U.S. patent application number 11/764495 was filed with the patent office on 2008-12-18 for system for integrated thermal management and method for the same.
This patent application is currently assigned to GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY. Invention is credited to Robert William Delmerico, Robert Roesner, Ralph Teichmann.
Application Number | 20080307817 11/764495 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39802497 |
Filed Date | 2008-12-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080307817 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Roesner; Robert ; et
al. |
December 18, 2008 |
SYSTEM FOR INTEGRATED THERMAL MANAGEMENT AND METHOD FOR THE
SAME
Abstract
An integrated thermal management system is provided. The system
includes a first device configured to release a first heat loss and
coupled to an integrated cooling system. The system also includes
at least a second device configured to release a second heat loss
and coupled to the integrated cooling system. The system also
includes at least one heat exchanger configured to release the
first heat loss and the second heat loss to ambient.
Inventors: |
Roesner; Robert; (Muenchen,
DE) ; Teichmann; Ralph; (Albany, NY) ;
Delmerico; Robert William; (Clifton Park, NY) |
Correspondence
Address: |
GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY;GLOBAL RESEARCH
PATENT DOCKET RM. BLDG. K1-4A59
NISKAYUNA
NY
12309
US
|
Assignee: |
GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
SCHENECTADY
NY
|
Family ID: |
39802497 |
Appl. No.: |
11/764495 |
Filed: |
June 18, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/259.2 ;
165/101; 165/104.19; 62/310 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y02P 80/10 20151101;
F28D 15/00 20130101; Y02P 80/158 20151101; H05K 7/20945
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/259.2 ;
62/310; 165/101; 165/104.19 |
International
Class: |
F25D 17/02 20060101
F25D017/02 |
Claims
1. An integrated thermal management system comprising: a first
device configured to release a first heat loss and coupled to an
integrated cooling system; at least a second device configured to
release a second heat loss and coupled to the integrated cooling
system; and at least one heat exchanger configured to release the
first heat loss and the second heat loss to ambient.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first device
and the second device comprises a power converter system.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first device
and the second device comprises a transformer system.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first device
and the second device comprises a generator.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first device
and the second device comprises a gearbox.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein the integrated cooling system
comprises: a first cooling fluid circulating through the first
device via a first pump and coupled to a first heat exchanger; and
a second cooling fluid circulating through the second device via a
second pump and coupled to a second heat exchanger.
7. The system of claim 6, wherein the first cooling fluid comprises
water and the second cooling fluid comprises oil.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger comprises an
oil to water heat exchanger.
9. The system of claim 6, wherein the integrated cooling system
comprises the first cooling fluid circulating through the first
device and the second device and coupled to the first heat
exchanger.
10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first device and the second
device may be connected in parallel or series.
11. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least a third
device configured to release a third heat loss.
12. A method of integrating thermal management in a heat releasing
system comprising: disposing a first device configured to release a
first heat loss; separating a second device configured to release a
second heat loss from the first device by a heat exchanger; and
extracting heat from the first device and the second device via the
heat exchanger.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the extracting heat comprises
circulating a second cooling fluid through the second device via a
pump.
14. The method of claim 12, wherein the extracting heat comprises
circulating a second cooling fluid via forced or free
convection.
15. A compact transformer-power converter assembly comprising: a
transformer immersed in oil; and a cooling fluid circulating
through a power converter system and configured to extract heat
from the power converter system and the oil.
16. The assembly of claim 15, wherein the cooling fluid comprises
water.
17. The assembly of claim 15, further comprising at least one pump
to circulate the cooling fluid and the oil.
18. The assembly of claim 15, further comprising a first heat
exchanger to extract heat from the oil to the cooling fluid.
19. The assembly of claim 15, further comprising a second heat
exchanger configured to transfer heat from the cooling fluid to
ambient.
20. The assembly of claim 15, using the transformer tank wall to
exchange heat between the second cooling fluid und the first
cooling fluid.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] The invention relates generally to thermal management
systems and more specifically, to thermal management in electrical
systems.
[0002] An electrical system in a commonly used application such as
a wind turbine includes electrical components such as transformers,
switch gear, power converters and electric machines that are
located inside a confined compartment or a containment such as a
tower or a nacelle or an external building. Transformers, power
converters and electric machines are typically large scale
equipment and generate undesirable amount of losses. The losses are
released as heat during operation. The transformer and the power
converters are usually in close proximity to each other. Further,
the power rating of the electric equipment is determined by the
ability to homogeneously cool it. Hence, it is desirable to remove
the heat from the containment to avoid excessive heating of the
electrical components leading to a failure.
[0003] In general, there are several techniques used for heat
removal from electrical components. A certain technique includes a
forced convection device such as a fan. However, a forced
convection system generally requires large air ducts and filters
for the entry of cool air and to expel hot air from the tower. In
addition, a fan may generate undesirable levels of noise and
cooling fins add to the size and weight of equipment. Another
cooling system typically used includes, but is not limited to, a
liquid cooled system. The liquid cooled system enables reducing the
size of the electrical system by eliminating large air ducts and
cooling fins.
[0004] Currently, independent cooling concepts are commonly used to
remove the heat from the electrical components in the electrical
system. A typical electrical system may include several electrical
components having different cooling methods. An example is a forced
air cooled transformer and a water cooled power converter system.
Therefore, having independent and different cooling system for each
of the electrical components adds to size of an electrical system
and cost of design.
[0005] Hence, there is a need for an improved thermal management
system that addresses the aforementioned issues.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
[0006] In accordance with one aspect of the invention, an
integrated thermal management system is provided. The system
includes a first device configured to release a first heat loss and
coupled to an integrated cooling system. The system also includes
at least a second device configured to release a second heat loss
and coupled to the integrated cooling system. The system further
includes at least one heat exchanger configured to release the
first heat loss and the second heat loss to ambient.
[0007] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a method
for integrating thermal management in a heat releasing system is
provided. The method includes disposing a first device configured
to release a first heat loss. The method also includes separating a
second device configured to release a second heat loss from the
first device by a heat exchanger. The method further includes
extracting heat from the first device and the second device via the
heat exchanger.
[0008] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a
compact transformer-power converter assembly is provided. The
assembly includes a transformer immersed in oil. The transformer
also includes a cooling fluid circulating through a power converter
system and configured to extract heat from the power converter
system and the oil.
DRAWINGS
[0009] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the
present invention will become better understood when the following
detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying
drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout
the drawings, wherein:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a block diagram representation of an integrated
thermal management system in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of an integrated thermal
management system used in a wind turbine in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of another exemplary
integrated thermal management system including a common cooling
fluid used in a wind turbine in accordance with an embodiment of
the invention;
[0013] FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of another exemplary
integrated thermal management system including a third device and a
common cooling fluid used in a wind turbine in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention; and
[0014] FIG. 5 is a flow chart representing steps involved in an
exemplary method for integrating thermal management in accordance
with an embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] As discussed in detail below, embodiments of the invention
include a system for integrated thermal management and a method for
the same. The system for integrated thermal management provides an
integrated cooling concept via a common cooling medium for
electrical components in an electrical generating system for
renewable energy such as, but not limited to, a wind turbine. The
system also provides a compact assembly of the electrical
components.
[0016] Turning to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a block diagram
representation of an integrated thermal management system 10. The
thermal management system 10 includes a first device 12 configured
to release a first heat loss. A second device 14 is configured to
release a second heat loss coupled to an integrated cooling system
18 along with the first device 12. In a presently contemplated
embodiment, the system 10 may include a third device 16 releasing a
third heat loss. In another embodiment, the system 10 may include
two or more devices releasing respective heat losses. In yet
another embodiment, the integrated cooling system 18 includes a
heat exchanger 20 that separates the first device 12 from the
second device 14. In a non-limiting example, the first device 12
includes a power converter system, the second device 14 includes a
transformer system and the third device 16 includes a gearbox or a
generator. In another embodiment, the integrated cooling system 18
includes a first cooling fluid circulated through the first device
12, a second cooling fluid circulated through the second device 14
and a third cooling fluid circulated through the third device 16
via a pump. A heat exchanger 20 is coupled to the integrated
cooling system 18 to extract heat from the first cooling fluid, the
second cooling fluid and the third cooling fluid. The heat
exchanger 20 may be installed inside or outside a containment such
as, but not limited to, the wind turbine tower or nacelle. In an
exemplary embodiment, the system 10 may include a common cooling
fluid for the first device 12, the second device 14 and the third
device 16 as described in FIG. 4.
[0017] FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of an integrated thermal
management system 30 employed in an application such as, but not
limited to, a wind turbine. The system 30 includes a power
converter system 32 coupled with a pump 34 to provide a first
cooling fluid 36. In a particular embodiment, the first cooling
fluid 36 is water. The first cooling fluid 36 is in contact with a
heat exchanger 38 coupled to a transformer 40 immersed in a second
cooling fluid 42. In a particular embodiment, the second cooling
fluid 42 is oil. A pump 44 circulates the second cooling fluid 42
within the transformer 40. The heat exchanger 38 extracts heat from
the second cooling fluid 42 to the first cooling fluid 36. In a
particular embodiment, temperature of the first cooling fluid 36
may be about 60.degree. C. and the temperature of the second
cooling fluid 40 may be between about 70.degree. C. and about
80.degree. C. providing a differential in temperature of at least
about 10.degree. C. Typically, the outlet temperature of the
cooling fluid 36 at the power converter system 32 will be low
enough to be the inlet temperature of the second cooling fluid 42.
Similarly, the first cooling fluid 36 is also in contact with a
heat exchanger 46 coupled to a third device such as, but not
limited to, a gearbox 48 immersed in a third cooling fluid 50. In a
particular embodiment, the third cooling fluid 50 is oil. A pump 52
circulates the third cooling fluid 50 within the gearbox 48. The
heat exchanger 46 extracts heat from the third cooling fluid 50 to
the first cooling fluid 36. A heat exchanger 54 is installed
outside a wind turbine tower 56 or a nacelle that encloses the
thermal management system 30. In a particular embodiment, the heat
exchanger 54 employs natural convection. In another embodiment, the
heat exchanger 54 employs forced convection using a device such as,
but not limited to, a fan. The heat exchanger 54 extracts heat from
the first cooling fluid 36 into the ambient. In another embodiment
the integrated thermal management system 30 is installed inside a
wind turbine nacelle.
[0018] FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of another exemplary
integrated thermal management system 60 employed in an application
such as, but not limited to, a wind turbine. The system 60 includes
a power converter system 32 as referenced in FIG. 2 coupled with a
pump 34 to circulate a first cooling fluid 36 as referenced in FIG.
2. The first cooling fluid 36 is in direct contact with the
transformer 40 in FIG. 2. In the presently contemplated embodiment,
the first cooling fluid 36 is circulated through the power
converter system 32 and the transformer 40 to extract heat from
both the devices. A heat exchanger 62 is installed outside a wind
turbine tower 64 or a nacelle that encloses the thermal management
system 60 and extracts heat from the first cooling fluid 36 to the
ambient. In a particular embodiment, the heat exchanger 62 employs
natural or free convection. In another embodiment, the heat
exchanger 62 employs forced convection using a device such as, but
not limited to, a fan. In yet another embodiment the integrated
thermal management system is installed inside a wind turbine
nacelle.
[0019] In a particular embodiment, the system 60 may include
various electrical components that may be cooled as described
above. Further, the electrical components are typically physically
placed close to each other and thus facilitate integrated cooling.
The system 60 also increases packaging density of the electrical
components and enables for a single piece, factory assembled and
tested unit. The system 60 reduces number of parts in an assembly
and therefore increases reliability of the system.
[0020] FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of another exemplary
integrated thermal management system 70 including three devices
employed in an application such as, but not limited to, a wind
turbine. Further to the embodiment described in FIG. 3, the thermal
management system 70 includes an additional third device 72 in
contact with the first cooling fluid 36. In a non-limiting example,
the third device 72 includes a generator. In the illustrated
embodiment, cooling of the generator 72 is connected in parallel to
the second device 40. In another embodiment, cooling of the
generator 72 may be connected in series to the transformer 40. The
first cooling fluid 36 extracts heat from the power converter
system 32, the transformer 40 and the generator 72. A heat
exchanger 62 as referenced in FIG. 3 extracts heat from the first
cooling fluid 36 to the ambient. In an embodiment, the heat
exchanger 62 is installed outside a wind turbine tower 64 or a
nacelle. In another embodiment, the heat exchanger 62 may be
installed inside the wind turbine tower 64.
[0021] FIG. 5 is a flow chart representing exemplary steps in a
method 80 for integrating thermal management in a heat generating
system. The method 80 includes disposing a first device configured
to release a first heat loss in step 82. A second device is
separated from the first device by a heat exchanger in step 84.
Heat from the first device and the second device is extracted via
the heat exchanger in step 86. In a particular embodiment, the heat
is extracted via forced convective cooling by circulating a cooling
fluid through the second device. In another embodiment, the heat is
extracted by circulating a cooling fluid through the first device
via a pump. In yet another embodiment, the heat extracted is at
least about 80 percent of heat generated in the first heat
generating device and the second heat device.
[0022] The various embodiments of a system for integrated thermal
management and a method for the same described above thus provide a
way to achieve convenient and efficient means for removal of heat
from electrical components. These techniques and systems also allow
for highly compact and efficient wind turbine systems due to
improved heat removal system and improved packaging density.
[0023] Of course, it is to be understood that not necessarily all
such objects or advantages described above may be achieved in
accordance with any particular embodiment. Thus, for example, those
skilled in the art will recognize that the systems and techniques
described herein may be embodied or carried out in a manner that
achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as
taught herein without necessarily achieving other objects or
advantages as may be taught or suggested herein.
[0024] Furthermore, the skilled artisan will recognize the
interchangeability of various features from different embodiments.
For example, the use of a transformer as a second device with
respect to one embodiment can be adapted for use with a third
device such as, but not limited to a generator or a gearbox
described with respect to another. Similarly, the various features
described, as well as other known equivalents for each feature, can
be mixed and matched by one of ordinary skill in this art to
construct additional systems and techniques in accordance with
principles of this disclosure.
[0025] While only certain features of the invention have been
illustrated and described herein, modifications and changes will
occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be
understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such
modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the
invention.
* * * * *