Pumped double-pass return liquid metal collector for acyclic machines
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorBurton D. Hatch
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
To assure availability of liquid metal for operation of liquid metal electrical current collectors in an acyclic machine at all operating speeds of the machine, liquid metal expelled electromagnetically from the region between an individual rotor collector ring and an individual stator collector ring is made to flow a second time in the same direction across a path followed by the armature current so that the liquid metal is pumped electromagnetically back into the region from which it is expelled.
Claims15
In an acyclic machine including a rotor collector ring rotatable within a stator collector ring, apparatus providing a continuous electrical current path therebetween comprising:
- an intermediate collector electrode situated between said rotor collector ring and stator collector ring, said intermediate collector electrode carrying a plurality of pairs of radially-outwardly-directed vanes, alternate pairs of said vanes extending axially from axially opposite sides of said electrode for less than the entire axial width of said electrode;
- an insulating coating covering the entire surface area of said electrode except for a circumferentially-oriented strip on the inner circumferential surface of said electrode and the axially-oriented regions separating successive pairs of vanes on the outer circumferential surface of said electrode;
- and
- liquid metal situated between said rotor collector ring and said intermediate collector electrode, and situated between said intermediate collector electrode and said stator collector ring.
An electrical current collector for an acyclic machine comprising:
- a rotor collector ring;
- a stator collector ring encircling said rotor collector ring;
- an intermediate electrode situated between said rotor collector ring and said stator collector ring;
- and
- liquid metal situated between said intermediate electrode and each of said rotor collector ring and said stator collector ring, said liquid metal conducting electrical current between said rotor collector ring and said intermediate electrode so as to create a Lorentz force tending to expel said liquid metal therefrom toward the region between said intermediate electrode and said stator collector ring, said liquid metal further conducting electrical current between said intermediate electrode and said stator collector ring so as to create a Lorentz force tending to pump said liquid metal therefrom toward the region between said rotor collector ring and said intermediate electrode.
A current collector for an acyclic machine comprising:
- a rotor collector ring;
- a stator collector ring encircling said rotor collector ring;
- and an intermediate collector electrode situated between said rotor collector ring and said stator collector ring, said electrode including liquid metal flow path-defining means permitting liquid metal to flow in one axial direction between said rotor collector ring and said electrode and to flow in either of said one axial direction and the opposite axial direction between said stator collector ring and said electrode, whereby electrical current flow between said rotor collector ring and said intermediate electrode is substantially continuous over the entire circumference of said electrode in contact with liquid metal and electrical current flow between said stator collector ring and said intermediate electrode occurs at intermittent locations over the entire circumference of said electrode in contact with liquid metal.
The method of counteracting Lorentz forces on liquid metal in the current collector of an acyclic maching comprising:
- passing electrical current from the rotor of said machine through said liquid metal between a rotor collector ring and an intermediate electrode so as to create an expulsion force acting in a first direction on said liquid metal;
- channeling liquid metal expelled from between said rotor collector ring and said intermediate electrode to return to a region between a stator collector ring and said intermediate electrode;
- and
- passing electrical current from said intermediate electrode to said stator collector ring so as to create a magnetohydrodynamic force on said liquid metal therebetween and pump said metal toward the region between said rotor collector ring and said intermediate electrode, thereby replenishing liquid metal expelled from between said rotor collector ring and said intermediate electrode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.