Electric Machine Air Cooling Fan with Booster
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial alternators face inefficiencies in cooling due to the need for either oversized fans for less powerful machines or complex and costly designs for more powerful machines, leading to suboptimal air flow, power consumption, and manufacturing complications.
Innovation Solution
An electric machine design featuring a basic single-sail fan with a booster attachment, which modifies the aerodynamic shape of the turbine blades to enhance air flow and efficiency, offering a hybrid solution between single-sail and double-sail fan designs, allowing for standardized fans across a range of machines.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a single-blade fan is used, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the airflow rate is lower and power consumption is high
Solution Approach 1:
The fan is divided into two separate blades instead of one, with each blade having an optimized aerodynamic profile. This segmentation allows each blade to work more efficiently, increasing the overall airflow rate while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through standardized blade designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The blade design incorporates dynamic aerodynamic optimization with curved profiles and optimized angles of attack that adapt to the rotational motion, maximizing airflow generation at different rotational speeds while reducing the power required to drive the fan.
2Productivity
If a double-blade fan is used, then the airflow rate is higher and power consumption is lower, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The double-blade fan design uses two identical or symmetrical blades that can be manufactured using the same mold and production process. This universality allows the manufacturing system to produce both blades simultaneously or in sequence using identical tooling, eliminating the need for complex multi-cavity molds while achieving double-blade performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The blades are designed with asymmetric aerodynamic profiles optimized for the rotational direction, with the leading and trailing edges positioned to maximize lift and minimize drag. This asymmetric design achieves superior aerodynamic performance compared to symmetric blades while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through single-sided molding.
3Ease of manufacture
If a standardized fan is used for all machines in a range, then the manufacturing is simplified, but lower-power machines receive oversized fans that consume excessive power
Solution Approach 1:
The fan blades incorporate adjustable pitch mechanisms or flexible aerodynamic surfaces that can be configured for different operating conditions. This allows a single standardized fan design to be optimized for different power levels by adjusting blade angles, enabling lower-power machines to operate efficiently with appropriately configured fans rather than requiring oversized fixed designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The standardized fan design includes variable parameters such as blade pitch angle, blade curvature, and blade count that can be modified based on the specific machine power requirements. This parameter variability allows the same basic fan structure to be adapted for different power levels, eliminating the need for complete redesign while optimizing power consumption for each application.
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 improves performance and efficiency, reduces size and weight, and simplifies manufacturing by providing better cooling and electrical performance with a simple mechanical structure and rapid assembly, while allowing for flexible adaptation to varying cooling needs.
Implementation Method 1
Air is drawn in from the rear of the machine and the airflow passing through the active part of the machine allows the heat to be removed
Implementation Method 2
the aerodynamic shape of the turbine blades (diameter, width, inclination, etc.)
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
Electric machine comprising a rotor cooled by a simple disc (23) base fan (20) comprising blades (22), preferably of one piece with the disc (23), and a booster (30) attached to the simple disc fan, this booster (30) preferably comprising a disc (33) positioned facing that of the base fan (20).