Liquid metal collector for acyclic generator
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorBurton D. Hatch
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A plurality of circumferentially spaced, compliant, braided metal filament brushes are mounted by the stator of an acyclic generator for extension from the stator collector surface across the liquid metal collector gap into virtual contact with the rotor collector surface. These brushes are each of an axial length corresponding to the axially lengths of the stator and rotor conductive collector surfaces and serve to effectively block the magnetohydrodynamically induced, counter-rotational, circumferential flow of liquid metal in the collector gap, thus eliminating the component of viscous rotor drag otherwise occasioned thereby.
Claims8
A current collector for an acyclic generator having a stator and a rotor mounted for rotation about an axis, said current collector comprising, in combination:
- A. an annular stator collector surface formed in said stator.
- B. an annular rotor collector surface formed on said rotor for rotation coaxially relative to said stator collector surface, said rotor collector surface spaced from said stator collector surface to define an annular collector gap therebetween;
- C. a quantity of liquid metal filling said collector gap;
- and
- D. a plurality of barriers mounted by one of said stator and rotor for projection into said collector gap at angularly spaced locations about the circumference thereof, said barriers being of an axial extent corresponding to the axial extent of the path of current transport across said collector gap, whereby said barriers substantially impede counter-rotational movement of said liquid metal in said collector gap in response to magnetohydrodynamic circumferential pumping forces exerted on said liquid metal in said collector gap while permitting axial flow of said liquid metal between said barriers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.