Electric Coolant Pump Outlet Opening Angle for Dirt Removal

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing electric motor vehicle coolant pumps face issues with bearing wear due to particle deposits in the cooling fluid, which can lead to hydro-abrasive flow and increased failure probability, even when outlet openings are designed to discharge dirt particles.

Innovation Solution

The coolant pump features outlet openings that run tangentially to the rotor's axis of rotation, typically between 45° and 65°, ensuring effective removal of dirt particles by conveying them into the blade elements, and is designed with a pot-shaped motor rotor and cylindrical drive element to prevent residue, with three circularly offset bores for efficient dirt removal.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Temperature

If outlet openings are arranged in the motor rotor to discharge coolant, then cooling of the motor unit is improved, but dirt particles accumulate in the bearing area causing hydroabrasive wear

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemotor unit coolingVSAvoidbearing wear
Core Design Contradiction:
TemperatureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts the harmful function of the outlet openings by relocating them from the motor rotor to the pump housing. This separates the cooling function (maintained through alternative pathways) from the particle discharge function, preventing particles from entering the bearing area while preserving motor unit cooling through the coolant circuit.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The pump housing acts as an intermediary structure that redirects coolant flow away from the bearing area. By introducing this intermediate component, the system achieves both cooling and particle separation without direct exposure of bearings to contaminated coolant.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If outlet openings are arranged to discharge dirt particles effectively, then particle removal is improved, but the design complexity of the motor rotor increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedirt particle removalVSAvoidmotor rotor design
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts the outlet opening functionality from the motor rotor structure and relocates it to the pump housing. This simplifies the motor rotor design by removing the complex opening arrangements while maintaining effective particle discharge through the housing-based outlet system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention merges the outlet opening function with the pump housing structure rather than the motor rotor. This consolidation simplifies the overall design by combining particle discharge and housing functions in a single structural element, reducing the complexity of the motor rotor assembly.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This design effectively removes dirt particles from the motor rotor area, preventing bearing wear and potential pump failures by ensuring nearly complete dirt particle removal and preventing residue accumulation.

Implementation Method 1

the outlet openings are designed as bores arranged in a circular pattern, uniformly offset in the circumferential direction... the dirt particles are conveyed into the area of the blade elements

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCentrifugal force: Centrifugal Force

Data Source

PatentEP3545196B1Motor vehicle electric coolant pump
Publication Date: 2022.04.13 PIERBURG PUMP TECH
  • EP3545196B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3545196B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

The invention relates to an electric motor-vehicle coolant pump, comprising a housing (4), which has a pump unit (8) and a motor unit (6), wherein the motor unit (6) has a motor rotor (22), which is mounted in the housing (4) by means of bearing elements (24), and has a motor stator (28), wherein the motor rotor (22) has an impeller element (9) and a drive element (20), which extends in the axial direction and which has an axis of rotation (10), wherein blade elements (12) of the pump unit (8) are arranged on the impeller element (9), wherein inlet and outlet openings (30, 33) having respective center axes (34) are provided, which allow a cooling fluid of the pump unit to flow through the motor unit (6), wherein the outlet openings (33) of the pump unit (8) are provided in the impeller element (9), wherein the outlet openings (33) are provided in the motor rotor (22), wherein, viewed in the outlet direction, the center axis (34) of each outlet opening (33) includes an angle between α = 10° and α = 135° with a projection of the axis of rotation (10) into said outlet opening (33).