Ribbed Rotary Machine Housing With Integrated Multi-Fluid Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rotary electric machine housings face challenges in durability and reliability due to high bending stresses at high rotation speeds, particularly in the gas, oil, and refrigerant flow paths, and require separate heat exchangers for cooling compressed air and oil, leading to a large and complex system.
Innovation Solution
A rotary electric machine housing with integrated gas, oil, and refrigerant flow paths, featuring a body with ribs that support these paths and heat exchange parts, where the refrigerant flows through a series configuration to cool both the rotary electric machine, compressed air, and oil, reducing the need for separate heat exchangers and enhancing durability and reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate heat exchangers are provided for cooling compressed air and oil, then cooling function is achieved, but system size becomes large and structure becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple heat exchange functions into a single integrated refrigerant jacket structure. The refrigerant jacket includes a first heat exchange portion for the rotary electric machine, a second heat exchange portion for compressed air, and a third heat exchange portion for oil, all integrated into one component that cools multiple systems simultaneously, thereby reducing overall system size and complexity while maintaining reliable cooling functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The refrigerant jacket serves multiple functions: it cools the rotary electric machine stator, cools the compressed air from the gas turbine engine, and cools the oil for bearing lubrication. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate heat exchangers for each cooling requirement, achieving universal cooling capability within a single structure.
2Reliability
If separate heat exchangers are provided for cooling compressed air and oil, then cooling function is achieved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multiple heat exchange functions into a single refrigerant jacket structure that can be manufactured as one piece. This unified structure eliminates the need to manufacture and assemble multiple separate heat exchangers, significantly reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining the reliable cooling function for the rotary electric machine, compressed air, and oil.
3Power
If high rotation speed is achieved, then power output increases, but bending stress on flow paths increases reducing durability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent specifies that the refrigerant jacket is formed from a material with high strength and high stiffness. This material selection enables the flow paths to withstand the increased bending stresses generated during high-speed rotation, maintaining durability and reliability while allowing the system to operate at higher rotation speeds for increased power output.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameters of the refrigerant jacket by selecting materials with high strength and high stiffness properties. This parameter change allows the flow paths to resist the increased bending stresses at high rotation speeds, ensuring durability is maintained even as power output increases through higher operating speeds.
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
The integrated flow path design improves the durability and reliability of the housing while reducing system size and complexity by efficiently cooling the rotary electric machine, compressed air, and oil, thereby enhancing energy efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a refrigerant flow path provided in the body portion and through which a refrigerant flows inside, in which the refrigerant flow path includes: a rotary electric machine heat exchange part in which the refrigerant exchanges heat with the rotary electric machine; a gas heat exchange part in which the refrigerant exchanges heat with the gas flowing through the gas flow path; and an oil heat exchange part in which the refrigerant exchanges heat with the oil flowing through the oil flow path
Data Source
AI summary
A rotary electric machine housing accommodates a rotary electric machine. The rotary electric machine housing has a body portion, a gas flow path through which a gas flows, an oil flow path through which an oil flows, and a refrigerant flow path through which a refrigerant flows inside. The refrigerant flow path includes a rotary electric machine heat exchange part, a gas heat exchange part, and an oil heat exchange part. An outer wall of the body portion has ribs each extending in an axial direction of the rotary electric machine. The gas flow path and the gas heat exchange part are provided between the ribs adjacent to each other. The oil flow path and the oil heat exchange part are provided between the ribs, which are adjacent to each other, at a position different from that of the gas flow path and the gas heat exchange part.