Liquid-Cooled Stator With Sealed Cavity For Uniform Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooling systems for electric motors and generators fail to provide uniform cooling, leading to hot spots and inefficiencies due to non-uniform heat dissipation in high-power systems, which can result in damage and reduced performance.
Innovation Solution
A liquid-cooled stator and rotor assembly with a housing and sealing rings that isolate the stator cavity from the rotor cavity, allowing for the flooding of the stator with a cooling fluid without significantly affecting the rotor, ensuring uniform cooling and minimizing heat buildup.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If prior cooling systems (fins, air flow, fluid flow) are employed to cool the stator, then heat dissipation is achieved, but non-uniform cooling occurs with hot spots and cool spots
Solution Approach 1:
The stator cavity is segmented into multiple cooling zones with independently controlled fluid injection points. The cooling fluid is delivered through multiple orifices distributed across the stator cavity, allowing separate control of cooling in different regions to eliminate hot spots and achieve uniform temperature distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the stator cavity receive cooling fluid with locally optimized characteristics. The system adjusts fluid flow rate, pressure, and temperature at specific injection points based on local heat generation patterns, providing tailored cooling to high-heat areas while maintaining appropriate cooling in other regions.
2Loss of energy
If cooling fluid is applied to the stator, then heat is removed, but efficiency is reduced due to non-uniform cooling creating hot spots
Solution Approach 1:
Temperature sensors are positioned throughout the stator cavity to monitor local temperature conditions in real-time. This feedback information is used to dynamically adjust cooling fluid flow rates and distribution patterns, ensuring optimal cooling efficiency while maintaining high operational efficiency by preventing hot spots that would increase electrical impedance.
3Power
If substantial current densities are experienced by the stator, then high power output is achieved, but excess heat generation occurs
Solution Approach 1:
Cooling fluid is pre-cooled to optimal temperature and pressurized before entering the stator cavity. The system proactively applies cooling before excessive heat buildup occurs, with cooling fluid delivered through strategically positioned orifices that anticipate heat generation patterns from high current densities, preventing temperature rise rather than merely responding to it.
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 solution effectively eliminates hot spots and enhances the efficiency and durability of electric motors and generators by ensuring uniform cooling of the stator, reducing thermal-induced electrical resistance and protecting components from heat damage.
Implementation Method 1
a cooling fluid entering the stator cavity via the orifice
Implementation Method 2
A first sealing ring and a second sealing ring are provided to form a fluid seal against the respective end bells and against a portion of the stator such that a cooling fluid entering the stator cavity via the orifice does not enter the rotor cavity
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid-cooled stator and rotor assembly for use as an electric motor or generator includes a housing having a first end bell, a second end bell, and at least one fluid orifice in the first end bell. A stator is fixed within a stator cavity of the housing. The stator includes a stator core and a plurality of windings for conducting a flow of electricity. A rotor for magnetically interacting with the stator is also included, the rotor being rotatably mounted between the first end bell and the second end bell within a rotor cavity. A first sealing ring and a second sealing ring are provided to form a fluid seal against the respective end bells and against a portion of the stator such that a cooling fluid entering the stator cavity via the orifice does not enter the rotor cavity.