Heat Pipe Spot Cooling

A wind turbine power converter includes power modules mounted on the so-called cooling plates, which cool the component by thermal conduction. The heat is transferred to the ambient by use of a water circuit and an air cooler. The power modules have a large cooling demand, but a small contact area, since the electronic is compact and handles large electrical power. This project intends to develop a new method for cooling power modules, to ensure that cooling power per area will not become a bottleneck in the future development of wind turbines. Furthermore, this method is expected to reduce energy consumption for cooing systems due to reduced pump work.