KR102537903B1 - Air heater - Google Patents

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention is an air heater having a power generation unit 10 having a plurality of photovoltaic modules, a connection board 20, an inverter 30, and a monitoring terminal 40, the connection board 20 A sensor unit 220 for sensing internal temperature, external temperature and humidity; An air heater that has a heating element 241 and a fan 242 that circulates the heat generated by the heating element 241 into the connecting panel 20 in one body to circulate hot air inside the connecting panel 20 to prevent dew condensation. (240); and a controller 210 for driving and controlling the air heater 240 by calculating the dew point inside the connection panel 20 by receiving the internal temperature and humidity and external temperature detection signals of the sensor unit 220; It may include an air heater comprising a.

Description

Air heater {AIR HEATER}

The present invention relates to an air heater.

Currently, as the photovoltaic power generation industry increases due to the depletion of fossil fuels and the dangers of nuclear power generation, research on safe operation and efficient management of photovoltaic power generation systems is increasing.

When DC power generated through the solar cell array is connected to an inverter through a junction panel, the inverter converts DC to AC and is used. Looking at the causes of fires in these photovoltaic power generation systems, among the total number of fires, fires in junction panels account for most of the total fires. As the air inside the junction box heated during power generation during the day ends power generation, the outer surface of the enclosure is rapidly cooled and condensation occurs, or condensation occurs inside the junction box in a humid environment such as rain or fog. will do

Condensation is a phenomenon in which, as the temperature of the water vapor contained in the air decreases, the current vapor pressure does not change and only the saturation vapor pressure decreases, finally reaching the saturation state of the water vapor in the air and forming dew. The temperature at which dew forms is called the condensation temperature or dew point temperature.

If condensation occurs in this way, a conductive path is formed at the point where the distance between the poles of the board inside the junction box is the shortest. It ignites the material and develops as a fire.

Therefore, since the conventional photovoltaic power generation device is installed in an area with high humidity, dew condensation occurs frequently inside the junction panel, resulting in a high possibility of fire. Therefore, in the related art, a device for removing internal moisture is included to remove dew condensation inside the junction panel.

However, the conventional photovoltaic power generation device maintains the internal temperature above the dew point temperature to prevent condensation, but when the internal temperature rises rapidly due to changes in the surrounding environment, there is a problem of fire due to difficulty in control. there was.

That is, since the conventional photovoltaic power generation device cannot actively cope with changes in temperature and humidity of the surroundings due to environmental changes, additional devices must be installed to prevent condensation inside the junction box and maintain the temperature, which increases facility costs. there was

Republic of Korea Patent Registration No. 10-1391876 (2014.04.28)

Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to actively cope with the surrounding environment to prevent condensation inside the junction box and to maintain the internal temperature. It is to provide a power generation device.

The present invention includes the following embodiments in order to achieve the above object.

An embodiment of the present invention includes a power generation unit having a plurality of photovoltaic modules, a connection panel, an inverter, and a monitoring terminal, and the connection panel includes a sensor unit for detecting internal temperature, external temperature and humidity, and heat generated from a heating element. An air heater that circulates hot air inside the junction box to prevent dew condensation by integrally equipped with a fan that circulates the inside of the junction box, and receives the internal temperature and humidity of the sensor unit and the external temperature detection signal to calculate the dew point inside the junction box An air heater including a controller driving and controlling the air heater may be included.

Therefore, the present invention can selectively drive a condensation prevention mode for preventing condensation inside the connection panel and a heat dissipation mode for cooling the inside of the connection panel according to changes in the external environment, thereby preventing fire.

In addition, the present invention can perform both condensation prevention and heat dissipation using one device, so that the size of the connection panel can be miniaturized and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

1 is a perspective view showing an air heater.
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of FIG. 3 .
3 is a plan view showing a heat dissipation means.
4 is a plan view illustrating a heating element.
5 is a view showing another embodiment of a heating element.
6 is a view showing a thermally conductive sheet.
7 is a cross-sectional view showing a heating element to which a heat conductive sheet is attached.

Although the present invention may have various changes and various embodiments, it will be described in detail by exemplifying specific embodiments in the drawings. This is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, and to any one of all modifications, equivalents or substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention for connecting and/or fixing structures extending in different directions. It should be understood as applicable.

Terms used in this specification are only used to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

As used herein, "comprising." or "to have." The terms such as are intended to specify that there is a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, but one or more other features or numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or It should be understood that it does not preclude the possibility of existence or addition of combinations thereof.

In addition, in describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known technology may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

1 is a perspective view showing an air heater according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded view of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of a heat dissipation means.

1 to 3, the air heater 240 is a heat dissipation means including a fan 242, a heating element 241, an upper cover 243 and a lower cover 243', and a plurality of heat dissipation fins 245a. 245, the support means 246 for supporting the heating element 241, the connector 244 for connecting power, and the heating element 241 and/or the fan 242 when an abnormally high temperature occurs inside the connection panel 20. ) may include one or more bimetals 247 and 248 to be forcibly turned off.

The double upper cover 243 and the lower cover 243' form a space in which the heat dissipation means 245, the fan 242, the heating element 241, and the support means 246 are stacked and accommodated while being coupled to each other. .

In addition, the upper cover 243 may be formed with an air outlet 243a cut to expose the fan 242 and a plurality of heat dissipation ports 243b cut at the side end.

The lower cover 243' has an open upper surface, is formed as a wall surface standing upright at the end of the bottom surface, and is fastened to the upper cover 243. Here, the upper cover 243 and the lower cover 243' are fastened to each other using a known technique (eg, fitting type, bolt/screw fastening type), and detailed descriptions and drawings are omitted.

The connector 244 conducts power between the external power line and the heating elements 241 inside. Here, the connector 244 may be fixed to one side wall of the lower cover 243'.

The heat dissipation means 245 includes a plurality of heat dissipation fins 245a for radiating heat, a heat conduction plate 245c supporting the heat dissipation fins 245a, and a partition wall 245b erected to partition both edges of the heat conduction plate 245c. and a first accommodating port 245e in which the fan 242 is accommodated.

A plurality of heat dissipation fins 245a are formed as upright plates that are spaced apart from each other to dissipate heat generated from the heating element 241 .

The heat conduction plate 245c is a flat plate material extending in one direction, supports a plurality of heat dissipation fins 245a standing upright on the upper surface, and conducts the heat generated from the heating element 241 to the heat dissipation fins 245a.

The heat dissipation fin 245a, the heat conduction plate 245c, and the partition wall 245b are integrally formed.

The first accommodating port 245e is a space formed between the radiating fins 245a and the fan 242 is fixed thereto. That is, the fan 242 is rotated while being fixed to the first receiver 245e formed as a space between the heat dissipation fins 245a.

The first bimetal 247 and the second bimetal 248 are integral elements to which a temperature sensor and a switching function are added, and use a metal plate having an expansion coefficient that bends according to temperature, to which a known configuration is applied. However, the present invention is characterized by applying a combination of a reset type capable of repeatedly shutting off and energizing the power line according to the detected temperature and a non-reset type maintaining the power line in a cut off state.

Specifically, the first bimetal 247 is a return type and is operated at a first temperature (eg, 40 to 60° C.) set for protection of the heating element 241 and the fan 242 to prevent the heating element 241 and / or After the power line connected to the fan 242 is cut off, when the set return temperature (eg, 40 ° C. or less than 50 ° C.) is reached, the first heating element 241 and / or connected to the fan 242 is reached. energize the power line.

Here, the first bimetal 247 may be composed of one or two, as shown in the drawing, installed in a power line directly connected to the heating element 241 and the fan 242 .

That is, the first temperature may be set to be more subdivided into the stop temperature of the fan 242 and the stop temperature of the heating element 241, and the return temperature may also be set differently depending on the fan 242 and the heating element 241. .

The second bimetal 248 is installed for the purpose of preventing fire. Therefore, the second bimetal 248 completely cuts off the power line when it reaches the second temperature (eg, 70° C. or higher) set as a non-return type. Here, the second bimetal 248 determines whether at least one of the first power line connected to the heating element 241 and the fan 242 and the second power line connected from the power generation unit 10 to the inverter 30 are energized. can decide

The first bimetal 247 and the second bimetal 248 are fastened with a fixing means such as a screw or a piece so that they can be fixed to the upper surface of the metal terminals 247a and 248a to which the power line is connected and the heat conduction plate 245c, respectively. Fastening ends 247b and 248b in which fixing holes are formed may be included.

The supporting means 246 is a plate material extending in one direction, and a heating element 241 may be attached to the upper surface thereof. Here, the support means 246 is laminated on the lower surface of the heat conduction plate 245c of the heat dissipation means 245.

In the heating element 241, a heating line is printed with conductive ink on a substrate 241a made of a plastic film. Such a heating element 241 will be described with reference to FIG. 4 .

4 is a plan view illustrating a heating element.

Referring to FIG. 4, the heating element 241 includes a film-type substrate 241a made of plastic, a heating pattern 241b printed on the substrate 241a and constituting a heating line, an electrode 241c, and a heating pattern 241b. A protective layer 241d (see FIG. 7) applied on the upper surface of the protective layer 241d (see FIG. 7), an adhesive layer (see FIG. 7) laminated on the protective layer 241d (see FIG. 7), and a heat insulating film 241e (see FIG. 7). can do.

The substrate 241a is a film made of an insulating material and has a thin thickness (eg, 0.1 mm to 5 mm).

The heating pattern 241b extends to the positive and negative electrodes 241c, respectively, and generates heat when power is supplied. That is, the heating pattern 241b serves as a heating line. In addition, the heating pattern 241b may be printed on one surface of the substrate 241a using conductive ink.

The protective layer 241d is, for example, a liquid resin containing carbon and is applied on the upper surface of the heating pattern 241b to perform insulation, electromagnetic wave shielding, and protection functions.

The adhesive layer is formed on the upper surface of the protective layer 241d and adheres to the lower surface of the heat conduction plate 245c or is applied to the lower surface of the substrate 241a to adhere the insulating film 241e.

The electrode 241c receives positive and negative power and is connected to a pattern or power line extending from the connector 244 .

Also, the present invention may include other embodiments of the heating element 241 . This will be explained with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7 .

5 is a view showing another embodiment of a heating element, FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a thermally conductive sheet, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view in which the thermally conductive sheet is laminated.

5 to 7, the heating element 241 in the present invention, unlike the embodiment of FIG. 4, reduces the extension length of the heating pattern 241b or divides the heating pattern 241b to The thermal conductive sheet 249 may be provided so that it can be used universally regardless of size.

For example, two or more heating elements 241 may be formed as a heating pattern 241b having a short length of the heating pattern 241b and may be spaced apart, and one heating element 241 is disposed but the heating pattern 241b It can be made to be shorter in length.

The thermal conductive sheet 249 is laminated/adhered to the upper surface of the spaced heating elements 241 or the upper surface of one heating element 241 having the length of the shortened heating pattern 241b to diffuse the heat generated from the heating elements 241. fulfill the role of

To this end, the thermally conductive sheet 249 is adhesively fixed to the lower surfaces of the insulating resin layer 249b, the thermally conductive metal wire 249a embedded in the resin layer 249b, the heating element 241, and the supporting means 246. An adhesive layer 249c may be formed to

The resin layer 249b insulates the thermally conductive metal wire 249a buried therein by applying and curing an insulating liquid resin.

The heat-conducting metal wire 249a is embedded in the resin layer 249b and extends crosswise in the horizontal and vertical directions to diffuse heat generated from the heating elements 241 to the lower surface of the heat-conducting plate 245c.

The adhesive layer 249c may be provided as a double-sided tape. That is, the thermal conductive sheet 249 may be bonded to the lower surface of the thermal conductive plate 245 c and/or the upper surface of the heating element 241 by installing the double-sided tape and the double-sided tape from which the release paper is removed on the upper and lower surfaces of the resin layer 249 b.

The embodiments of the present invention described above are only exemplary, and those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible therefrom.

Therefore, it will be well understood that the present invention is not limited to the forms mentioned in the detailed description above. Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present invention should be determined by the technical spirit of the appended claims. It is also to be understood that the present invention includes all modifications, equivalents and alternatives within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

240: air heater
241: heating element 241a: substrate
241b: heating pattern 241c: electrode
241d: protective layer 241e: insulation film
242: fan 243: upper cover
243a: air outlet 243b: heat sink
243 ': lower cover 244: connector
245, 245': heat dissipation means 245a: heat dissipation fin
245b: partition wall 245c: heat conduction plate
245e: first receptor 245f: second receptor
245g: guideway 246: support means
247: first bimetal 248: second bimetal
247a, 248a: metal terminal 247b, 248b: fastening end
249: thermal conductive sheet 249a: thermal conductive metal wire
249b: resin layer 241f, 249c: adhesive layer

Claims (3)

heat dissipation means (245, 245') having a first accommodating port (245e) in which a fan 242 is installed as a space between the plurality of upright heat dissipation fins (245a);
Supporting means 246 in which the heating element 241 is installed on one side and stacked on the heat dissipating means 245; and
Including; an upper cover 243 and a lower cover 243 'to be coupled to each other and to accommodate the heat dissipation means 245 and the support means 246,
The heating element 241,
a film-like substrate 241a;
a heating pattern 241b printed with conductive ink on the substrate 241a to form a heating line, extending to the positive and negative electrodes 241c, and emitting heat when power is supplied;
a protective layer 241d applied on upper surfaces of the electrode 241c and the heating pattern 241b; and
Including; a heat insulating film (241e) laminated on the lower portion of the protective layer (241d),
A thermal conductive sheet 249 laminated on top of the heating element 241 and diffusing the heat generated by the heating element 241; further comprising,
The thermal conductive sheet 249,
a resin layer 249b made of an insulating material laminated on the upper portion of the protective layer 241d and the lower surface of the supporting means 246; and
A thermally conductive metal wire 249a buried in the resin layer 249b and extending and crossing each other in horizontal and vertical directions;
a first bimetal 247 that cuts off power when a set first temperature is sensed and turns power on when a set return temperature is sensed; and
A second bimetal 248 that cuts off power when the set second temperature is detected; further includes,
The second bimetal 248 is energized with at least one of a first power line connected to the heating element 241 and the fan 242 and a second power line connected from the generator 10 to the inverter 30. It becomes an air heater.
delete The method according to claim 1, the heat dissipation means (245 ')
a second container 245f formed of a space formed between the heat dissipation fins 245a and to which the first bimetal 247 and the second bimetal 248 are respectively fixed; and
a guide path 245g made up of a space between the heat dissipation fins 245a to guide a power line extending to the second accommodating port 245f; An air heater further comprising a.

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