Stator Conductor Support Sealing for Coolant Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric machines face challenges in sealing the stator effectively to prevent coolant from reaching the rotor, while also requiring a compact and easy-to-install seal to accommodate additional components like busbars.
Innovation Solution
The electric machine incorporates a conductor support with a ring-shaped sealing section and a ring-shaped or ring-segment-shaped conductor support section. This design includes a first seal facing the stator and a second seal facing away from the stator, allowing for sealing against both the stator and surrounding components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a sealing element is provided on the stator to seal against the air gap, then the stator is sealed from the rotor space, but additional sealing components are required at the axial face sides increasing device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The conductor support is designed to integrate multiple functions: it provides mechanical support for conductors and simultaneously incorporates a sealing section with first and second seals. The first seal contacts the sealing element on the stator, while the second seal contacts the cover, merging the sealing function with the conductor support structure to reduce the number of separate sealing components.
Solution Approach 2:
The conductor support section serves multiple purposes: it supports electrical conductors, provides sealing through its sealing section, and structurally connects the stator to the cover. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate sealing components, reducing device complexity while maintaining reliable sealing.
2Reliability
If additional sealing components are added to seal the stator at axial face sides, then sealing reliability is improved, but assembly complexity and installation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing section is integrated into the conductor support as a single component. The first seal and second seal are part of the same conductor support structure, allowing sealing assembly to be performed in conjunction with conductor installation, thereby simplifying the overall assembly process while maintaining sealing reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The conductor support performs both mechanical support and sealing functions simultaneously. By combining these functions in one component, the assembly process is simplified as fewer separate components need to be installed, yet the sealing reliability is maintained through the dual-seal design.
3Reliability
If the stator is sealed from the rotor space, then coolant remains confined to the stator cooling channels, but the sealing structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing section integrates the coolant containment function into the conductor support structure. The first seal contacts the sealing element to prevent coolant leakage into the air gap, while the second seal contacts the cover to seal the axial end. This merged structure achieves reliable coolant containment without requiring separate sealing components.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure relates to an electric machine comprising a stator and a conductor support arranged at an axial end of the stator, wherein the conductor support comprises a ring-shaped sealing section and a ring-shaped or ring-segment-shaped conductor support section, wherein the sealing section has a first seal axially facing the stator and a second seal axially facing away from the stator, wherein the first seal is in contact with a sealing element arranged on the stator and sealing the stator against a radially adjacent air gap, and at least sections of the second seal are in contact with at least one cover at least partially surrounding the conductor support section and/or the axial end of the stator.