JP7253896B2 - Electrical component module and chilling unit - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to electrical component modules and chilling units.

As an example of an air conditioner, one having a chilling unit (heat exchange unit) is known. This chilling unit mainly has an air heat exchanger, a blower that blows air to the air heat exchanger, and a compressor that compresses the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit. When the air blown by the blower contacts the air heat exchanger, heat exchange is performed between the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circuit and the outside air.

Since such a device may be operated continuously for a long time with high output, the internal power supply circuit and control circuit are configured to be able to handle a large amount of power. As a result, the amount of heat emitted from the circuit elements (electrical components) also increases. In order to dissipate this heat efficiently, a heat sink is attached to each electrical component. Furthermore, by providing a fan for blowing air in the vicinity of the heat sink, the air is positively brought into contact with the heat sink, thereby enhancing the heat dissipation effect. A specific example of a device having this type of configuration is described in Patent Document 1 below. In the device described in Patent Literature 1, partition plates are provided between a plurality of heat sinks in order to more efficiently guide the flow of air to the heat sinks.

JP 2012-87954 A

Here, generally, the larger the amount of heat generated by the electrical equipment, the larger the heat sink used. However, if the heat sink becomes large, the pressure loss in the flow path where the heat sink is located increases compared to the other flow path, depending on the heat sink specifications. As a result, there is a possibility that sufficient air will not flow into the flow path that requires more aggressive cooling, and the heat dissipation performance of the heat sink will not be fully exhibited. Therefore, there is an increasing demand for electrical component modules that can dissipate heat more efficiently.

Accordingly, the present invention provides an electrical component module and a chilling unit that can dissipate heat more efficiently.

According to one aspect of the present invention, an electrical component module has a mounting surface, and is arranged so that the mounting surfaces face each other, thereby forming a pair of substrate bodies forming a flow path therebetween; a plurality of electrical components arranged on a mounting surface; a plurality of heat sinks attached to each of the plurality of electrical components and exposed to the flow path; a fan forming an air flow in the flow path; a partition plate provided on the surface and partitioning the flow path into a first flow path and a second flow path when viewed from the air flow direction, wherein the first flow path includes one of the plurality of heat sinks. , the heat sink attached to the electrical component having a relatively large amount of heat generation is disposed; the heat sink attached to the electrical component having a relatively small amount of heat generation is disposed in the second flow path ; further comprising a reactor as the electrical component disposed across the downstream end of the first channel in the air flow direction and the downstream end of the second channel in the air flow direction, The projected area of the reactor on the second flow path side is larger than the projected area of the reactor on the first flow path side in the air flow direction.

According to this configuration, a heat sink attached to an electrical component that generates relatively small heat is arranged in the second channel, and a reactor as one of the electrical components is arranged in the channel. Thereby, the pressure loss in the second flow path can be increased. As a result, the flow rate of air flowing into the first flow path can be increased compared to the case where the pressure loss on the side of the second flow path is small by arranging no reactor in the second flow path. Therefore, it is possible to improve the heat dissipation performance of the heat sink attached to the electrical component that is arranged in the first flow path and that generates a relatively large amount of heat.
Moreover, by exposing a part of the reactor to the first channel side, it is possible to more finely set the air distribution between the first channel and the second channel.
Additionally, the air flow can first contact a heat sink attached to an electrical component that requires more aggressive cooling, and then contact the downstream reactor. Therefore, the heat dissipation performance of the heat sink can be fully exhibited.

Further, according to one aspect of the present invention, the chilling unit includes a blower, a refrigerant circuit that exchanges heat between air taken in by the blower and a refrigerant, and heat exchange between the refrigerant and water. and a water supply system for generating temperature-controlled water, and the electric component module as a controller for controlling operations of the blower, the refrigerant circuit, and the water supply system.

According to the electrical component module and the chilling unit of the above aspect, it is possible to dissipate heat more efficiently.

1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a chilling unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an electrical component module according to a first embodiment of the present invention, viewed from a direction toward a mounting surface of a circuit board; FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the electrical component module according to the first embodiment of the present invention, with the mounting surface of the circuit board viewed from the side; FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the electrical component module according to the second embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the direction toward the mounting surface of the circuit board;

[First embodiment]
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. The electrical component module 90 according to this embodiment is suitably applied to the controller of the chilling unit 100 . First, the configuration of the chilling unit 100 will be described. The chilling unit 100 is a device for circulating various liquids such as water while controlling the temperature, and is installed accompanying various industrial machines including air conditioners and water heaters.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the chilling unit 100 includes a blower 1, a refrigerant circuit 2, a water supply system 3, a housing 4, and an electrical component module 90 (controller). A pair of air heat exchangers 21 (described later) are provided below the blower 1 . The pair of air heat exchangers 21 are arranged with a gap so as to face each other in the horizontal direction. More specifically, the distance between these air heat exchangers 21 gradually increases from the bottom to the top. Although not shown in detail, the air heat exchanger 21 has heat transfer tubes through which a refrigerant flows.

The refrigerant circuit 2 has an air heat exchanger 21, a compressor 22, an expansion valve 23, a water heat exchanger 24, and a four-way valve (not shown). The air heat exchanger 21 , the compressor 22 , the expansion valve 23 and the four-way valve are arranged in the space inside the housing 4 . The air heat exchanger 21, the compressor 22, the expansion valve 23, and the four-way valve are connected by piping. The blower 1 blows the air in the space between the air heat exchangers 21 upward toward the outside of this space.

The water supply system 3 produces temperature-controlled water. The water supply system 3 includes piping for heat exchange between water and the refrigerant flowing through the water heat exchanger 24, and a pump 31 for pumping the water. The water heat exchanger 24 is arranged below the air heat exchanger 21 inside the housing 4 . The water heat exchanger 24 is connected to the pump 31 , and the water pumped by the pump 31 is heated or cooled as it passes through the water heat exchanger 24 .

Next, operation of the refrigerant circuit 2 will be described. First, the compressor 22 compresses the refrigerant and supplies the compressed refrigerant to the refrigerant circuit. The air heat exchanger 21 exchanges heat between the refrigerant and the outside air taken in by the blower 1 . The expansion valve 23 expands the liquefied high-pressure refrigerant by exchanging heat within the air heat exchanger 21 to reduce the pressure. The air heat exchanger 21 is used as a condenser to release heat to the outside during cooling operation, and is used as an evaporator to absorb heat from the outside during heating operation.

The water heat exchanger 24 exchanges heat between the refrigerant and water taken in through the water supply pipe. The water heat exchanger 24 is used as an evaporator during cooling operation to absorb the heat of water, and is used as a condenser during heating operation to release heat to water. The four-way valve switches the direction in which the refrigerant flows during the cooling operation and during the heating operation. As a result, the refrigerant circulates through the compressor 22, the air heat exchanger 21, the expansion valve 23, and the water heat exchanger 24 in this order during the cooling operation. On the other hand, during heating operation, the refrigerant circulates through the compressor 22, the water heat exchanger 24, the expansion valve 23, and the air heat exchanger 21 in this order.

The electrical component module 90 performs control for switching between the cooling operation and the heating operation as described above and for adjusting the temperature of the discharged water. Although not shown in detail, the electrical component module 90 mainly includes a control circuit and a power supply circuit. These circuits are configured as electronic circuits or electric circuits. The electrical component module 90 has a pair of circuit boards 5, a fan 9, and a casing 10 having the same functions and configurations. As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of circuit boards 5 are arranged vertically in the lower portion of the housing 4 . A fan 9 is provided above the circuit board 5 .

As shown in FIG. 2 , each circuit board 5 includes a board body 6 , a plurality of electrical components 7 and a heat sink 8 . The substrate body 6 is a plate-like member made of glass epoxy, alumina, bakelite, or the like, and printed wiring for configuring the above-described circuit is applied to one side surface (mounting surface 6S) in the thickness direction. It is As shown in FIG. 3, the board bodies 6 of the circuit boards 5 are arranged such that the mounting surfaces 6S face each other.
A partition member 11 defining a space S on the substrate bodies 6 facing each other is provided so as to separate the substrate bodies 6 facing each other. The partition member 11 is provided so as to cover the electrical components 7 on each substrate body 6 . The partition member 11 is not provided above and below the electrical component 7 in the vertical direction, and the space S is opened above and below.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, the circuit boards 5 having the same configuration are arranged adjacently in the horizontal direction. That is, this electrical component module 90 has a total of four circuit boards 5 . The partition member 11 individually covers the board bodies 6 of the circuit boards 5 arranged adjacent to each other.
A space S on the mounting surface 6S of each circuit board 5 serves as a flow path F through which an air flow formed by the fan 9 circulates. A plurality (four) of fans 9 are arranged at the upper end (vertically upper end) of the flow path F at intervals in the horizontal direction. More specifically, two fans 9 are provided for each pair of circuit boards 5 .

As each fan 9, for example, a propeller fan or a sirocco fan is preferably used. Each fan 9 is arranged in such a posture as to form an air flow from the bottom to the top. That is, in this embodiment, the rotation shaft of each fan 9 extends in the vertical direction.

A plurality of electrical components 7 connected to each other via printed wiring are mounted in the space S on the mounting surface 6S. Specific examples of the electrical component 7 include an IPM (intelligent power module) as the first electrical component 71, a power module such as a DM (diode module) as the second electrical component 72, and a passive element such as the reactor 73. be done. Since the chilling unit 100 normally handles a large amount of electric power, these electrical components 7 generate a large amount of heat during operation of the chilling unit 100 . Also, the amount of heat generated from the power module is greater than the amount of heat generated by the passive elements. A heat sink 8 is attached to each electrical component 7 to dissipate this heat. Each fan 9 described above creates a flow of air within the housing 4 towards these heat sinks 8 . More specifically, the fan 9 creates an upward air flow from below through the heat sink 8 .

A partition plate B is provided on each mounting surface 6S to divide the flow path F (space S) into two when viewed from the vertical direction. The partition plate B is a plate-like member extending in the vertical direction and protruding from the mounting surface 6S in the thickness direction of the substrate body 6 . A region on one side of the partition plate B is defined as a first flow path F1, and a region on the other side is defined as a second flow path F2. Among the plurality of electrical components 7 described above, the electrical component 7 arranged in the first flow path F1 is referred to as a first electrical component 71, and the electrical component 7 disposed in the second flow path F2 is referred to as a second electrical component 72. It is said that

Specifically, an IPM is applied as the first electrical component 71 . DM is applied as the second electrical component 72 . Since the amount of heat generated by the IPM is greater than that of the DM, the amount of heat generated by the first electrical component 71 is greater than that of the second electrical component 72 . Accordingly, the heat sink 8 (first heat sink 81) attached to the first electrical component 71 is set larger than the heat sink 8 (second heat sink 82) attached to the second electrical component 72. ing. Further, for example, a plurality of heat radiation fins (not shown) are provided on the surface of each heat sink 8, and the pitch of the heat radiation fins of the first heat sink 81 is narrower than the pitch of the heat radiation fins of the second heat sink 82. It's becoming

A reactor 73 as the electrical component 7 is further provided downstream of the second electrical component 72 in the second flow path F2 (that is, above in the vertical direction). The reactor 73 is mounted on the mounting surface 6S in the same manner as the other electrical components 7. As shown in FIG.

The board body 6 , electrical equipment 7 , heat sink 8 , and fan 9 are housed inside the casing 10 . The casing 10 has a box-like shape, and as shown in FIG. 2, includes a ceiling portion 10A that covers the upper side of the fan 9, a front wall portion 10B that supports the ceiling portion 10A from below, a rear wall portion 10C, and a rear wall portion 10C. and a pair of side wall portions 10D connecting the front wall portion 10B and the rear wall portion 10C. Among these, an exhaust hole 10H is formed in the upper portion of the rear wall portion 10C for discharging heat to the outside together with the air. That is, this exhaust hole 10H is formed downstream of the air flow by each fan 9 in the horizontal direction.

As described above, according to the above-described configuration, the first heat sink 81 attached to the electrical component 7 (the first electrical component 71) having a relatively large amount of heat generation is disposed in the first flow path F1. A second heat sink 82 attached to the electrical component 7 (second electrical component 72) having a relatively small amount of heat generation is disposed in the flow path F2, and a reactor as one of the electrical components 7 is disposed in the second flow path F2. 73 are placed.
Here, if the reactor 73 is not arranged in the second flow path F2, the first heat sink 81 occupies a relatively large volume and the fin pitch is narrow in the first flow path F1. The airflow resistance (pressure loss) in the first flow path F1 becomes larger than the airflow resistance (pressure loss) in the first flow path F1. As a result, more air may flow into the second flow path F2 rather than the first flow path F1, which requires more aggressive cooling (air supply).

In this embodiment, by arranging the reactor 73 in the second flow path F2, the ventilation resistance of the air in the second flow path F2 is increased, and a more positive effect is achieved compared to the case where the reactor 73 is not provided. More air can be supplied to the first flow path F1 that requires cooling. As a result, the heat radiation performance of the first heat sink 81 can be fully exhibited, the cooling effect of the first electrical component 71 can be enhanced, and the electrical component module 90 can be cooled more efficiently.

Furthermore, according to the above configuration, the reactor 73 is provided downstream of the second heat sink 82 . Therefore, the air flow first contacts the second heat sink 82 attached to the second electrical component 72 that requires more active cooling, and then the reactor 73 on the downstream side is cooled. As a result, the heat dissipation performance of the second heat sink 82 can be fully exhibited.

The first embodiment of the present invention has been described above. Various changes and modifications can be made to the above configuration without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, an example in which two electrical components 7 (the first electrical component 71 and the second electrical component 72) are provided in addition to the reactor 73 has been described. However, the number of electrical components 7 is not limited to the above, and a configuration in which two or more electrical components 7 are provided in each of the first flow path F1 and the second flow path F2 is also possible. In short, as long as the provision of the reactor 73 in the second flow path F2 increases the air volume to the first flow path F1, which requires more cooling, the configuration is included in the gist of the present invention.

Also, the reactor 73 may be provided upstream of the second electrical component 72 .

[Second embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, the same code|symbol is attached|subjected about the structure similar to said 1st embodiment, and detailed description is abbreviate|omitted. As shown in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, at least part of the reactor 73 is exposed to the first flow path F1 side. In other words, the reactor 73 is arranged on the mounting surface 6S so as to straddle the first flow path F1 and the second flow path F2. Also, the reactor 73 is arranged above the upper end of the partition plate B. As shown in FIG. The projected area of the part of the reactor 73 exposed on the second flow path F2 side is larger than the projected area of the part of the reactor 73 exposed on the first flow path F1 side in the vertical direction upward (air flow direction). ing. In addition, the size of the reactor 73 exposed to the first flow path F1 (projected area in the vertical direction upward) is appropriately adjusted based on the respective air volumes required in the first flow path F1 and the second flow path F2. .

According to this configuration, by exposing a part of the reactor 73 to the first flow path F1 side, it is possible to more finely set the distribution of air (air volume) between the first flow path F1 and the second flow path F2. As a result, the electrical component module 90 can be cooled more efficiently.

The second embodiment of the present invention has been described above. Various changes and modifications can be made to the above configuration without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in each of the above embodiments, an example in which the electrical component module 90 is applied to the controller of the chilling unit 100 has been described. However, the application of the electrical component module 90 is not limited to the chilling unit 100, and can be applied to other air conditioners, water heaters, and the like. Also, in the above embodiment, the case where the flow path F extends in the vertical direction has been described, but the direction in which the flow path F extends is not limited to the vertical direction, and may be, for example, the horizontal direction.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Blower 2 Refrigerant circuit 3 Water supply system 4 Housing 5 Circuit board 6 Board body 6S Mounting surface 7 Electrical components 8 Heat sink 9 Fan 10 Casing 10A Ceiling 10B Front wall 10C Rear wall portion 10D Side wall portion 10H Exhaust hole 11 Partition member 21 Air heat exchanger 22 Compressor 23 Expansion valve 24 Water heat exchanger 31 Pump 71 First electrical component 72 Second electrical component 73 Reactor 81 First heat sink 82 Second heat sink 90 Electrical component module 100 Chilling unit B Partition plate F Flow path F1 First flow path F2 Second flow path S Space

Claims (3)

a pair of substrate bodies having mounting surfaces and arranged so that the mounting surfaces face each other to form a flow path therebetween;
a plurality of electrical components arranged on each of the mounting surfaces;
a plurality of heat sinks attached to each of the plurality of electrical components and exposed to the flow path;
a fan that forms an air flow in the flow path;
a partition plate provided on each of the mounting surfaces and partitioning the flow path into a first flow path and a second flow path when viewed from the air flow direction;
with
Among the plurality of heat sinks, the heat sink attached to the electrical component having a relatively large amount of heat generation is disposed in the first flow path, and the heat sink having a relatively small heat generation amount is disposed in the second flow path. The heat sink attached to the electrical equipment is arranged,
The reactor further comprises a reactor as the electrical component disposed across the downstream end of the first flow path in the air flow direction and the downstream end of the second flow path in the air flow direction. ,
The electrical component module, wherein the projected area of the reactor on the second flow path side is larger than the projected area of the reactor on the first flow path side in the air flow direction. 2. The electrical component module according to claim 1, wherein one fan is provided for each of said first channel and said second channel. a blower; and a refrigerant circuit that exchanges heat between the air taken in by the blower and the refrigerant;
a water supply system that generates temperature-controlled water by exchanging heat between the refrigerant and water;
3. The electrical component module according to claim 1 or 2 as a controller that controls operations of the blower, the refrigerant circuit, and the water supply system;
Chilling unit with

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