Electric machine cooling plate for aircraft powerplant
An aircraft powerplant assembly includes a cooling plate and an electric machine controller. The cooling plate includes a fluid cooling circuit internal to a body of the cooling plate. The fluid cooling circuit includes an inlet manifold, an outlet manifold and a plurality of heat exchange passages. Each of the heat exchange passages extends longitudinally along a longitudinal centerline from the inlet manifold to the outlet manifold. A first heat exchange passage is configured with a plurality of first cooling elements arranged longitudinally along its longitudinal centerline. The electric machine controller includes a controller housing and controller circuitry. The controller housing is removably attached to the cooling plate and overlaps the heat exchange passages. The controller circuitry is disposed within an interior of the controller housing. The controller circuitry is in thermal communication with the cooling plate through a wall of the controller housing.
1 . An assembly for an aircraft powerplant, comprising:
a cooling plate comprising a fluid cooling circuit internal to a body of the cooling plate, the fluid cooling circuit including an inlet manifold, an outlet manifold and a plurality of heat exchange passages, each of the plurality of heat exchange passages comprising a longitudinal centerline and extending longitudinally along the longitudinal centerline from the inlet manifold to the outlet manifold, the plurality of heat exchange passages comprising a first heat exchange passage, and the first heat exchange passage configured with a plurality of first cooling elements arranged longitudinally along the longitudinal centerline of the first heat exchange passage; and
an electric machine controller including a controller housing and controller circuitry, the controller housing removably attached to the cooling plate and overlapping the plurality of heat exchange passages, the controller circuitry disposed within an interior of the controller housing, and the controller circuitry in thermal communication with the cooling plate through a wall of the controller housing.
2 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the body of the cooling plate is a monolithic body.
3 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the longitudinal centerline of the first heat exchange passage follows a tortuous trajectory.
4 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first heat exchange passage includes
a first augmented flow section configured with a first set of the plurality of first cooling elements;
a second augmented flow section configured with a second set of the plurality of first cooling elements; and
an intermediate flow section longitudinally between the first augmented flow section and the second augmented flow section.
5 . The assembly of claim 4 , wherein a longitudinal length of the intermediate flow section along the longitudinal centerline of the first heat exchange passage is greater than
a longitudinal inter-element distance between a neighboring pair of the plurality of first cooling elements disposed in the first set of the plurality of first cooling elements; and
a longitudinal inter-element distance between a neighboring pair of the plurality of first cooling elements disposed in the second set of the plurality of first cooling elements.
6 . The assembly of claim 4 , wherein the intermediate flow section is configured without any cooling elements.
7 . The assembly of claim 4 , wherein a minimum lateral width of the intermediate flow section along the longitudinal centerline of the first heat exchange passage is less than
a minimum lateral width of the first augmented flow section along the longitudinal centerline of the first heat exchange passage; and
a minimum lateral width of the second augmented flow section along the longitudinal centerline of the first heat exchange passage.
8 . The assembly of claim 4 , wherein a lateral width of the intermediate flow section decreases as the intermediate flow section extends longitudinally along the longitudinal centerline of the first heat exchange passage away from the first augmented flow section towards the second augmented flow section.
9 . The assembly of claim 4 , wherein the intermediate flow section overlaps the second augmented flow section within the body of the cooling plate.
10 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein a lateral width of the first heat exchange passage decreases, then increases and then decreases as the first heat exchange passage extends longitudinally away from the inlet manifold and towards outlet manifold.
11 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein a lateral width of the first heat exchange passage decreases, then increases, then decreases, then increases and then decreases as the first heat exchange passage extends longitudinally away from the inlet manifold and towards outlet manifold.
12 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first heat exchange passage includes
a first passage leg;
a second passage leg; and
a third passage leg longitudinally between and fluidly coupling the first passage leg and the second passage leg, the third passage leg overlapping the first passage leg and the second passage leg along a first direction, and the third passage leg between the first passage leg and the second passage leg along a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction.
13 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the cooling plate has an exterior surface, the plurality of heat exchange passages define a heat exchange region along the exterior surface, and at least one of
a shape of the heat exchange region matches a shape of a portion of the electric machine controller that engages the exterior surface in a reference plane parallel to the exterior surface; or
an area of the heat exchange region is within ten percent of an area of the portion of the electric machine controller that engages the exterior surface in the reference plane.
14 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the cooling plate has an exterior surface that engages the electric machine controller, the plurality of heat exchange passages define a heat exchange region along the exterior surface, and at least one of
a shape of the heat exchange region matches a shape of a circuit board of the controller circuitry in a reference plane parallel to the exterior surface; or
an area of the heat exchange region is within ten percent of an area of the circuit board of the controller circuitry in the reference plane.
15 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the cooling plate further includes
a second inlet manifold, a second outlet manifold and a plurality of second heat exchange passages;
each of the plurality of second heat exchange passages extending longitudinally from the second inlet manifold to the second outlet manifold;
the controller circuitry including a first circuit board and a second circuit board;
the first circuit board overlapping the plurality of heat exchange passages; and
the second circuit board overlapping the plurality of second heat exchange passages.
16 . The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second electric machine controller including a second controller housing and second controller circuitry;
the cooling plate further including a second inlet manifold, a second outlet manifold and a plurality of second heat exchange passages, and each of the plurality of second heat exchange passages extending longitudinally from the second inlet manifold to the second outlet manifold; and
the second controller housing removably attached to the cooling plate and overlapping the plurality of second heat exchange passages, the second controller circuitry disposed within an interior of the second controller housing, and the second controller circuitry in thermal communication with the cooling plate through a wall of the second controller housing.
17 . The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:
a cooling system including the cooling plate, a heat exchanger and a cooling loop;
the cooling loop including and extending through the fluid cooling circuit and one or more passages within the heat exchanger; and
the cooling system configured to circulate a cooling fluid through the cooling loop between the cooling plate and the heat exchanger.
18 . The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:
an electrical system; and
an electric machine electrically coupled to the electrical system through the electric machine controller, the controller circuitry configured to control a flow of electricity between the electrical system and the electric machine.
19 . An assembly for an aircraft powerplant, comprising:
a cooling plate comprising a fluid cooling circuit internal to a monolithic body of the cooling plate, the fluid cooling circuit including an inlet manifold, an outlet manifold and a plurality of heat exchange passages, each of the plurality of heat exchange passages comprising a longitudinal centerline and extending longitudinally along the longitudinal centerline from the inlet manifold to the outlet manifold, the plurality of heat exchange passages comprising a first heat exchange passage, the longitudinal centerline of the first heat exchange passage following a serpentine trajectory, and a lateral width of the first heat exchange passage changing as the first heat exchange passage extends longitudinally along the longitudinal centerline of the first heat exchange passage between the inlet manifold and the outlet manifold; and
an electric machine controller including a controller housing and controller circuitry, the controller housing attached to the cooling plate, the controller circuitry disposed within an interior of the controller housing and overlapping the plurality of heat exchange passages, and the controller circuitry in thermal communication with the cooling plate through an interface between the electric machine controller and the cooling plate.
20 . A method of manufacture, comprising:
forming a metal cooling plate for an aircraft powerplant using investment casting to provide the metal cooling plate with a cast monolithic body;
wherein the metal cooling plate comprises a fluid cooling circuit internal to the cast monolithic body, the fluid cooling circuit includes an inlet manifold, an outlet manifold and a plurality of heat exchange passages, each of the plurality of heat exchange passages comprises a longitudinal centerline and extends longitudinally along the longitudinal centerline from the inlet manifold to the outlet manifold, the plurality of heat exchange passages comprise a first heat exchange passage, and the first heat exchange passage is configured with a plurality of first cooling elements arranged longitudinally along the longitudinal centerline of the first heat exchange passage; and
wherein the metal cooling plate is configured to support an electric machine controller, the electric machine controller includes a controller housing and controller circuitry, the controller housing is removably attached to the metal cooling plate and overlaps the plurality of heat exchange passages, the controller circuitry is disposed within an interior of the controller housing, and the controller circuitry is configurable in thermal communication with the metal cooling plate through a wall of the controller housing when supported by the metal cooling plate.