Cooling bearings, motors and other rotating heat generating components

Abstract

Cooling apparatus for transferring heat from and cooling one or more heat generating components that support or drive a flywheel or other spinning members. The apparatus may include a first heat transfer element connected to and spinning with the spinning member, a second heat transfer element stationary with respect to the spinning member, wherein the first and second heat transfer elements moverelative to one another, and wherein the first and second heat transfer elements are shaped and positioned in close proximity to one another so that substantial heat is transferred from the first heat transfer element to the second heat transfer element.

Description

Technical field [0001] The present invention relates to a method and device for cooling bearings, motors, and other heat-generating components that support and drive rotating machinery (such as a flywheel sealed in a partial vacuum). Background technique [0002] The control moment gyroscope ("CMG") used to reduce ship sway is operated by a heavy flywheel that works at a high rotation speed. The spinning flywheel is supported by bearings subjected to large axial and radial loads. As a result, these bearings generate a lot of heat generated by friction, which must be dissipated in order to avoid the formation of dangerous heat. If the flywheel is supported in a conventional external environment, the heat can be dissipated by air convection, and the fan can be used to blow air through the inner and outer raceways of the bearing and adjacent metal parts to help dissipate heat. However, if the flywheel is enclosed in a partial vacuum, as described in our patent-US Patent No. 6,973,84...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

At pressures where the mean free path of the gas molecules is greater than the distance between surfaces, the gas molecules continue to

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