Liquid-cooled Assembly Of Disc Cells

Abstract

Assembly includes a stack of members having at least one disc cell with a coolant member coordinated therewith and at least one insulating member, and a force-storing member clamping the members of the stack between two opposing bearings of a framework, the disc cell including a cooling pan having a hollow inner space, a channel member having means for supplying thereto and discharging therefrom a liquid coolant, the channel member being located adjacent the cooling pan, so as to close off the inner space of the cooling pan, and sealing means disposed intermediate the cooling pan and the channel member, the force-storing device having such a biasing force as to form a liquidtight force fit between the cooling pan and the channel member.

Description

Our invention relates to assembly of a stack of members including at least one disc cell having a coolant member therewith and at least one insulating member, the stack being clamped by a force-storing member between two opposing bearings of a framework. It is an object of our invention to provide assembly of the foregoing type wherein the conventional air cooling is replaced by liquid cooling. It is accordingly a further object of the invention to provide such liquid cooling whereby a large number of circuit variations, such as series circuits, parallel circuits and series-parallel circuits can be produced with least possible identical members.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, we provide in accordance with our invention, assembly comprising a stack of members including at least one disc cell having a coolant member coordinated therewith and at least one insulating member, and a force-storing member clamping the members of the stack between two opposing bearings of a framework, the disc cell comprising a cooling pan having a hollow inner space, a channel member having means for supplying thereto and discharging therefrom a liquid coolant, the channel member being located adjacent the cooling pan so as to close off the inner space of the cooling pan, and sealing means disposed intermediate the cooling pan and the channel member, the force-storing device having such a biasing force as to form a liquidtight force fit between the cooling pan and the channel member.

A special advantage afforded by our invention is that clamping members for clamping the individual cooling pans and the channel members associated therewith together, can be dispensed with because the force required to effect sealing therebetween is provided by the force-storing device which also produces contact pressure.

In accordance with further features of the invention, the individual cooling pans are connected to the channel members coordinated therewith with the aid of pairs of relatively small screws. These screws thereby exercise essentially the function of centering means and are of such dimension that a compression force required for effecting sealing between the channel member and the cooling pan is capable of attainment.

Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.

Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in liquid-cooled assembly of disc cells, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.

The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of an assembly having six series-connected disc cells, according to our invention;

FIG. 1a is an enlarged fragmentary view in section of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view, partly in section, of FIG. 1 as seen in the direction of the arrow II;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary side view, partly in section, of FIG. 2, showing a cooling pan thereof;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the cooling pan of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a much enlarged top plan view of a channel member forming part of the assembly of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of FIG. 5 taken along the line VI--VI;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of FIG. 5 taken along the line VII--VII;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged bottom plan view of a distributor member forming part of the cooling pan of FIG. 3 as seen from the bottom of FIG. 3 or in the direction of the arrow VIII in FIG. 10;

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of FIG. 8 or as seen in the direction of the arrow IX in FIG. 10;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of FIG. 9 taken along the line X--X;

FIG. 11 is a much enlarged top plan view of a sealing disc forming part of the assembly of FIGS. 1 and 2; and

FIG. 12 is a diametrical sectional view of FIG. 11.

By the term disc cell there is meant herein a semiconductor component (rectifier or thyristor) having a disc or wafer-shaped construction, the semiconductor member or element of the component being mounted in a disc-shaped housing having on the exterior thereof two contact surfaces extending parallel to one another. Referring now to the drawings, and especially to FIGS. 1 and 2 thereof, such disc cells are identified by the reference numeral 3. From the sectional portion of FIG. 2, it is readily apparent that the disc cells 3 of the illustrated embodiment are formed with central recesses on both sides thereof wherein the contact surfaces thereof are located. A cooling pan 1 is received respectively in these central recesses of the disc cells 3.

The assemblies of our invention, in the illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, contain six serially connected disc cells 3, each of which is disposed in a stack between two coordinated cooling pans 1 and two channel members 2, respectively. At the very ends of the six disc cells 3 and the cooling pans 1 and channel members 2 associated therewith, there are located respective sealing discs 7 and insulating members 6. A compression member 40 is furthermore located at one end of the stack in abutment with one of the insulating members. The entire stacked assembly is clamped in a framework made up of two bolts 45 and 46 and two clamping plates 43 and 44. One of the insulating members 6 is fastened to the clamping plate 43 by a screw, while the other insulating member 6 lies on one side of the compression member 40. The other side of the compression member 40 is formed with a concave recess wherein a correspondingly shaped end member 93 of a buffer or cushioning member 9 is received. The buffer member 9, as shown more clearly in the enlargement of FIG. 1a, has a shaft 91 which is guided in a bore 423 formed in a bearing 422. An external thread is provided on the bearing 422, which is screwed thereby into a corresponding internal thread formed in a suitable bore of the compression plate 44. The bearing 42 is additionally formed with a bore 422 which is larger in diameter than the bore 423 and is provided with an annular groove of even greater diameter wherein a snapring 100 serving as a stop member is seated. The buffer member 9 is provided with a collar 92 which also serves as a stop member Between the collar 92 and a shoulder 425 formed in the bearing 42 at the junction between the two bores 422 and 423 therein, a force-storing device 5 consisting of a plate spring is disposed. The plate spring 5 is of such dimension and construction that, in the illustrated position of the buffer member 9 in FIGS. 1 and 1a, a considerable prestressing is exhibited. By turning or twisting the bearing 42 relative to the compression plate 44, the contact pressure exerted at the contact surfaces of the disc cells 3 can constantly be accurately adjusted, unaffected by thread friction; a scale standardized or calibrated to the contact pressure can be applied to the clamping plate 44 and a corresponding indicator mark can be placed on the bearing 42 so that the surface pressure corresponding to a specific position of the bearing can be read directly therefrom.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, centering members 8 are also shown whose sole function is to maintain the disc cells 3 as well as the channel members 2 and cooling pans 1 in a given position relative to the bolts 45 and 46.

The construction of the cooling pan 1 is shown in detail in FIGS. 3 and 4. Each pan 1 has a base 14, a sidewall 15, a flange 17 formed with an annular groove 18 for receiving a sealing ring and with two bores 16 serving for centering the pan 1. A distributor member 12 is inserted in the interior space 11 of the pan 1 and has a construction that is now clearly shown in the enlarged views of FIGS. 8 to 10. As can be seen in the latter figures, the distributor member 12 is formed of a tube having a central bore 13 and formed with four grooves 131 extending radially outwardly from the central bore 13. The distributor member 12, when inserted in the cooling pan 1, as shown in FIG. 3, has its upper surface 19 disposed in the same plane as the surface of the flange 17 of the cooling pan 1.

The construction of the channel members 2 is more clearly shown in the enlarged views thereof in FIGS. 5 to 7. A representative channel member 2 is formed of a metal plate having two opposite and parallel flat sides 23 and being formed with two adjacent transverse bores 21 and 22 extending perpendicularly to the two parallel flat sides 23. A longitudinal bore 25 also formed in the plate 2 extends from the transverse bore 21 to a narrow end 26 (also see FIG. 7) of the plate 2; correspondingly, another longitudinal bore 24 formed in the plate 2 extends from the transverse bore 22 to a narrow end 27 (also see FIG. 6). Nozzles 241 and 251 are soldered, respectively, into the longitudinal bores 24 and 25, tubes of insulating material, such as rubber or plastic material, for example, being attachable to the nozzles 241 and 251 for supplying to and discharging from the channel member 2 a suitable liquid coolant, such as water, for example. The longitudinal channels formed by the bores 24 and 25 are disposed at an angle of substantially 70.degree. to one another.

The channel member 2 is also formed with two bores 23' extending transversely to the parallel flat sides 23, which act as centering means for the channel member. By aligning the bores 23' of a channel member 2 with the bores 16 of a cooling pan 1, the channel member and the cooling pan can be secured to one another in superposed position as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. In FIG. 3, the channel member 2 is shown in phantom, and in FIG. 5, the cooling pan 1 is shown in phantom. It is believed to be readily apparent from FIGS. 3 and 5 that the centering function afforded by the bores 23' of the channel member 2 and the bores 16 of the cooling pan 1, assures that the transverse bore 21 in the channel member 2 exactly meets and communicates with the bore 13 of the distributor member 12. If a liquid coolant is then supplied through the longitudinal channel 25 of the channel member 2, the coolant flows through the transverse bore 21 and the bore 13 of the distributor member 12 against the bore 14 of the cooling pan 1 and from there through the grooves 131 (note also FIGS. 8 to 10) of the distributor member 12 as well as through the inner space 11 between the wall 15 of the cooling pan 1 and the distributor member 12 into the transverse bore 22 and then through the longitudinal bore 24.

It is obvious, of course, that two cooling pans 1 can be placed, respectively, at both flat sides 23 of a single channel member 2 as can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2. The coolant flowing in through the longitudinal channel 25, then divides and then flows along the indicated path in parallel flow through both cooling pans. Such a structural possibility exists primarily only if both adjacent disc cells can be connected electrically in series or parallel. If, on the other hand, an insulation is required, then one flat side of the channel member 2 must be covered by a sealing disc 7 according to FIGS. 11 and 12 in order thereby to prevent discharge of the coolant from the one flat side of the member 2. Such sealing discs 7 are placed on both endmost channel members 2 of the stack assembly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The sealing discs 7 are formed with a central recess 73 as guide for the insulating members 6 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and an annular flange 71 formed with an annular groove 72 for receiving a nonillustrated sealing ring therein. Also, this sealing disc 7, as seen in FIG. 2, is fastened to the channel member 2 with the aid of a screw. The force-storing device or plate spring 5 also produces the sealing pressure between the insulating members 6 and the respective sealing discs 7.

Depending upon the desired circuit arrangement, two or more channel members 2 will be employed as connecting pieces or terminals and will be given a length such as is shown in FIG. 7 and at the ends and center of the stack in FIG. 2 for the purpose of being used as connecting pieces or terminals. If, on the other hand, the channel members 2 are not required to be used as connecting pieces or terminals, the part thereof shown on the side of the dotted line 29 at the top of FIG. 5 can be dispensed with. These shorter channel members 2 are the two channel members 2 located between the respective endmost elongated channel members 2 and the center elongated channel member 2 in FIG. 2.

The assembly of the illustrated embodiment is made up of, respectively, three serially connected disc cells 3 between two terminal members or elongated channel members 2, respectively. Depending upon the polarity of the inserted disc cells, the resultant assembly corresponds to two branches of a bridge circuit or to both branches of a rectifier with center-tap connection.

Claims

We claim:

1. A disc cell assembly comprising a stack of members including at least one disc cell having a coolant member coordinated therewith and at least one insulating member, and a force-storing member clamping the members of said stack between two opposing bearings of a framework, said coolant member comprising a cooling pan having a hollow inner space, a channel member having means for supplying thereto and discharging therefrom a liquid coolant, said channel member being located adjacent said cooling pan so as to close off the inner space of said cooling pan, and sealing means disposed intermediate said cooling pan and said channel member, said force-storing device having such a biasing force as to form a liquidtight force fit between said cooling pan and said channel member.

2. Assembly according to claim 1, wherein said coolant pan has a base and a lateral wall, and a distributor member formed with a central bore is seated in said inner space of said cooling pan for guiding a flow of coolant from said channel member through said central bore against said base of said coolant pan and between said lateral wall of said coolant pan and said distributor member back into said channel member.

3. Assembly according to claim 2, wherein said cooling pan is formed with a flange having a surface on which said channel member is supported, said flange being formed with an annular groove in said surface thereof for receiving a seal therein, said distributor member having a surface disposed in the same plane as said surface of said flange.

4. Assembly according to claim 2, wherein said channel member comprises a plate having opposite flat sides extending substantially parallel to one another, said plate being formed with two transverse bores extending through said plate substantially, perpendicularly to said flat sides thereof, and including centering means located on both sides of said channel member and on one side of said cooling pan for mutually aligning said channel member and said cooling pan so that one of the transverse bores formed in said channel member communicates with the central bore of said distributor member, the other transverse bore formed in said channel member being in communication said inner space of said cooling pan between said lateral wall of said coolant pan and said distributor member, said channel member having a pair of narrow sides located at one end thereof, and including a longitudinal bore formed in said plate and extending parallel to said flat sides thereof from each transverse bore, respectively, through a respective narrow side to the outside of said plate.

5. Assembly according to claim 4, wherein said longitudinal bores have axes defining an acute angle therebetween, said narrow sides in the vicinity of the outlet of said longitudinal bores from said plate extending parallel thereto.

6. Assembly according to claim 4, including an insulating member located at one side of said channel member, and a sealing disc interposed therebetween for closing off the transverse bores formed in said channel member.

7. Assembly according to claim 6, wherein said sealing disc is formed with a flange, and said flange is, in turn, formed with an annular groove on the side thereof facing said channel member for receiving a seal therein.

8. Assembly according to claim 6, having at least two disc cells connected electrically in series, wherein one channel member and two cooling pans disposed on said flat sides, respectively, of said channel member are located between said series-connected disc cells, respectively.

9. Assembly according to claim 8 having a bearing in the form of a screw threadedly secured in a thread formed in the framework, and including a buffer member having an end portion facing said stack of members, said buffer member being displaceable relative to said bearing, said bearing and said buffer having stops for limiting end positions of said buffer relative to said bearing, said force-storing device being clamped between a stop of said buffer and a shoulder of said bearing.

10. Assembly according to claim 9, wherein said bearing is formed with a hollow space in which said force-storing device and a predominant portion of said buffer are received.