Fan shroud and motor assembly comprised thereof
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorGregory Michael Stehulak
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
This disclosure proposes designs for a fan shroud that dissipates thermal energy from a motor using a single, externally-powered fan design. Examples of the proposed fan shroud allow the cooling fluid to achieve maximum velocity at a position at which the fan shroud exposes the flow to cooler ambient air that surrounds the fan shroud/motor assembly. In this configuration, the high-velocity cooling fluid draws the cooler ambient air towards the surface of the motor, which, in turn, increases the thermal capacity of the moving cooling fluid to dissipate more thermal energy from the motor.
Claims20
A fan shroud for a motor, said fan shroud comprising:
- a top element, a first side element, and a front element, wherein the first side element and the front element couple with the top element at a first end, wherein the first side element terminates at a second end that is spaced apart from the motor a first side distance to form a first side gap, wherein the front element has a front contoured edge proximate to and spaced apart from the motor a first front distance to form a front gap, and wherein the first side distance is the same has the first front distance.
A fan shroud for a motor, said fan shroud comprising:
- a top element;
- a pair of side elements that couple with the top element at a first end and terminate at a second end that is spaced apart from the motor a first side distance and a second side distance to form, respectively, a first side gap and a second side gap;
- a front element that couples with the top element and has a front contoured edge proximate to and spaced apart from the motor a first front distance to form a front gap, and
- a back element that couples with the top element, the back element has a back contoured edge proximate to and spaced apart from the motor a first back distance to form a back gap, wherein the first side distance is the same as at least one of the first front distance and the first back distance.
A motor assembly, comprising:
- a motor with a central motor axis;
- and
- a fan shroud coupled to the motor, the fan shroud comprising a first side element and a front element, wherein the first side element terminates at a second end that is spaced apart from the motor a first side distance to form a first side gap, wherein the front element has a front contoured edge proximate to and spaced apart from the motor a first front distance to form a front gap, and wherein the first side distance is the same has the first front distance.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.