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US-12628319-B2 - Cooling fin arrangement of a cooler, through which fluid can flow, for cooling power electronics

US12628319B2US 12628319 B2US12628319 B2US 12628319B2US-12628319-B2

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cooling fin arrangement ( 1 ) of a cooler, through which fluid can flow, for cooling power electronics ( 200 ). The cooling fin arrangement ( 1 ) comprises at least one cooling fin ( 10 ), which is formed from a wave profile that periodically repeats in a direction of repetition ( 501 ), the direction of repetition ( 501 ) being perpendicular to a flow direction ( 500 ). The invention also relates to a cooler, through which fluid can flow, for cooling power electronics ( 200 ), the cooler comprising a cooling fin arrangement ( 1 ) of this type, and to a power electronic assembly ( 1000 ), comprising power electronics ( 200 ) and a cooler ( 100 ) of this type, through which fluid can flow.

Inventors

  • Marco Lorenz
  • Maik Paehrisch
  • Max Florian Beck

Assignees

  • ROBERT BOSCH GMBH

Dates

Publication Date
20260512
Application Date
20220729
Priority Date
20210830

Claims (16)

  1. 1 . A cooling fin arrangement ( 1 ) of a cooler through which fluid can flow for cooling power electronics ( 200 ), the cooling fin arrangement ( 1 ) comprising at least one cooling fin ( 10 ) which is formed from a wave profile that periodically repeats in a direction of repetition ( 501 ), the direction of repetition ( 501 ) being perpendicular to a flow direction ( 500 ), wherein the at least one cooling fin ( 10 ) comprises a plurality of cooling fins ( 10 ) which are formed from wave profiles repeating periodically in a direction of repetition ( 501 ) and are arranged next to each other, wherein a region of the wave profile of a cooling fin ( 10 ) of the plurality of cooling fins ( 10 ) is set at a first angle ( 602 ) relative to a direction ( 502 ) perpendicular to the direction of repetition ( 501 ) and a region of the wave profile of another cooling fin ( 10 ) of the plurality of cooling fins ( 10 ) is set at a second angle ( 603 ) relative to the direction ( 502 ) perpendicular to the direction of repetition ( 501 ), the second angle ( 603 ) being different from the first angle ( 602 ).
  2. 2 . The cooling fin arrangement ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the wave profile repeats an integer or non-integer number of times.
  3. 3 . The cooling fin arrangement ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein a cross-section of the at least one cooling fin ( 10 ) has a shape of a meander.
  4. 4 . The cooling fin arrangement ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the wave profile of a cooling fin ( 10 ) of the plurality of cooling fins ( 10 ) is arranged offset in the direction of repetition ( 501 ) from the wave profile of an adjacent cooling fin ( 10 ) of the plurality of cooling fins ( 10 ).
  5. 5 . The cooling fin arrangement ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein: a height ( 604 ) of a cooling fin ( 10 ) of the plurality of cooling fins ( 10 ) is between 2.5 mm and 3.5 mm, and/or a pitch ( 601 ) of the cooling fin ( 10 ) is between 4 mm and 5 mm and/or a dimension ( 607 ) of the cooling fin ( 10 ) in a direction ( 502 ) perpendicular to the direction of repetition ( 501 ) is between 1.5 mm and 2.1 mm and/or a profile thickness ( 605 ) of the cooling fin ( 10 ) is between 0.2 mm and 0.45 mm and/or a form inclination ( 606 ) of the cooling fin ( 10 ) is between 3 degrees and 8 degrees.
  6. 6 . The cooling fin arrangement ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of cooling fins ( 10 ) of the cooling fin arrangement ( 1 ) comprises at least a first cooling fin group ( 11 ) for cooling a first power electronics unit ( 210 ) and a second cooling fin group ( 12 ) for cooling a second power electronics unit ( 211 ), the first cooling fin group ( 11 ) and the second cooling fin group ( 12 ) configured such that a temperature of at least one power semiconductor ( 201 ) of the first power electronics unit ( 210 ) assigned to the first cooling fin group ( 11 ) is equal to a temperature of at least one power semiconductor ( 201 ) of the second power electronics unit ( 211 ) assigned to the second cooling fin group ( 12 ).
  7. 7 . The cooling fin arrangement ( 1 ) according to claim 6 , wherein the plurality of cooling fins ( 10 ) of the cooling fin arrangement ( 1 ) further comprises a third cooling fin group ( 13 ), and wherein for the first cooling fin group ( 11 ) in the flow direction ( 500 ), an amount of the first angle ( 602 ) and/or an amount of the second angle ( 603 ) is 10 degrees, for the second cooling fin group ( 12 ) in the flow direction ( 500 ), an amount of the first angle ( 602 ) and/or an amount of the second angle ( 603 ) is 15 degrees, and for the third cooling fin group ( 13 ) in the flow direction ( 500 ), an amount of the first angle ( 602 ) and/or an amount of the second angle ( 603 ) is 20 degrees.
  8. 8 . The cooling fin arrangement ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one cooling fin ( 10 ) extends perpendicular to the direction of repetition ( 501 ).
  9. 9 . A cooler ( 100 ) through which fluid can flow, for cooling power electronics ( 200 ), comprising a cooling fin arrangement ( 1 ) according to claim 1 .
  10. 10 . The cooler ( 100 ) through which fluid can flow according to claim 9 , wherein the plurality of cooling fins ( 10 ) of the cooling fin arrangement ( 1 ) comprises at least a first cooling fin group ( 11 ) for cooling a first power electronics unit ( 210 ) and a second cooling fin group ( 12 ) for cooling a second power electronics unit ( 211 ), the first cooling fin group ( 11 ) and the second cooling fin group ( 12 ) being configured such that a temperature of at least one power semiconductor ( 201 ) of the first power electronics unit ( 210 ) assigned to the first cooling fin group ( 11 ) is equal to a temperature of at least one power semiconductor ( 201 ) of the second power electronics unit ( 211 ) assigned to the second cooling fin group ( 12 ).
  11. 11 . The cooler ( 100 ) through which fluid can flow, according to claim 10 , wherein all cooling fins ( 10 ) of the cooling fin arrangement ( 1 ) are formed from a single part.
  12. 12 . A power electronics arrangement ( 1000 ), which comprises a cooler ( 100 ) through which fluid can flow according to claim 9 and power electronics ( 200 ), the power electronics ( 200 ) being arranged on the cooler ( 100 ) through which fluid can flow.
  13. 13 . The cooling fin arrangement ( 1 ) according to claim 4 , wherein the wave profiles of the plurality of cooling fins ( 10 ) alternately have a first position in the direction of repetition ( 501 ) and a second position in the direction of repetition ( 501 ), and/or wherein an offset ( 600 ) between the wave profiles of adjacent cooling fins ( 10 ) of the plurality of cooling fins ( 10 ) in the direction of repetition ( 501 ) is between 0.8×t/4 and 1.2×t/4, where t is a pitch ( 601 ) of the plurality of cooling fins ( 10 ).
  14. 14 . The cooling fin arrangement ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the wave profiles of the plurality of cooling fins ( 10 ) is set alternately at the first angle ( 602 ) and the second angle ( 603 ) to a direction ( 502 ) perpendicular to the direction of repetition ( 501 ), wherein the first angle ( 602 ) is positive and the second angle ( 603 ) is negative.
  15. 15 . The cooling fin arrangement ( 1 ) according to claim 14 , wherein the first angle ( 602 ) and the second angle ( 603 ) have a common magnitude and/or wherein a magnitude of the first angle ( 602 ) and/or a magnitude of the second angle ( 603 ) is/are between 5 degrees and 25 degrees.
  16. 16 . The cooling fin arrangement ( 1 ) according to claim 8 , wherein: a height ( 604 ) of a cooling fin ( 10 ) of the plurality of cooling fins ( 10 ) is between 2.5 mm and 3.5 mm, and/or a pitch ( 601 ) of the cooling fin ( 10 ) is between 2 mm and 4 mm, and/or a dimension ( 607 ) of the cooling fin ( 10 ) in a direction ( 502 ) perpendicular to the direction of repetition ( 501 ) is between 3.1 mm and 4.1 mm and/or a profile thickness ( 605 ) of the cooling fin ( 10 ) is between 0.2 mm and 0.45 mm, and/or a form inclination ( 606 ) of the cooling fin ( 10 ) is between 3 degrees and 8 degrees.

Description

BACKGROUND The present invention relates to a cooling fin arrangement of a cooler through which fluid can flow, for cooling power electronics. In particular, the invention relates to a cooling fin arrangement that enables optimized cooling of power electronics. Furthermore, the invention relates to a cooler through which fluid can flow, having at least one such cooling fin arrangement, and to an arrangement comprising power electronics and such a cooler. Power semiconductors in power electronics carry high electrical currents. Together with switching losses, the resulting conduction losses are the cause of a high heat loss, which must be dissipated over a very small area. The maximum permissible semiconductor temperature is critical to failure, which is why minimizing the thermal resistance between the semiconductor and the coolant is of central importance. For efficient cooling, the power substrates are applied to coolers through which fluid can flow. These coolers are made of aluminum, AlSiC or copper alloys. Pins or fins are arranged inside the cooler to increase the heat transfer surface and intensify the heat transfer. In order to achieve low thermal resistance between a power substrate, in particular an AMB/DBC power substrate (AMB: active metal braze; DBC: direct copper bonding), and the cooler, the power substrate is joined to the cooler by means of a soft soldering process or, optionally, a sintering process. For this purpose, these coolers may be surface-coated with materials suitable for a soft soldering process or a sintering process. In automotive engineering, aluminum coolers, also known as AlSiC or copper coolers, which consist of several components that are joined in particular by a brazing process, are frequently used. Often, fins made of punched sheet metal are used in coolers through which fluid can flow. Existing fin geometries do not meet the requirements of a cooler through which fluid can flow, for cooling power electronics. The thermal performance is essentially determined by the heat transfer between the fluid and the fin surface, the fin surface and the fin efficiency. SUMMARY The advantage of the cooling fin arrangement of a cooler through which fluid can flow, for cooling power electronics according to the invention is that it enables optimum cooling of the power electronics. In particular, the cooling fin arrangement can achieve a good ratio between the thermal performance of the cooling fin arrangement and the pressure loss caused in the cooler. The cooling fin arrangement according to the invention is therefore particularly suitable for use in coolers through which fluid can flow, for high-performance electronic applications. This is achieved in that the cooling fin arrangement of a cooler through which fluid can flow, for cooling power electronics comprises at least one cooling fin which is formed from a wave profile that periodically repeats in a direction of repetition, the direction of repetition being perpendicular to a flow direction. The flow direction corresponds in particular to a main flow direction of a coolant used as a coolant, which flows through openings formed by the at least one cooling fin. In particular, the main flow direction is the direction in which the fluid mainly flows, i.e., the direction in which a velocity component of the fluid is greater than a velocity component of the fluid in a direction parallel to the direction of repetition. The main flow direction preferably corresponds to the direction in which the fluid is introduced into a cooler through which fluid can flow. The direction of repetition corresponds in particular to a width direction of the cooler. It should be noted that the term “wave profile” refers to any profile that has a cross-section in the shape of a wave, wherein the wave can have any shape as long as it includes a region with maximum height and a region with minimum height. In particular, this means that the shaft does not necessarily have to be designed as a curve, but can only comprise straight sections or a combination of curved and straight sections. It should also be noted that, in the context of the invention, the term “profile” refers in particular to an element, especially a sheet-shaped element, whose cross-section is constant over its entire length. The direction of the length of the profile can be referred to as the longitudinal direction or extension direction of the profile. This means that, in the context of the invention, the wave profile of the at least one cooling fin is repeated in the direction of repetition and extends in the direction of extension. It is to be understood that by forming the cooling fin from a wave profile that periodically repeats, the at least one cooling fin as such is formed as a wave profile, which has a cross-section which is formed from the individual cross-sections of the aforementioned repeating wave profile. In the context of the invention, the at least one cooling fin can thus be