Electric motor with heat pipes
AssigneeHPEV, Inc.
InventorsTimothy Hassett, Mark Hodowanec
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A motor including a frame that defines a motor portion and an adjacent cooling portion, and a plurality of heat pipes disposed within and fully enclosed by the motor frame. Each heat pipe has an evaporator end disposed within the portion of the frame that defines the motor portion and a condenser end disposed within the portion of the frame that defines the cooling portion. A cooling chamber within the motor cooling portion is structured to have a fluid introduced therein by a working device such that at least a portion of the frame defining the cooling portion is cooled via the working fluid, thereby extracting heat from the heat pipe condenser ends and cooling the motor portion of the motor.
Claims18
A motor comprising:
- a frame that defines a motor portion and an adjacent cooling portion that is separated from the motor portion by a structural interface disposed within the frame to define a cooling chamber within the motor cooling portion;
- an electrical package disposed within the motor portion such that the motor frame encloses the electrical package from exterior elements, the electrical package comprising a rotor and a stator;
- and
- a plurality of heat pipes disposed within and fully enclosed by the motor frame, the heat pipes having an evaporator ends disposed within the portion of the frame that defines the motor portion and condenser ends disposed within the portion of the frame that defines the cooling portion,
- wherein the cooling chamber is structured to have a working fluid introduced therein by a working device that is structured to be driven by the motor shaft and is operable to pump a high volume of the working fluid into the cooling chamber such that at least a portion of the frame defining the cooling portion is cooled via the working fluid introduced into the cooling chamber and via contact with the working device mounted thereto, thereby extracting heat from the heat pipe condenser ends and cooling the motor portion of the motor.
A method for cooling a motor rotor and stator assembly, said method comprising:
- disposing and fully enclosing a plurality of heat pipes within a frame of the motor, wherein the frame defines a cooling portion of the motor and an adjacent motor portion of the motor that is separated from the cooling portion by a structural interface disposed within the frame, the motor portion housing and enclosing an electrical package that includes a rotor and a stator, and wherein evaporator ends of heat pipes are disposed within the portion of the frame that defines the motor portion and condenser ends of the heat pipes are disposed within the portion of the frame that defines the cooling portion;
- and
- mounting a working device driven by the motor to the frame such that a cooling chamber is formed within the cooling portion between the structural interface and the working device, the working device structured and operable to pump a high volume of working fluid that is introduced into the cooling chamber such that at least a portion of the frame defining the cooling portion is cooled via the working fluid introduced into the cooling chamber and via contact with the working device mounted thereto, thereby extracting heat from the condenser ends heat pipes and cooling the motor portion of the motor.
A motor and working device assembly comprising:
- a motor comprising:
- a frame that defines a motor portion and an adjacent cooling portion that is separated from the motor portion by a structural interface disposed within the frame;
- an electrical package disposed within the motor portion such that the motor frame encloses the electrical package from exterior elements, the electrical package comprising a rotor and a stator;
- and
- a plurality of heat pipes disposed within and fully enclosed by the motor frame, the heat pipes having an evaporator ends disposed within the portion of the frame that defines the motor portion and condenser ends disposed within the portion of the frame that defines the cooling portion;
- and
- a working device driven by the motor and mounted to the frame such that a cooling chamber is formed within the cooling portion between the structural interface and the working device, the working device structured and operable to pump a high volume of working fluid that is introduced into the cooling chamber such that at least a portion of the frame defining the cooling portion is cooled via the working fluid introduced into the cooling chamber and via contact with the working device mounted thereto, thereby extracting heat from the condenser ends heat pipes and cooling the motor portion of the motor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.