US2412989A - Multiple rectifier cooling system - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 24, 1946. c. A. KOTTERMAN 2,412,939

MMMMM PLfi RECTIFIER COOLING SYSTEM Filed July 3, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. CHESTER AJrUTTEfiM/W FIGJ.

Dec. 24, 1946. c. A. KOTTERMAN 2,412,939

CHESTE A r r wv I? FIG. 2. BY pg 9 Dec. 24, 1946. c, KQTTERMAN 2,412,989

MULTIPLE RECTIFIER COOLING SYSTEM Filed July 3, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG.3.

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Dec. 24, 1946. c A. KOTTERMAN 2,412,989

MULTIPLE RECTIFIER COOLING SYSTEM Filed July 5, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 a 0 59cm INVENTORf CHESTER A. HGTTERMAN ATT EY.

Patented Dec. 24, 1946 MULTIPLE aao'rmna coomno SYSTEM Chester A. Kotterman, Livingston, N. J., assignor to Federal Telephone and Radio Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application July 3, 1942, Serial No. 449,582

This invention relates to rectifiers of the metal plate type and particularly to a unitary arrangement for cooling 3, number of such rectifiers.

The object of the present invention is to provide a compact arrangement for passing a fiow of cooling fluid such as air over the surface of the rectifiers.

This object is carried out in accordance with this invention by arranging the rectifier units edgewise at narrow outlets from a compartment in which the cooling fluid pressure is built up so as to be forced through the outlets against the edges and over the surfaces of the rectifier units. The invention will be better understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings of which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view partially in section of a rectifier cooling arrangement according to this invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevation view, partially shown in section taken at line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side view of a rectifier unit containing a number of rectifier elements;

Fig. 4 is a section taken at line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 shows a detail of the arrangement of the rectifier elements in Figs. 3 and 4;

Fig. 6 shows a plan view in section of a difierent form of cooling arrangement according to this invention; and

Fig. '7 shows a longitudinal section taken at line 1-1 of Fig. 6.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the cooling arrangement is centered on a cubicle l in the form of a. prism formed by four parallel corner strips 2 which may be angle pieces. The top and bottom of the prism are closed by solid walls 3 and 4 respectively and the ends are closed by end walls 5 and 6 respectively. The two remaining walls, these being the side walls, are formed by a plurality of channel members 1 having a generally U-shaped cross section. The adjacent walls of adjacent channel members preferably converge toward each other as shown. The members I extend vertically between the respective upper and lower members 2 to which they are attached in any suitable manner as by bolts. The membets 1 are spaced apart at intervals which are preferably uniform so as to form a plurality of vertical slits 8 in the side walls.

The end walls 5 and 6 contain openings 9 and i0 respectively, preferably circular, in which are placed respective motor driven fans ll and i2 which blow air into the cubicle to build up a pressure in .it and thereby cause air to be forced out through the slots 8.

11 Claims.

The individual rectifier units 13 to be cooled are placed edgewise at the respective slots 8 as shown. This invention is not concerned with the particular construction of the rectifier units, as any form which can be shaped to fit the construction may be used. Examples of such rectifying units are described in my copending application Ser. No. 436,711, filed March 28, 1942. One of the units in the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is illustrated in greater detail in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. In this form, each unit comprises a supporting plate l4, which may for example be of steel or aluminum, and carries on its two sides rectifier elements l5 shown in the form of discs l6 such as steel, coated in a well-known manner with a semi-conducting layer I! such as selenium. When the rectifier is of the selenium type, it will have over the selenium layer a metallic counter-electrode layer 18 which is placed into contact with the supporting plate H. Insulating rings l9 and 20 should preferably be placed around the internal and external peripheries of the counter-electrode to keep the selenium and the base plate l6 out of contact with plate H. These rings l9 may be of any suitable insulating material such as paper, or they may be composed of an application of varnish, which may be made to cover not only the exposed parts of the selenium layer but also the adjacent portions of the counterelectrode layer. The rectifier elements 15 are fastened to the plate M by bolts 2| passing through the elements and the plate and tightened by nuts 22. A suitable bus bar 23 is fastened under the nuts 22 to make contact. Washers 24 should be of conducting material so that the base plates IS on both sides of plate M are connected to each other, but insulating bushings 25 around the bolts keep the bolts out of contact with supporting plate 14. The bus bars constitute one terminal of the parallel connected rectifying elements l5 and plate I4 constitutes the other terminal. It will be understood that the rectifier elements 15 need not be arranged exactly as shown; for example they might be placed on only one side of plate 14.

The rectifying units 13 are connected in position with relation to cubicle l by means of brackets 54 and 55 which fasten to the respective corner strips 2 of the cubicle. The corner strips should preferably be of an insulating material such as Bakelite; or if the strips 2 are of conducting material the plates I4 should ordinarily be insulated from these strips so that all of plates M will not be connected together. This will allow for difierent connection arrangements between difierent rectifier units. In the case of a single arm type of rectifier connection wherein all the rectifier units are in parallel, it would not matter whether plates I4 are electrically connected together, but usually in a rectifier all of the units will not be connected in parallel.

The arrangement shown permits a considerable space within the cubicle within which an operating transformer 26 of the rectifier may be placed as shown if desired; and this may be mounted upon suitable supports 2?.

In the operation of the cooling system as thus described the fans II and i2 will blow air into the cubicle and will pass out through the slits 8 between strips 1, the adjacent converging walls of adjacent strips 1 serving to direct the air from each slit against the edge of the corresponding plate l4 and over the surfaces of plate it and rectifying elements l5 thereof. The direction of air flow is indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1. Preferably, the combined area of openings 9 and i should be equal to or greater than the combined area of the slits 8.

An efiicient arrangement is one in which the cubic l bearing the rectifier units I3 is placed within an enclosure 28 which completely contains all of the circulating air or fluid. In such construction, the circulating air or fiuid should be cooled by heat exchangers 29 and at before the hot air or fluid from the rectifiers reaches the fans again. The heat xchangers shown comprise fiuid cooled pipes 3| arranged in a supporting housing 32 attached over the walls and 6 of the cubicle. The housing 32 is composed of struts 33 projecting from the walls 5 and 6 to which are attached partitioning walls 34 and 35 closing the top and bottom of the housing. The wall 85 serves to close the front of the housing. As there are no side walls extending between the top and bottom walls 34 and 35, the only path for entry of air into the housing is through the spaces between cooling pipes 3!. By this arrangement the air blown out of the cubicle i over the rectifier elements returns to the fans through the I spaces 31 between the ends of the rectifier units and the enclosure 28 and through the heat exchangers. Cooled fiuid circulated through pipes 3! provides the cooling. For convenience the walls of enclosure I may be made removable as indicated at 38 and 39 to allow access to the interior.

Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate a somewhat different modification wherein the enclosure in which the air pressure is built up is in the form of a cylinder or drum around which the rectifier units are fastened. The drum is formed by a pair of circular end pieces 40 and M, the latter having a circular cutout 42 to permit access of cooling fan 43. To the circular end members 40 and ti there are fastened circular hoops 44 and 65 respectively which may be channel shaped in cross section as shown. Extending vertically between the hoops are the spaced strips 1 of U- shaped cross section as in Fig. 1 and having the spaces or slots 8 between them. The rectifier units I3 are fastened by their brackets 25 to the hoops 44 and 45 as shown so that the plates I4 are located in the slots 8 between adjacent strips 7 as in the case of Fig. 1. This drum arrangement is preferably operated so the plates l4 lie in a vertical plane as shown, and for this purpose, a suitable stand or legs 46 may be fastened to a base member 41 to which the fan motor 48 may also be attached.

Although in this embodiment only one fan is shown, it will be understood that a fan may be placed at both ends as in Fig. 1 instead of only at one end. Furthermore, in the construction shown in Figs. 6 and 7 there is shown no heat exchanger nor outer enclosure as in Fig. 1 as in this case the air of the atmsophere is cooling the rectifiers. A suitable heat exchanger and enclosure could of course be provided in a manner similar to Figs. 1 and 2 if desired.

What I claim is:

1. In a multiple rectifier, a casing, a plurality of plates each carrying a plurality of rectifier elements each mounted in direct heat transfer relation on at least one of its faces, a mounting for said plates holding them side by side within said casing, and means for circulating cooling fluid in said casing between said plates and causing it to strike the edges of said plates and fiow over the surfaces thereof, and the rectifier elements thereon.

2. In a multiple rectifier, a casing, a plurality of plates each carrying a plurality of rectifier elements on its two faces, a mounting for said plates holding them within said casing substantially parallel with one another, and means for circulating cooling fluid in said casing between said plates and causing it to strike the edges of said plates and flow over the surfaces thereof, and the rectifier elements thereon.

3. In a multiple rectifier, a casing, a plurality of plates each carrying a plurality of rectifier elements each mounted in direct heat transfer relation on at least one of its two faces, a mounting for said plates holding them within said casing spaced from one another and substantially at right-angles to the side walls, and means for circulating cooling fluid in said casing between said plates past said rectifier elements.

4.. In a multiple rectifier, a casing having end and side walls, a plurality of plates each carrying a pluralityof rectifier elements on its two faces, a mounting for said plates holding them within said casing uniformly spaced parallel with one another and substantially at right-angles to the side walls but spaced therefrom, a. heat exchanger at each end wall, and a blower centrally located in the casing near each end wall and circulating cooling fluid over the associated heat exchanger, between said plates past the rectifier elements thereon and back through the space between the plates and the casing to the heat exchanger.

5. In a multiple rectifier, a cylindrical casing, a plurality of plates each carrying a plurality of rectifier elements on at least one of its faces, a mounting for said plates holding them within said casing spaced with respect to the side walls but separated therefrom, a heat exchanger at each end of the casing, and a blower centrally located in the casing near each end and circulating cooling fluid over the associated exchanger between said plates past the rectifier elements thereon and back through the space between the plates and the casing to the heat exchanger. 7

6. In a multiple rectifier, a cylindrical casing, a plurality of plates each carrying a plurality of rectifier elements on its two faces, a mounting for said plates holding them within said casing uniformly spaced radially with respect to the side walls but separated therefrom, a heat exchanger at each end of, the casing, and a blower centrally located in the casing near each end and circulating cooling fluid over the associated heat exchanger, between said plates past the rectifier elements thereon and back through the space between the plates and the casing to the heat exchanger.

7. A rectifier cooling system comprising a chamber, an opening in said chamber, a fan at said opening to blow air into said chamber, slots in said chamber with means at the slots for directing the fiow of air therethrough, said airdirecting means at the slots being formed by spaced strips having adjacent walls which converge toward each other in the direction of air flow, and a rectifier unit placed edgewise at each slot so as to receive on its edge from said directing means air blown through the slot from inside said chamber, whereby the air divides at the edge and blows over both surfaces of said rectifier unit.

8. A rectifier cooling system, comprising means forming a chamber having a relatively large opening and a plurality of slots therein, wall means on opposite edges of each slot extending outwardly from said chamber and converging toward one another, a rectifier placed edgewise between the converging walls at each slot in a plane parallel to the longitudinal edge of the slot,

and means blowing a cooling fluid into said chamber through said opening, whereby said cooling fluid passes outwardly of said chamber through said slots and between said converging walls, and over both sides of the rectifier units.

9. The combination according to claim 8, in which said wall means comprise integral extensions of said chamber-forming means.

10. A rectifier cooling system, comprising means forming a chamber having a relatively large opening and a plurality of slots therein, wall means on opposite edges of each slot, extending outwardly from said chamber, a rectifier placed edgewise between the walls at each slot in a plane parallel to the longitudinal edge of th slot, and means blowing a cooling fluid into said chamber through said opening, whereby cooling fiuid passes outwardly of said chamber through said slots and between said walls, and over both sides of the rectifier units.

11. The combination according to claim 10, in which said wall means comprise integral extensions of said chamber-forming means.

CHESTER A. KOT'I'ERMAN.

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