Electric Machine Cooling Air Guiding Elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electrical machines with top-mounted coolers experience significant temperature differences between air supplied to the front and rear inlet openings, leading to uneven cooling, reduced performance, and shorter service life due to the cooling capacity being greatest at the rear end and smallest at the front end.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of air guiding elements that create two separate flow channels within the attachment cooler, ensuring that primary air expelled at the air outlet opening is redirected to either the front or rear inlet opening, thereby eliminating mixing and allowing each air stream to enter the cooler at defined points, with the air guiding elements comprising a transverse partition and separating elements that direct the air flow effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If secondary air flows through tubes from rear to front in the top cooler, then cooling capacity is greatest at the rear end, but cooling effect is smallest at the front end, resulting in temperature differences of approx. 20 Kelvin between front and rear air inlet openings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional air flow path by using air guiding elements to redirect primary air from the front air inlet opening to the rear air outlet opening, and from the rear air inlet opening to the front air outlet opening. This cross-flow arrangement ensures that air entering at both inlet openings receives comparable cooling, eliminating the temperature difference that previously caused the front area to be under-cooled while the rear area was over-cooled.
2Reliability
If air outlet opening is positioned between front and rear air inlet openings, then cooling air can be circulated through the machine, but temperature differences cause uneven cooling and reduced service life
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces air guiding elements as intermediary components that mediate the air flow between the inlets and outlets. These elements actively direct and redirect the cooling air streams, ensuring that air from both inlet openings is evenly distributed and cooled before being expelled, thereby enhancing reliability without requiring a completely redesigned cooling circuit.
3Use of energy by moving object
If primary air is cooled by secondary air in tubes, then heat exchange occurs, but the direction of flow creates unequal cooling distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic air flow control by redirecting the primary air streams through the air guiding elements to follow different paths that result in equal cooling. The system adapts the flow distribution to compensate for the inherent temperature gradient in the cooling circuit, ensuring that both air streams receive appropriate cooling despite the fixed tube arrangement and secondary air flow direction.
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 configuration significantly reduces or eliminates temperature differences between the front and rear ends of the electrical machine, ensuring more uniform cooling and improved performance by ensuring each air stream is cooled effectively before being reused.
Implementation Method 1
tubes running parallel to the axis of rotation in the top cooler, through which secondary air is guided, with the primary air being cooled by the secondary air flowing through the tubes
Implementation Method 2
air guiding elements that create two separate flow channels within the attachment cooler, ensuring that primary air expelled at the air outlet opening is redirected to either the front or rear inlet opening
Implementation Method 3
the air guiding elements comprising a transverse partition and separating elements that direct the air flow effectively
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The invention relates to an electric machine comprising a housing (1) in which a stator (2) is arranged and a rotor (3) is rotationally supported about an axis of rotation (4). The housing (1) extends in the direction of the axis of rotation (4) as seen from a front end (5) toward a rear end (6). Said housing comprises a front/rear air inlet opening (7,8) on a top face in the vicinity of the front/rear end (5,6) and an air outlet opening (9) therebetween. The electric machine comprises a front/rear air conveying element (10, 11) by means of which air is drawn into the air inlet openings (7,8) and discharged from the air outlet opening (9) during operation. An auxiliary cooler (13) is mounted on the top face of the housing (1), covering the air inlet openings (7,8) and the air outlet opening (9) in a hood-like manner, such that the air discharged at the air outlet opening (9) is fed back to the air inlet openings (7,8). The auxiliary cooler (13) comprises a front/rear auxiliary partition (16,17), which is arranged between the air outlet opening (9) and the corresponding air inlet opening (7,8) and extends upward from the top face of the housing (1). Air guiding elements (22 to 24, 27 to 29) are arranged in the housing (1) and/or in the auxiliary cooler (13), by means of which the air discharged at the region of the air outlet opening (9) facing the respective air inlet opening (7,8) is fed at least partially to the respective other air inlet opening (8,7).