Integration of a phase-change material for limiting the temperature of fuel from an electronic module
The invention concerns an assembly comprising: a fuel supply circuit ( 15, 15 a, 15 b ) configured to supply fuel to a turbine heat engine, an electronic module ( 14, 14 a, 14 b ), a power source ( 13, 13 a, 13 b ) for supplying power to the electronic module ( 14, 14 a, 14 b ), and a heat exchanger ( 16, 16 a, 16 b ) positioned to allow a flow of heat from the electronic module ( 14, 14 a, 14 b ) to the fuel supply circuit ( 15, 15 a, 15 b ), the assembly being characterised in that the electronic module ( 14, 14 a, 14 b ) comprises a phase-change material (PCM), configured to change state when the temperature of same reaches a predetermined phase-change temperature (Tf).
1. An assembly comprising:
a fuel supply circuit configured to supply a turbine heat engine with fuel,
an electronic module comprising electronic components on a substrate,
a power source for supplying the electronic module with electricity,
a heat exchanger positioned to allow heat to flow from the electronic module to the fuel supply circuit, the heat exchanger surrounding at least a portion of the fuel supply circuit and the substrate of the electronic module being mounted on the heat exchanger, and
a phase-change material configured to change state when a temperature of the phase-change material reaches a predetermined phase change temperature, the phase-change material being disposed on the substrate of the electronic module to cover the electronic components.
2. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined phase change temperature is less than a vaporisation temperature of the fuel.
3. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic module is an electronic power module and is configured to convert the electricity supplied by the power source.
4. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined phase change temperature is less than 150° C.
5. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic components are positioned on a first side of the substrate and the heat exchanger is positioned on a second side of the substrate, the second side being opposite the first side.
6. The assembly according to claim 5 , wherein the electronic components are encapsulated in the phase-change material.
7. The assembly according to claim 5 , wherein the phase-change material is integrated into the base substrate.
8. The assembly according to claim 5 , wherein the electronic module comprises a cold plate and wherein the phase-change material is integrated into the cold plate.
9. A power unit comprising:
a turbine heat engine, and
the assembly according to claim 1 ,
wherein the fuel supply circuit is configured to supply the fuel to the turbine heat engine.
10. The power unit according to claim 9 , wherein the power source is an electrical machine configured to operate as an engine or generator, and wherein the electrical machine is coupled mechanically to a rotating shaft of the heat engine.
11. A method for heating fuel using the assembly according to claim 1 , the method comprising heating the fuel of the fuel supply circuit using the heat exchanger and the heat emitted by the electronic module via the phase-change material to the heat exchanger.
12. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined phase change temperature is less than 140° C.
13. The assembly according, to claim 1 , wherein the phase-change material is located and configured to absorb the heat from the electronic module and dissipate the heat to the heat exchanger.
14. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the phase-change material is a first phase change material, and a second phase material is integrated into the substrate.
15. The assembly according to claim 14 , further comprising a cold plate provided between the substrate and the heat exchanger, and a third phase-change material is integrated into the cold plate.
16. The assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising a cold plate provided between the substrate and the heat exchanger, and the phase-change material is a first phase change material, and a second phase material is integrated into the cold plate.
17. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger is mounted on the electronic module and is positioned between the fuel supply circuit and the electronic module.