lower side of the fourth module via an insulating column, and operates for power conversion.
A third pipe that fluidly connects between the third joint and the fourth joint to supply a cooling medium to the third module and the fourth module.
A fourth pipe that fluidly connects between the fourth joint and the fifth joint to supply the cooling medium to the fourth module and the fifth module.
Equipped with
When one of the third module, the fourth module and the fifth module is arranged is the front and the other is the rear.
The third joint is unevenly distributed on the rear side of the third module.
The fourth joint is unevenly distributed on the front side of the fourth module.
The fifth joint is a power conversion device provided unevenly on the rear side of the fifth module. The third pipe connects the third joint and the fourth joint in a straight line.
The power conversion device according to claim 4, wherein the fourth pipe linearly connects the fourth joint and the fifth joint.

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