Embedded Cooling Pipe Structure for Leak-Safe Electric Machines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooling devices in electric machines, particularly those with compressors, face issues of fluid leakage due to waterproofing failures, leading to contamination of compressed gases and requiring costly and lengthy disassembly for repairs.
Innovation Solution
A cooling device with a circulation circuit submerged in a high thermal conductivity material, such as aluminum or stainless steel, is designed to enhance thermal conduction and reduce the risk of leakage by minimizing welds through a curved, zigzag, or rectilinear configuration, allowing for easier assembly and disassembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the cooling circuit is sealed using welds and seals to prevent leakage, then the reliability of the cooling system is improved, but the ease of repair deteriorates due to long and costly disassembly requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling circuit is divided into a hermetic sealed portion (evaporator, condenser, expansion device) and a non-hermetic accessible portion (service ports, filters, valves). This segmentation allows the critical sealed sections to maintain reliability while the accessible sections enable easy maintenance without requiring complete disassembly of the entire system.
Solution Approach 2:
Service ports and access points act as intermediaries between the hermetic sealed cooling circuit and the external environment. These intermediaries allow for fluid charging, filtering, and system diagnostics without compromising the hermetic seal or requiring extensive disassembly, thus resolving the contradiction between sealing reliability and repair ease.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the cooling circuit is made hermetic to prevent coolant leakage, then the harmful effects of fluid leakage are reduced, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to limited access for maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is segmented into hermetic and non-hermetic zones. The hermetic zone contains the sealed cooling circuit (evaporator, condenser, expansion device) to prevent coolant leakage, while the non-hermetic zone includes service ports and access points that enable easy maintenance operations without requiring opening of the hermetic seal.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates self-service features such as service ports and accessible filters that allow operators to perform routine maintenance (fluid charging, filtering, basic diagnostics) without requiring professional service or extensive disassembly. This maintains the hermetic seal integrity while enabling easy operation and maintenance.
3Temperature
If the circulation pipe is configured with curves and zigzags to enhance cooling, then the thermal efficiency is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The circulation pipe is merged with the hermetic sealed casing to form an integrated unit. The pipe's curved and zigzag configuration is built into the casing structure itself, eliminating the need for separate complex pipe assemblies. This combining approach maintains the thermal efficiency benefits of the complex path while reducing overall device complexity through integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The hermetic sealed casing serves multiple functions: it provides the structural housing, contains the circulation pipe with its curved/zigzag configuration for thermal efficiency, and acts as the sealed barrier against coolant leakage. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining cooling performance.
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 thermal efficiency and reduces the risk of fluid leakage, simplifying maintenance and repair processes while maintaining hermetic sealing, thus preventing gas contamination and reducing operational costs.
Implementation Method 1
a cooling device with a circulation circuit submerged in a high thermal conductivity material, such as aluminum or stainless steel, is designed to enhance thermal conduction
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
Electric machine, in particular an electric motor for driving at least one compressor or circulator, comprising a stator (2) and a rotor (3) that are disposed in a casing (10), the machine (1) comprising a cooling device disposed around the stator (2) and comprising a circulation circuit for a cooling fluid, characterized in that the cooling device comprises a circulation pipe (5) for the cooling fluid, comprising a portion embedded in a mass (4) of material with high thermal conductivity such as metal or a metal alloy.