Method for operating a pump assembly
AssigneeGKN Sinter Metals Engineering GmbH
InventorsStefan Tiller, Nils Bornemann, Hong Giang To
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for operating a pump assembly, wherein the pump assembly has at least one first drive means for conveying a fluid and an electric motor for driving the first drive means, the electric motor comprising at least one stator and one rotor, the rotor being connected at least to the first drive means via a driveshaft. The electric motor draws power at least: i. in order to heat the rotor by means of induction; or ii. in order to drive the rotor, the driveshaft and the first drive means so that these components rotate about a common rotation axis at a speed of more than “0” revolutions per minute.
Claims16
A method for operating a pump assembly, wherein the pump assembly has at least one first drive means for conveying a fluid and an electric motor for driving the first drive means, wherein the electric motor comprises at least one stator as well as one rotor, wherein the rotor by way of a drive shaft is connected at least to the first drive means, and wherein the pump assembly further has a control unit, the method comprising:
- driving the rotor using an electric output controlled by the control unit;
- and
- heating the rotor using a heating output controlled by the control unit, in which the rotor is inductively heated by the electric motor by an alternating magnetic field generating eddy currents in a material of the rotor;
- wherein the electric output for driving the rotor and the heating output for heating the rotor by induction are controlled in an at least partially mutually independent manner by the control unit allowing for independent control signals.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.