A Head Start Through Research and Innovation: Liquid Cooling of G5 Power Supply Systems

Thermal energy and in particular process heat have increasingly become an important topic of discussion with regard to global warming. Concepts for energy recovery and waste heat utilisation can make a significant contribution to today's energy situation – a clear reason for REGATRON to consider the utilisation of waste heat from DC power supplies in the G5 family!

For technical reasons, it is unavoidable that heat losses occur in power supply units of all types. While individual low-power units may have little effect on the immediate surroundings such as laboratories or test facilities, higher-power systems can generate significant amounts of heat. In most cases this heats the room air to an unpleasant temperature and is usually released unused into the open air through exhaust ventilation.

 

The G5.LC option – a new development

With the G5.LC option, REGATRON has realised the operation of G5 power supply systems with liquid cooling. This type of cooling has the great advantage that the waste heat generated in the system is transferred to the liquid cooling medium and can now be very easily channelled into a heat utilisation, usually into heat exchangers feeding heating circuits or to preheat other liquid media such as domestic hot water.

The principle on which the G5.LC option is based can be described as follows:
The individual power supply units of the G5 series are mounted in the sealed IP54 cabinet, in which a circular air flow is maintained. This circulation flows through both the power supply units and a high-performance air/liquid exchanger. The heat loss from the power supply units is thus transferred to the liquid medium and can then be passed on to a suitable heating process as required.

 

This type of cooling at cabinet level has several advantages over conventional cooling at device level:

• standard G5 power supply units can be used without any modification
• Heat dissipation is a passive process; no active cooling units with their characteristic energy consumption are required
• By selecting suitable fluid temperatures, condensation inside the cabinet or along the pipes can be reliably prevented
• In the event of faults in the external coolant supply, the system can simply maintain operation with open cabinet doors
• The G5.LC option is deliberately designed to be very simple, robust and easy to maintain in order to minimise interruptions and malfunctions in the heat management section
• A shut-off valve prevents unnecessary coolant flow during stop or idle times
• Direct operation takes place via a system RCU, which is mounted on the front of the cabinet for ease of use. The electrical connections are accessible at the rear
• The closed design of the system significantly reduces noise pollution caused by fan noise

 

The G5.LC option in practice

Legend: The cabinet on the left can deliver up to 162 kW. The power loss results in a heat flow of around 8 to 13 kW at full power, depending on the device type. The recommended coolant temperature is around 16 to 25 °C, according to the condensation limit. The temperature of the outflowing medium can be adjusted by the flow rate of the cooling medium. A temperature control can be used at this point if necessary. This would keep the transfer temperature constant regardless of the current load on the power supply system. An output of up to 324 kW can be achieved by doubling the enclosure volume (see 2-field cabinet on the right side). The G5.LC option enables controlled heat dissipation of around 16 to 26 kW through liquid cooling at full system power rate.

The G5.LC option is a further technological step on the way to minimising the thermal footprint of REGATRON power supply systems. The recuperation of waste heat generated by medium and higher power systems can contribute to an improvement in a company's CO2 footprint and thus supports efforts to reduce climate-damaging emissions.

 

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Regenerative Source-Sink DC Power Supply Series G5.RSS ∙ G5.UNV ∙ TC.GSS DC Power Supply Series G5.SRC ∙ TopCon Quadro Regenerative DC Electronic Load Series G5.RLD ∙ TC.GXS	Regenerative 4-Quadrant 1-to-3-Phase AC Power Source Series TC.ACS Regenerative 1-to-3-Phase AC Electronic Loads Regenerative 4-Quadrant 1-to-3-Phase Power Amplifiers CV/CC (optimized for P-HIL applications)

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