JP7660082B2 - Power conversion unit and power system - Google Patents

Description

The present embodiment generally relates to power conversion units and power systems.

Power conversion units are known that have a power conversion device mounted inside a housing. Such power conversion units are sometimes installed outdoors, for example.

International Publication No. 2018/096677

For example, a substation may have a power system having a power conversion unit and other units equipped with other equipment such as DC panels and input/output panels. Such a power system may have a side-by-side panel configuration in which the power conversion unit and the other units are arranged adjacent to each other.

The housing of the power conversion unit has an intake port and an exhaust port to cool the power conversion device installed inside. In the case of a side-by-side configuration, the intake port and exhaust port must be provided on the front and rear sides of the housing. In such a case, if the intake port and exhaust port are not made large, there is a risk that the equipment installed inside cannot be cooled efficiently.

This embodiment has been developed in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a power conversion unit and a power system that can efficiently cool a power conversion device.

This embodiment is a power conversion unit that includes a power conversion device and a housing in which the power conversion device is mounted, the housing having a side portion adjacent to another housing, and the side portion having an outlet port that allows air inside the housing to flow out to the other housing.

According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a power conversion unit and a power system that can efficiently cool a power conversion device.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a power system according to an embodiment. 2 is a side view of the power conversion unit in FIG. 1 as viewed from the direction of arrows AA. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the power conversion unit and other units in FIG. 1 as viewed from the direction of arrows BB.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a front view showing a power system according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a side view of the power conversion unit in FIG. 1 as viewed from the direction of arrows AA.
3 is a cross-sectional view of the power conversion unit and other units in FIG. 1, taken along the direction of arrows BB.

The power system 1 is installed, for example, in a substation installed outdoors. The power system 1 converts power supplied from, for example, a power plant and supplies it to a railway or the like. The power system 1 includes a power conversion unit 10 and another unit 60.

In this specification, the terms "upper," "lower," "right," and "left" refer to upper, lower, right, and left, respectively, relative to a person standing in front of the power conversion unit 10 and looking at the power conversion unit 10. In this specification, the direction from the power conversion unit 10 toward the person standing in front of the power conversion unit 10 is defined as the "forward" direction, and the opposite direction is defined as the "rearward" direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, in this example, another unit 60 is adjacent to the left side of the power conversion unit 10. The power conversion unit 10 and the other unit 60 are separate units. The power conversion unit 10 and the other unit 60 are integrated on-site with bolts or the like.

As shown in FIG. 1, the power conversion unit 10 includes a power conversion device 20 and a housing 30. The power conversion device 20, for example, converts DC power and AC power and controls power. The power conversion device 20 is mounted inside the housing 30.

The housing 30 comprises a main body 40 and a roof 50. The housing 30 is placed, for example, on the ground G outdoors. The main body 40 has a bottom surface 41 placed on the ground G, a front surface 42 and a back surface 43 extending upward from the bottom surface 41 and opposing each other in the front-to-back direction, and a left side surface 44 and a right side surface 45 extending upward from the bottom surface 41 and opposing each other in the left-to-right direction.

The power conversion device 20 is placed on the upper surface of the bottom surface portion 41. The front surface portion 42 extends upward from the front end of the bottom surface portion 41. The back surface portion 43 extends upward from the rear end of the bottom surface portion 41. The left side surface portion 44 extends upward from the left end of the bottom surface portion 41. The right side surface portion 45 extends upward from the right end of the bottom surface portion 41.

The main body 40 has a first opening 40b for discharging air F from the interior 40a. The first opening 40b is provided on at least one side of the front and rear directions of the main body 40. Specifically, the first opening 40b communicates with the inside of a protruding portion 50b of the roof 50, which will be described later. The first opening 40b is covered by the roof 50. This prevents rainwater and the like from entering the interior 40a of the main body 40 through the first opening 40b.

In this example, the main body 40 is formed in a box shape having a first opening 40b that opens upward, for example. The front and back parts 42 and 43 of the main body 40 may extend to the inside of the roof 50, and a first opening may be formed in the front and back parts that penetrate in the front-to-rear direction.

The front portion 42 has a door 42a. An operator can perform maintenance of the power conversion device 20 by opening and closing the door 42a. The housing 30 has an air intake 42b that draws in outside air F (external air) into the interior 40a. Specifically, the air intake 42b is provided on the front portion 42.

The cover 47 is provided on the front part 42 at a position corresponding to the intake port 42b. The intake port 42b is covered by the cover 47. The cover 47 is open at the bottom. The cover 47 prevents rainwater and the like from entering the interior 40a of the main body part 40 from the intake port 42b. The air F that flows into the interior 40a of the main body part 40 cools the power conversion device 20 and is exhausted from the first opening 40b above.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the rear portion 43 has an air intake 43a and a cover 48. The air intake 43a and the cover 48 have the same configuration as the air intake 42b and the cover 47 of the front portion 42. Note that it is sufficient that the air intake is provided in at least one of the front portion 42 and the rear portion 43.

The left side surface portion 44 is adjacent to the right side surface portion 82 of the main body portion 80 of the other housing 70. For example, cables and conductors (neither shown) extending from the power conversion device 20 are connected to the equipment 65 of the other unit 60 via a through hole (not shown) formed in the left side surface portion 44.

The roof 50 is located above the main body 40 and is attached to the main body 40. The roof 50 is formed, for example, by combining multiple plate materials. The roof 50 has a top surface 51, a front surface 52 and a rear surface 53 that extend downward from the top surface 51 and face each other in the front-to-back direction, and a left side surface 54 and a right side surface 55 that extend downward from the top surface 51 and face each other in the left-to-right direction. The roof 50 is formed in a box shape that is open at the bottom.

As shown in FIG. 2, the top surface portion 51 slopes downward from the front to the rear. This allows the roof 50 to prevent rainwater and the like from accumulating on the top surface portion 51. The front surface portion 52 extends downward from the front end of the top surface portion 51. The rear surface portion 53 extends downward from the rear end of the top surface portion 51. The left side surface portion 54 extends downward from the left end of the top surface portion 51. The right side surface portion 55 extends downward from the right end of the top surface portion 51.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the roof 50 has a covering portion 50a located above the main body portion 40, and a protruding portion 50b protruding in the front-rear direction from the covering portion 50a. That is, the front portion 52 protrudes forward by a dimension L1 from the front portion 42 of the main body portion 40. The rear portion 53 protrudes rearward by a dimension L2 from the rear portion 43 of the main body portion 40. In other words, the front-rear dimension of the roof 50 is longer than the front-rear dimension of the main body portion 40. Note that in this example, the roof 50 has protruding portions 50b on both the front and rear sides, but it is sufficient to have protruding portions 50b on at least one side only.

The protrusion 50b has a second opening 50b1 that opens downward and communicates with the outside. As a result, the inside 40a of the main body 40 of the housing 30 is connected to the outside by the first opening 40b and the second opening 50b1. A portion of the air F drawn into the inside 40a of the main body 40 from the intake ports 42b, 43a cools the power conversion device 20 and is exhausted to the outside via the first opening 40b and the second opening 50b1. In other words, the first opening 40b and the second opening 50b1 form the exhaust port of the power conversion unit 10.

The outer surface of the left side surface 54 is located on the same plane in the vertical direction as the outer surface of the left side surface 44 of the main body 40. The left side surface 54 is adjacent to the right side surface 92 of the roof 90 of the other housing 70. The side surface of the housing 30 adjacent to the other housing 70 has a first side surface portion (left side surface portion 44) that forms the side surface of the main body 40 and a second side surface portion (left side surface portion 54) that forms the side surface of the roof 50.

The outlet 58 is formed in the side portion adjacent to the other housing 70. Specifically, the outlet 58 is formed in the left side portion 54 of the roof 50 (the second side portion of the housing 30). As shown in FIG. 2, two outlets 58 are formed spaced apart in the front-to-rear direction. The number of outlets 58 may be one, or three or more. The outlet 58 is provided above the intake ports 42b and 43a. This allows the outlet 58 to efficiently discharge the air F that has absorbed the heat of the power conversion device 20.

As shown in FIG. 1, the other unit 60 is adjacent to the power conversion unit 10. The other unit 60 includes equipment 65 and a housing 70. The equipment 65 generates less heat than the power conversion device 20, and is, for example, a DC panel or an input/output panel. The equipment 65 is mounted inside the housing 70.

The housing 70 and the housing 30 of the power conversion unit 10 are formed separately and independently. The housing 70 has a main body 80 and a roof 90. The main body 80 has the same configuration as the main body 40 of the power conversion unit 10, so a description of it will be omitted.

The right side surface 82 of the main body 80 is adjacent to the left side surface 44 of the power conversion unit 10. The right side surface 92 of the roof 90 is adjacent to the left side surface 54 of the power conversion unit 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the other unit 60 has an inlet 95 at a position corresponding to the outlet 58 of the power conversion unit 10. Specifically, the inlet 95 penetrates the right side surface 92 of the roof 90 in the left-right direction. In this example, two inlets 95 are formed corresponding to the outlets 58.

When the power conversion unit 10 and another unit 60 are arranged adjacent to each other, the interior 40a of the main body 40 of the power conversion unit 10 and the interior 80a of the main body 80 of the other unit 60 are connected by the outlet 58 and the inlet 95.

As shown in FIG. 3, a portion of the air F that has cooled the power conversion device 20 inside 40a of the main body 40 is exhausted to the outside through the first opening 40b and the second opening 50b1. In addition, the power conversion device 20 generates more heat than the equipment 65. Therefore, another portion of the air F flows out through the outlet 58 and the inlet 95 into the inside 80a of the main body 80 of the other unit 60.

The other unit 60 has a first opening 97a and a second opening 97b. The first opening 97a has a similar configuration to the first opening 40b. The second opening 97b has a similar configuration to the second opening 50b1. The first opening 97a and the second opening 97b serve as exhaust ports for the air that has cooled the equipment 65.

Some of the air F that flows into the interior 80a of the main body 80 is exhausted to the outside through the first opening 97a and the second opening 97b of the other unit 60. The power system 1 exhausts the air that has cooled the equipment 65 and the air F that has cooled the power conversion device 20 from the first opening 97a and the second opening 97b. In other words, the first opening 97a and the second opening 97b serve as exhaust ports for the air that has cooled the equipment 65 and the air F that has cooled the power conversion device 20.

The outlet 58, the inlet 95, and the first and second openings 97a, 97b are provided on the upper end side of the housings 30, 70. This allows the air F that has undergone heat exchange in the power conversion device 20 to be exhausted to the outside from the first opening 97a and the second opening 97b while minimizing contact with the equipment 65 of the other units 60. As a result, the impact of the air F on the equipment 65 can be suppressed.

Here, for example, if the outlet 58 and inlet 95 are not provided, the power conversion device 20 may not be cooled efficiently unless the protruding dimensions L1, L2 of the roof 50 are increased to enlarge the second opening 50b1. In such a case, if the external shapes of the multiple other units arranged next to the power conversion unit 10 are adjusted to match the power conversion unit 10 in order to improve appearance, the power system 1 may become larger overall.

According to this embodiment, the air F that has cooled the power conversion device 20 can be discharged through the first opening 97a and the second opening 97b of another adjacent unit 60. This allows the power conversion device 20 to be efficiently cooled even if the protruding dimensions L1 and L2 in the front-to-rear direction of the roof 50 are made as small as possible. In addition, the power system 1 can be made more compact.

In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the outlet 58 is formed on the left side surface 54 of the roof 50 of the power conversion unit 10, and the inlet 95 is formed on the right side surface 92 of the roof 90 of the other unit 60. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, an outlet may be formed on the left side surface 44 of the main body 40 of the power conversion unit 10, and an outlet may be formed on the right side surface 82 of the main body 80 of the other unit 60.

In addition, if another unit is adjacent to the right side of the power conversion unit 10, the outlet may be formed on the right side of the power conversion unit 10, and the inlet may be formed on the left side of the other unit.

In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the first opening 97a and the second opening 97b of the other unit 60 have the same configuration as the first opening 40b and the second opening 50b1 of the power conversion unit 10. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the exhaust port of the other unit 60 may have any configuration.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included within the scope and gist of the invention, as well as within the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims. Furthermore, the above-mentioned embodiments can be implemented in combination with each other.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Power system 10 Power conversion unit 20 Power conversion device 30 Housing 40 Main body 40a Interior 40b First opening 41 Bottom 42 Front 42a Door 42b Air intake 43 Rear 43a Air intake 44 Left side (first side)
45 Right side part 47, 48 Cover 50 Roof 50a Covering part 50b Projection part 50b1 Second opening part 51 Top part 52 Front part 53 Rear part 54 Left side part (second side part)
55 Right side portion 58 Outlet 60 Other unit 65 Equipment 70 Housing 80 Main body 80a Interior 82 Right side portion 90 Roof 92 Right side portion 95 Inlet 97a First opening 97b Second opening F Air G Ground

Claims (3)

A power conversion device;
A housing in which the power conversion device is mounted;
Equipped with
The housing has a side portion adjacent to another housing,
the side surface portion has an outlet port through which air inside the housing flows out to the other housing,
The housing includes:
A main body having the power conversion device mounted therein;
A roof located above the main body and attached to the main body;
having
The side surface portion is
a first side portion forming a side surface of the main body portion;
A second side portion forming a side surface of the roof;
having
The outlet is formed in the second side portion,
The roof has a covering portion located above the main body portion and a protruding portion protruding in a front-rear direction from the covering portion,
The body portion has a first opening communicating with an interior of the protrusion,
the protruding portion has a second opening portion that opens downward and communicates with the outside,
A power conversion unit in which a portion of the air inside the housing is exhausted to the outside through the first opening and the second opening, and another portion of the air flows out from the outlet to the other housing . The housing has an air intake port for drawing in outside air,
The power conversion unit according to claim 1 , wherein the outlet is provided above the intake port. A power conversion unit according to claim 1 or 2 ;
and another unit adjacent to the power conversion unit,
The other unit has an inlet at a position corresponding to the outlet of the power conversion unit.

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