Machine and gearbox system and cooling therefor
AssigneeABB Schweiz AG
InventorsJoe J. Liou, Stefan Rakuff, Nolan W. Nicholas
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system includes a gearbox having an external surface; a fan or impeller constructed to generate a first cooling airflow when rotated; a shroud operative to guide and discharge the first cooling airflow over the external surface and cool the gearbox, wherein at least a portion of the shroud is spaced apart from the gearbox and disposed radially outward of the external surface; and a flow entrainment structure coupled to the gearbox and/or the shroud, wherein the flow entrainment structure is constructed to entrain a second cooling airflow and combine the second cooling airflow with the first cooling airflow to form a combined cooling airflow directed across the external surface to cool the gearbox.
Claims20
A system, comprising:
- a machine having an external surface;
- a cooling airflow generator constructed to generate a cooling airflow when rotated;
- a flow guide structure operative to guide the cooling airflow and discharge the cooling airflow over the external surface and cool the machine using the cooling airflow, wherein at least a portion of the flow guide structure is spaced apart from the machine and disposed radially outward of the external surface;
- and
- a flow inducer coupled to the machine and/or the flow control structure, wherein the flow inducer is constructed to entrain additional cooling airflow from an environment in which the machine is located.
A system, comprising,
- a gearbox having an external surface;
- a fan or impeller constructed to generate a first cooling airflow when rotated;
- a shroud operative to guide the cooling airflow and discharge the first cooling airflow over the external surface, wherein at least a portion of the shroud is spaced apart from the gearbox and disposed radially outward of the external surface;
- and
- a flow entrainment structure coupled to the gearbox and/or the shroud, wherein the flow entrainment structure is constructed to entrain second cooling airflow from an environment in which the gearbox is located and combine the second cooling airflow with the first cooling airflow to form a combined cooling airflow,
- wherein the combined cooling airflow is directed across the external surface to cool the gearbox.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.