Energy converter and processing device

Abstract

To improve cooling efficiency of an energy converter (a generator or a motor).SOLUTION: An energy converter (motor 40) which converts electric energy into kinetic energy for moving a movable member (rotor 41) comprises an immersion cooling section 47 for performing immersion cooling by directly immersing a conductor (coil 42a), in which a current of electric energy flows, in an insulating coolant liquid. Thus, high cooling efficiency by the immersion cooling is achieved, thereby improving cooling efficiency of the energy converter.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an energy converter used as an electric motor or generator and to a processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, generators serving as energy converters that convert the kinetic energy of a moving member into electrical energy, and electric motors serving as energy converters that convert electrical energy into kinetic energy that moves a moving member, are known.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a rotating electric machine (electric motor) in which a rotor (moving member) equipped with permanent magnets is disposed inside a stator (opposing member) equipped with coils (electric conductors). In this rotating electric machine, an axial cooling passage extending axially through the rotor shaft (rotating shaft) is provided inside the rotor shaft (rotating shaft), and a refrigerant consisting of hydraulic oil used for transmission lubrication, power transmission, etc. flows through the axial cooling passage. This axial cooling passage is connected to a radial flow passage provided near the axial center of the shaft. This radial flow passage extends radially inside the rotor and is connected to another flow passage extending axially to the axial end of the rotor. The refrigerant supplied to the axial cooling passage by a pump or the like flows into the radial flow passage due to centrifugal force when the rotor rotates and is discharged from the axial end of the rotor to the outside of the rotor, cooling the rotor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-145782 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In recent years, a liquid-cooling system using a refrigerant liquid has been proposed to efficiently cool electric motors, such as the rotating electric machine disclosed in Patent Document 1. Conventional liquid-cooling electric motors are cooled by forming flow paths in insulating members that constitute the motor and flowing a refrigerant liquid through the flow paths. Therefore, the cooling of the conductors through which current flows, which are the main heat source in electric motors, is indirect, in that heat transferred from the conductors to the insulating members is released into the refrigerant liquid, and there is room for improvement in the cooling efficiency of electric motors.

[0006] This issue can also be an issue with generators, which are energy converters that convert the kinetic energy of a moving part into electrical energy, just as it is with electric motors, which are energy converters that convert electrical energy (current) into kinetic energy that moves a moving part. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, one aspect of the present invention is an energy converter that converts kinetic energy of movement of a moving member into electrical energy, or converts electrical energy into kinetic energy that moves a moving member, and is characterized by having a liquid immersion cooling unit that performs liquid immersion cooling by directly immersing a conductor through which a current of the electrical energy flows in an insulating refrigerant liquid. In this embodiment, the conductor through which a current flows, which is the main heat source, is cooled by immersion cooling, in which the conductor is directly immersed in an insulating refrigerant liquid. This allows the heat generated in the conductor through which a current flows to be directly transferred from the conductor to the refrigerant liquid and released, thereby efficiently releasing heat from the conductor and efficiently cooling the conductor, thereby improving the cooling efficiency of the entire energy converter (generator or motor).

[0008] In the energy converter, the immersion cooling unit may perform single-phase immersion cooling. According to this energy converter, a refrigerant liquid with a relatively high boiling point can be used, which increases the options for insulating refrigerant liquids. As a result, it is possible to improve the cooling efficiency by, for example, adopting a refrigerant liquid with a higher thermal conductivity.

[0009] In the energy converter, the immersion cooling unit may perform two-phase immersion cooling. According to this energy converter, the heat transferred from the conductor to the refrigerant liquid can be dissipated by utilizing the heat of vaporization that occurs when the refrigerant liquid changes phase from liquid to gas, thereby improving cooling efficiency.

[0010] In the energy converter, the conductor may be arranged on at least one of the moving surface of the moving member and the opposing surface of an opposing member that faces the moving surface with a gap therebetween, and the immersion cooling unit may perform the immersion cooling by filling the gap with the refrigerant liquid, and the refrigerant liquid may be a low-viscosity refrigerant liquid that keeps the viscous resistance of the refrigerant liquid generated by the movement of the moving member at or below a target value. When a conductor immersed in a refrigerant liquid is placed on at least one of the moving surface of a moving member and the opposing surface of an opposing member facing the moving surface with a gap therebetween, the movement of the moving member (movement of the moving surface) generates viscous resistance in the refrigerant liquid in contact with the moving surface. This viscous resistance increases as the viscosity of the refrigerant liquid increases, and the greater the viscous resistance, the more heat is generated. Furthermore, the viscous resistance in the refrigerant liquid acts as a load on the moving body, resulting in increased heat generation in an electric motor due to increased current flow, and in a generator, reduced electrical energy generation and reduced power generation efficiency. This energy converter uses a refrigerant liquid with a low viscosity that keeps the viscous resistance generated in the refrigerant liquid due to the movement of the moving member below a target value. Therefore, heat generation in the refrigerant liquid due to viscous resistance is suppressed, thereby suppressing a decrease in cooling efficiency due to heat generation due to viscous resistance. Furthermore, the movement load of the moving body due to the viscous resistance of the refrigerant liquid is suppressed, thereby suppressing an increase in heat generation in an electric motor and a decrease in power generation efficiency in a generator.

[0011] In the energy converter, the conductor may be a coil. This allows the heat generated in the coils used in the electric motor or generator to be efficiently released, improving the cooling efficiency of the generator or electric motor as a whole.

[0012] In the energy converter, the moving member may be a rotor that rotates, and the opposing member may be a stator that is fixedly disposed. This makes it possible to improve the cooling efficiency of a general electric motor or generator that includes a rotor and a stator.

[0013] Another aspect of the present invention is a processing device that processes a workpiece using a processing member that is operated by kinetic energy generated by an electric motor, or that imparts motion to a processing tool using kinetic energy generated by an electric motor, characterized in that the above-mentioned energy converter is used as the electric motor. According to this aspect, by using an electric motor, which is an energy converter with high cooling efficiency, it is possible to reduce the heat transmitted from the electric motor to the processing device, and to suppress processing errors due to thermal deformation of the processing device.

[0014] In the processing device, a rotation shaft of the moving member of the electric motor may be attached to a rotation shaft of the processing member or the tool. In this configuration, the heat of the electric motor is easily transferred to the rotating shaft of the processing member, and the rotating shaft of the processing member or tool is easily thermally deformed, so the heat of the electric motor has a large effect on processing errors. Therefore, by using an electric motor with high cooling efficiency, it is particularly effective in suppressing processing errors caused by thermal deformation of the processing device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention, the cooling efficiency of an energy converter (a generator or an electric motor) can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a processing device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a motor that is a drive device of the processing apparatus. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing another example of a motor that is a drive device of the processing apparatus. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a side view schematically showing a linear motor according to a modified example. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a side view schematically showing the linear motor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Below, we will explain one embodiment in which an electric motor, which is an energy converter according to the present invention, is applied to a processing device that cuts and processes workpieces (workpieces) used in recording media, optical equipment such as precision lenses, and semiconductor parts.

[0018] FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a processing device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view schematically showing the processing device in this embodiment. The processing device 1 of this embodiment mainly includes a processing unit 10, a workpiece holding and moving unit 20, a lifting device 30, and a motor 40 that drives the processing member of the processing unit 10. The processing device 1 of this embodiment cuts the workpiece 100 by face milling, but may be a processing device that performs other cutting processes, or may be a processing device that performs processes other than cutting.

[0019] The processing unit 10 is composed of a spindle 11 as a rotating shaft member and a cutting tool 12 as a processing member provided at the tip of the spindle 11. The spindle 11 in this embodiment is a built-in motor spindle incorporating a motor 40 as an electric motor that is a drive device, and the rotating shaft of the cutting tool 12 is attached to the motor shaft (rotating shaft) of the motor 40.

[0020] The workpiece holding and moving unit 20 holds the workpiece 100 on the XY table 21 so that the surface to be machined of the workpiece 100 faces the cutting tool 12 of the processing unit 10. The XY table 21 moves in two directions (X direction and Y direction) perpendicular to the axis O of the cutting tool 12. By moving the XY table 21, the position to be machined (position in the X direction and Y direction) on the workpiece 100 held on the XY table 21 can be positioned to the machining position by the cutting tool 12.

[0021] The lifting device 30 includes a spindle support portion 31 that supports the spindle 11, and an elevator 32 that raises and lowers the spindle support portion 31. The elevator 32 moves the spindle support portion 31 in an up-and-down direction parallel to the axis O of the cutting tool 12 (machining depth direction: Z direction), thereby adjusting the machining depth of the cutting tool 12 relative to the workpiece 100.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the motor 40 in this embodiment. The motor 40 incorporated in the spindle 11 comprises a rotor 41 as a moving member, a stator 42 as an opposing member, a cylindrical casing 43, a shaft 44 which is the motor shaft as a rotating shaft, a bearing 45, a chiller 46 as a cooling section, an immersion section 47, and a sealing member 48.

[0023] Motor 40 of this embodiment is a brushless motor, with a permanent magnet disposed in rotor 41 and an electromagnet consisting of coils 42a, which are wound with a conductor, disposed in stator 42. Coils 42a are disposed so as to be exposed on the inner circumferential surface (opposing surface) of stator 42, which faces the outer circumferential surface of rotor 41, which is substantially cylindrical, with a gap therebetween, and are disposed so as to face the outer circumferential surface of rotor 41. Note that the electric motor that is the energy converter according to the present invention is not limited to a brushless motor, and may be other motors such as a brushed motor or a stepping motor.

[0024] The casing 43 accommodates the rotor 41 and the stator 42 inside. A shaft 44 is disposed in the casing 43 so as to pass through along the axis O. The shaft 44 is supported by the casing 43 via a bearing 45 provided in the casing 43 so as to be rotatable around the axis O. The shaft 44 is configured integrally with the rotor 41, and as the rotor 41 rotates (moves) around the axis O, the shaft 44 rotates (moves) around the axis O integrally with the rotor 41.

[0025] Furthermore, a stator 42 is fixedly disposed in the casing 43, and the rotor 41 is disposed so that the outer peripheral surface of the rotor 41 faces the inner peripheral surface of the stator 42 with a gap therebetween. A chiller 46 and an immersion unit 47, which constitute an immersion cooling unit, are provided inside the casing 43. This immersion cooling unit performs immersion cooling by directly immersing the coil 42a in insulating refrigerant liquid C.

[0026] Specifically, the immersion cooling unit of this embodiment is provided with an immersion unit 47 comprising two annular portions 47a, 47a arranged in an annular shape on the axial outside of each axial end of the rotor 41 and the stator 42, and a cylindrical communication portion 47b which is a gap between the outer circumferential surface of the rotor 41 and the inner circumferential surface of the stator 42. Each axial end of the communication portion 47b is communicated with the annular portions 47a, 47a, respectively. The annular portions 47a, 47a and the communication portion 47b of the immersion unit 47 are filled with refrigerant liquid C.

[0027] In this embodiment, the coil 42a of the stator 42 becomes a heat source because a current flows through it. Therefore, if the heat of the coil 42a cannot be efficiently dissipated, the temperature of the coil 42a will rise, causing an increase in the temperature of the stator 42 and the surrounding rotor 41 and shaft 44. In particular, the temperature increase of the shaft 44 causes thermal expansion of the shaft 44, which fluctuates the position (position in the Z direction) of the cutting tool 12 attached to the tip of the shaft 44, thereby increasing the error in the machining depth.

[0028] In this embodiment, the coil 42a is exposed on the inner circumferential surface of the stator 42 and is in direct contact with the refrigerant liquid C that fills the communication portion 47b of the liquid immersion portion 47 (i.e., the gap between the outer circumferential surface of the rotor 41 and the inner circumferential surface of the stator 42). Therefore, the heat generated in the coil 42a is directly transferred to the refrigerant liquid C, and can be dissipated efficiently.

[0029] The refrigerant liquid C of this embodiment is in direct contact with the coil 42a, which is a conductor through which current flows, and therefore needs to have insulating properties. Therefore, the refrigerant liquid C of this embodiment has an insulating property of 1×10 7 A liquid with a volume resistivity of Ω·cm or more is used.

[0030] Furthermore, since the coil 42a in the motor 40 through which the current flows is immersed in the highly insulating refrigerant liquid C, leakage of current from within the motor 40 can be suppressed.

[0031] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the refrigerant liquid C filling the annular portions 47a, 47a and the communication portion 47b of the immersion portion 47 is also in contact with the outer peripheral surface and axial end faces (surfaces that move) of the rotor 41, which is driven to rotate. Therefore, when the outer peripheral surface and axial end faces of the rotor 41 move due to the rotation of the rotor 41, viscous resistance is generated in the refrigerant liquid C. This viscous resistance increases as the viscosity of the refrigerant liquid C increases, and the greater the viscous resistance, the more heat is generated. Furthermore, the viscous resistance generated in the refrigerant liquid C acts as a rotational load on the rotor 41, so that a larger drive current needs to be passed through the motor 40, resulting in an increase in the amount of heat generated.

[0032] Therefore, in this embodiment, a low-viscosity liquid is used as the refrigerant liquid C, which can suppress the viscous resistance generated in the refrigerant liquid C by the rotation of the rotor 41 to a target value or less. A fluorine-based solvent can be used as the low-viscosity insulating liquid for the refrigerant liquid C, but considering the environmental impact, a plant-derived liquid, for example, may also be used. The target viscosity of the refrigerant liquid C is preferably a viscosity that is at least lower than the viscosity that would cause a temperature rise compared to cooling using an air-cooling method. For example, a low-viscosity refrigerant liquid of approximately 0.37 mPa·s may be used depending on the application.

[0033] Specific examples of the refrigerant liquid C in this embodiment include CELEFIN (registered trademark) 1233Z manufactured by Central Glass Co., Ltd., AMOLEA (registered trademark) AS-300 manufactured by AGC, and Galden (registered trademark) HT55 manufactured by Solvay.

[0034] In this embodiment, discharge passages 46a, 46a that discharge refrigerant liquid C to the chiller 46, and supply passages 46b, 46b that supply refrigerant liquid C from the chiller 46 are connected to the two annular portions 47a, 47a of the liquid immersion unit 47. After being discharged from the discharge passages 46a, 46a, the refrigerant liquid C in the annular portions 47a, 47a is cooled by the chiller 46. The refrigerant liquid C cooled by the chiller 46 is returned to the annular portions 47a, 47a through the supply passages 46b, 46b.

[0035] By circulating the refrigerant liquid C in this manner, the heat transferred from the coil 42a to the refrigerant liquid C is transferred to the chiller 46 together with the refrigerant liquid C and discharged by the chiller 46, and the refrigerant liquid C is sent back into the immersion section 47 for reuse.

[0036] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the refrigerant liquid C within the annular portions 47a, 47a of the immersion unit 47 is also in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 44, as shown in FIG. 3. Therefore, the shaft 44 can also be immersion cooled with the refrigerant liquid C. As a result, the heat of the shaft 44 is also directly transferred to the refrigerant liquid C and can be efficiently dissipated. As described above, a temperature rise in the shaft 44 directly leads to an error in the machining depth, so efficiently cooling the heat of the shaft 44 by immersion cooling with the refrigerant liquid C makes it possible to achieve high machining accuracy. Note that, because the outer peripheral surface of the shaft also moves, a refrigerant liquid C with low viscosity is preferred.

[0037] At this time, there is a risk that the refrigerant liquid C may leak out along the outer circumferential surface of the shaft 44. For this reason, in this embodiment, seal members 48, 48 are provided on the axially outer sides of the annular portions 47a, 47a. Note that if the refrigerant liquid C reaches the bearing 45 that supports the shaft 44, the function of the bearing 45 may be impaired. For this reason, it is preferable that the seal members 48, 48 be disposed axially inward of the bearing 45.

[0038] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the annular portions 47a, 47a of the liquid immersion unit 47 are arranged axially outward of each axial end of the rotor 41 and the stator 42, and are arranged near the bearing 45 that supports the shaft 44. Since frictional heat is generated in the bearing 45 due to mechanical friction caused by the rotation of the shaft 44, which rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the rotor 41, the bearing 45 also serves as a heat source. In this embodiment, the heat generated in the bearing 45 is transferred via the casing 43 to the refrigerant liquid C in the annular portions 47a, 47a of the liquid immersion unit 47, and therefore the refrigerant liquid C in the liquid immersion unit 47 also contributes to cooling the bearing 45. This further improves the cooling efficiency of the entire motor 40.

[0039] The chiller 46 of this embodiment removes heat from the refrigerant liquid C while it is still in a liquid state, so the refrigerant liquid C circulates without changing phase. Therefore, the immersion cooling unit of this embodiment is a single-phase type. A single-phase immersion cooling unit can use refrigerant liquid C with a relatively high boiling point, which increases the options for insulating refrigerant liquid C. As a result, it is advantageous, for example, to use a refrigerant liquid with higher thermal conductivity to increase cooling efficiency or to use a refrigerant liquid that is less expensive to obtain to reduce costs.

[0040] On the other hand, the immersion cooling unit can also be configured as a two-phase type, as shown in Fig. 4. More specifically, in the immersion cooling unit of Fig. 4, evaporation space 146a is formed above annular portions 47a, 47a of immersion unit 47. Furthermore, an air cooling unit 146b and a liquid cooling unit 146c are arranged above evaporation space 146a. Air cooling unit 146b is configured, for example, by a heat sink, and liquid cooling unit 146c is configured, for example, by a water-cooled pipe through which water flows.

[0041] 4, refrigerant liquid C, whose temperature has risen due to the heat of the coil 42a and the like, vaporizes at the top of the annular portions 47a, 47a. The vaporized refrigerant liquid C is cooled by the air cooling portion 146b and the liquid cooling portion 146c in the vaporization space 146a and returns to a liquid state. The refrigerant liquid C that has returned to a liquid state drops onto the top of the annular portions 47a, 47a and is returned to the immersion portion 47. Note that only one of the air cooling portion 146b and the liquid cooling portion 146c may be provided.

[0042] In this embodiment, the cooling unit, which is composed of the evaporation space 146a, the air-cooling unit 146b, and the liquid-cooling unit 146c, removes heat by changing the phase of the refrigerant liquid C from liquid to gas, and circulates the refrigerant liquid C. This type of two-phase immersion cooling unit uses refrigerant liquid C with a relatively low boiling point, which limits the options for insulating refrigerant liquid C. However, because heat is released by utilizing the heat of vaporization when the refrigerant liquid C changes phase from liquid to gas, it is possible to achieve high cooling efficiency.

[0043] In this embodiment, the motor 40, which is an electric motor, has been described as an example of an energy converter that converts electrical energy into kinetic energy for moving a moving member, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention is similarly applicable to a generator, which is an energy converter that converts kinetic energy of moving a moving member into electrical energy.

[0044] In particular, in the case of a generator, the viscous resistance of the refrigerant liquid C, which occurs when the outer circumferential surface and axial end surfaces of the rotor 41 move due to the rotation of the rotor 41, acts as a rotational load on the rotor 41, reducing the electrical energy generated by the generator and resulting in a decrease in power generation efficiency. Therefore, by adopting a configuration for liquid immersion cooling using a low-viscosity refrigerant liquid C as in this embodiment, the cooling efficiency of the generator can be improved and a decrease in power generation efficiency can be suppressed.

[0045] [Modification] Next, a modification of the motor 40 in the above-described embodiment will be described. The motor 40 in the above-described embodiment is an example in which the moving member is the rotor 41, i.e., a rotating body, but this modified example is a linear motor, which is an example of a linear moving body in which the moving member moves linearly. The linear motor of this modified example is used as a drive device for moving a driven object linearly (or curved movement), and can be used, for example, as a drive device for the workpiece holding and moving unit 20 in the above-described processing apparatus 1, or as a drive device for the lifting device 30. Note that in this modified example, explanations similar to those in the above-described embodiment will be omitted as appropriate.

[0046] FIG. 5 is a side view that schematically shows a linear motor 240 of this modified example. FIG. 6 is a side view that schematically shows a linear motor 240 of this modified example. The linear motor 240 of this modification includes a mover 241 as a moving member, a stator 242 as an opposing member, a base member 243, a driven object 244, a linear guide 245, a chiller 246 as a cooling unit, and an immersion unit 247. The linear motor 240 can move the driven object 244 attached to the mover 241 linearly along the linear guide 245 by the mover 241 being moved by a driving current flowing through the coil 242a of the stator 242.

[0047] In linear motor 240 of this modification, a permanent magnet is arranged in mover 241, and an electromagnet consisting of coil 242a, which is a winding of a conductor, is arranged in stator 242. Coil 242a is arranged so as to be exposed on a surface (opposing surface) of stator 242 that faces the surface of mover 241 with a gap therebetween, and is arranged so as to face the surface of mover 241. Drive object 244 is configured integrally with mover 241, and moves integrally with mover 241 in the direction indicated by the arrow in the figure as mover 241 moves along the direction indicated by the arrow in the figure.

[0048] Furthermore, a chiller 246 and an immersion unit 247 that constitute an immersion cooling unit are provided inside the base member 243. The immersion cooling unit of this modification also performs immersion cooling by directly immersing the coil 242a in insulating refrigerant liquid C.

[0049] Specifically, the immersion cooling unit of this modified example includes an immersion unit 247 made up of peripheral portions 247a arranged in front of and behind the moving direction of the mover 241 and on both sides of the moving direction, and a communication portion 247b which is a gap between the mover 241 and the stator 242. The periphery of the communication portion 247b communicates with the peripheral portion 247a. The peripheral portion 247a and the communication portion 247b of the immersion unit 247 are filled with refrigerant liquid C.

[0050] In this modification, the coil 242a is exposed on the surface of the stator 242 and is in direct contact with the refrigerant liquid C that fills the communication section 247b of the liquid immersion section 247 (i.e., the gap between the mover 241 and the stator 242). Therefore, the heat generated in the coil 242a is directly transferred to the refrigerant liquid C, and can be dissipated efficiently.

[0051] In this modification, a discharge passage 246a that discharges refrigerant liquid C to the chiller 246 and a supply passage 246b that supplies refrigerant liquid C from the chiller 246 are connected to the peripheral portion 247a of the immersion portion 247. After being discharged from the discharge passage 246a, the refrigerant liquid C in the peripheral portion 247a is cooled by the chiller 246. The refrigerant liquid C cooled by the chiller 246 is returned to the peripheral portion 247a through the supply passage 246b. Due to this circulation of the refrigerant liquid C, heat transferred from the coil 242a to the refrigerant liquid C is transferred together with the refrigerant liquid C to the chiller 246 and discharged by the chiller 246, and the refrigerant liquid C is sent back into the immersion portion 247 to be reused.

[0052] Although the immersion cooling unit of this modified example is of a single-phase type, it may be of a two-phase type. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 1: Processing equipment 10: Processing section 11: Spindle 12:Cutting tools 20: Workpiece holding and moving part 21: XY table 30: Lifting device 31: Spindle support 32: Elevator 40: Motor 41: Rotor 42: Stator 42a: Coil 43: Casing 44: Shaft 45: Bearing 46: Chiller 46a: Discharge passage 46b: Supply passage 47: Immersion unit 47a: Annular part 47b: Communication part 48: Sealing material 100: Work 146a: Vaporization space 146b: Air cooling section 146c:Liquid cooling section 240: Linear motor 241: Mover 242: Stator 242a: Coil 243: Base member 244: Drive object 245: Linear guide 246: Chiller 246a: Discharge passage 246b: Supply passage 247: Immersion unit 247a: Surrounding area 247b: Communication part C: Refrigerant liquid

Claims

1. An energy converter that converts kinetic energy of a moving member into electrical energy or converts electrical energy into kinetic energy that moves a moving member, An energy converter comprising a liquid immersion cooling section for performing liquid immersion cooling by directly immersing a conductor through which a current of electrical energy flows in an insulating refrigerant liquid.

2. 2. The energy converter according to claim 1, 10. The energy converter, wherein the liquid immersion cooling unit performs single-phase liquid immersion cooling.

3. 2. The energy converter according to claim 1, 10. An energy converter, wherein the liquid immersion cooling unit performs two-phase liquid immersion cooling.

4. 4. An energy converter according to claim 1, the conductor is disposed on at least one of the moving surface of the moving member and the opposing surface of an opposing member that faces the moving surface with a gap therebetween, the immersion cooling unit performs the immersion cooling by filling the gap with the refrigerant liquid, An energy converter characterized in that the refrigerant liquid used is a low-viscosity refrigerant liquid that suppresses the viscous resistance of the refrigerant liquid caused by the movement of the moving member to a target value or less.

5. 4. An energy converter according to claim 1, 10. An energy converter, wherein the conductor is a coil.

6. 4. An energy converter according to claim 1, the moving member is a rotor that rotates, 10. An energy converter, wherein the opposing member is a fixedly disposed stator.

7. A processing device that processes a workpiece using a processing member that operates using kinetic energy generated by an electric motor, or that imparts motion to a processing tool using kinetic energy generated by an electric motor, A processing device using the energy converter according to any one of claims 1 to 3 as the electric motor.

8. The processing device of claim 7, A processing device characterized in that the rotation shaft of the moving member of the electric motor is attached to the rotation shaft of the processing member or the tool.

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