Motor rotor cooling with rotation heat pipes

A rotor for an electric motor, comprising:

• laminations substantially aligned and adjacently placed with respect to one another;
• end rings which cooperate to secure the laminations with respect to one another to form the rotor;
• conductor bars extending through the laminations and electrically coupled to one another via the end rings;
• and
• heat pipes extending through the laminations from one end of the rotor to an opposite end of the rotor, each heat pipe having a central axis that differs radially relative to a rotational axis of the rotor from one end of the rotor to the opposite end of the rotor, the heat pipe central axis together with the rotor rotational axis defining a radial plane extending though the rotor, wherein at least one heat pipe has a sealed inner volume partially-filled with a liquid and having an arched surface;
• wherein the arched surface of the heat pipe corresponds to a radius of rotation of the heat pipe about the rotor rotational axis.

A rotor for an electric motor, comprising:

• laminations substantially aligned and adjacently placed with respect to one another;
• end rings which cooperate to secure the laminations with respect to one another to form the rotor;
• conductor bars extending through the laminations and electrically coupled to one another via the end rings;
• and
• heat pipes extending through the laminations from one end of the rotor to an opposite end of the rotor, each heat pipe having a central axis that differs radially relative to a rotational axis of the rotor from one end of the rotor to the opposite end of the rotor, the heat pipe central axis together with the rotor rotational axis defining a radial plane extending though the rotor, wherein at least one heat pipe has a sealed inner volume partially-filled with a liquid and having an arched surface.

A rotor for an electric motor, comprising:

• a plurality of laminations having a substantially circular cross section, wherein the plurality of laminations are substantially aligned and adjacently placed with respect to one another;
• end members disposed at ends of the plurality of laminations and which cooperate to secure the plurality of laminations to form the rotor;
• a plurality of electrically conductive members extending through the plurality of laminations, wherein the plurality of electrically conductive members and the end members cooperate to form at least one closed electrical pathway;
• and
• a plurality of heat-removing members extending through the plurality of laminations in a straight line from one end of the rotor to an opposite end of the rotor, each heat-removing member having a central axis offset from the rotor central axis in a manner such that the heat-removing members together describe a conical shape within the rotor laminations when rotating about the rotor central axis;
• wherein the plurality of heat-removing members comprise a plurality of heat pipes each having a sealed inner volume partially-filled with a liquid.

A system of manufacturing a rotor, comprising:

• means for aligning a plurality of rotor laminations having a generally circular lamination cross-section with respect to one another;
• means for securing the plurality of rotor laminations with end members disposed at ends of the plurality of rotor laminations;
• means for inserting a plurality of electrically conductive members through the rotor laminations and coupling the electrically conductive members to the end members;
• and
• means for positioning a plurality heat-removing members in the rotor laminations extending from one end of the rotor to an opposite end of the rotor in a manner so that a central axis of each heat-removing member varies at constant rate radially relative to the central rotating axis of the rotor from one end of the rotor to the opposite end of the rotor, wherein at least one heat-removing member has a sealed interior volume partially filled with a liquid, the interior volume having a curved surface with an axis of curvature different than the central rotating axis of the rotor.