US 8,283,818 B2Granted

Electric motor with heat pipes

AssigneeHPEV, Inc.

InventorsTimothy Hassett, Mark Hodowanec

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A motor that includes a motor portion structured to house a stator and a rotor mounted to a shaft of the motor. The motor additionally includes a cooling portion disposed adjacent to the motor portion and separated from the motor portion by a structural interface. The cooling portion provides a cooling chamber structured to have a cooling fluid passed therethrough via a cooling fluid moving device that is structured to be coupled to and driven by the motor shaft. Furthermore, the motor includes a plurality of heat pipes having evaporator ends disposed within the motor portion and condenser ends disposed within the cooling chamber. During operation of the motor and cooling fluid moving device, the cooling fluid contacts the heat pipe condenser ends to extract heat from the condenser ends, hence cooling the evaporator ends of the heat pipes, thereby cooling the motor portion of the motor and the stator and rotor housed therein.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A motor comprising:

a motor portion structured to house a stator and a rotor mounted to a shaft of the motor;
a cooling portion disposed adjacent to the motor portion and separated from the motor portion by a structural interface, the cooling portion providing a cooling chamber and structured to have a cooling fluid moving device coupled thereto and driven by the motor shaft such that the cooling fluid moving device will circulate a cooling fluid intended for use to cool at least one of a discrete object, system and environment that is separate from the motor, the cooling portion further structured to receive at least a portion of the cooling fluid circulated to cool the at least one of a discrete object, system and environment that is separate from the motor;
and
a plurality of heat pipes having evaporator ends disposed within the motor portion and condenser ends disposed within the cooling chamber, such that the cooling fluid circulated to cool the at least one of a discrete object, system and environment that is separate from the motor extracts heat from the condenser ends of the heat pipes, thereby cooling the evaporator ends of the heat pipes, thereby cooling the motor portion of the motor and the stator and rotor housed therein.

1 more element

A method for cooling a motor rotor and stator assembly, said method comprising:

disposing a plurality of heat pipes within a motor such that a condenser end of each heat pipe is disposed within a cooling chamber of the motor and an evaporator end of each heat pipe is disposed within a motor portion of the motor structured to house a stator and a rotor mounted to a shaft of the motor, wherein the motor further includes a cooling portion disposed adjacent to the motor portion and separated from the motor portion by a structural interface thereby defining the cooling chamber within the cooling portion;
and
coupling a cooling fluid moving device to the cooling portion, the cooling fluid moving device being structured to be driven by the motor to circulate a cooling fluid intended for use to cool at least one of a discrete object, system and environment that is separate from the motor and to introduce at least a portion of the cooling fluid into the cooling chamber such that the cooling fluid extracts heat from the condenser ends, thereby cooling the evaporator ends of the heat pipes, thereby cooling the motor portion of the motor and the stator and rotor housed therein.

A motor and cooling fluid moving device assembly comprising:

a motor comprising:
a motor portion structured to house a stator and a rotor mounted to a shaft of the motor;
a cooling portion disposed adjacent to the motor portion and separated from the motor portion by a structural interface to define a cooling chamber within the cooling portion;
and
a plurality of heat pipes having evaporator ends disposed within the motor portion and condenser ends disposed within the cooling chamber;
and
a cooling fluid moving device mounted to and end of the cooling portion that is opposite the motor chamber, the cooling fluid moving device coupled to the motor shaft such that during operation of the motor the cooling fluid moving device is driven by the motor shaft to circulate a cooling fluid intended for use to cool at least one of a discrete object, system and environment that is separate from the motor and to introduce at least a portion of the cooling fluid into the cooling chamber whereby the cooling fluid circulated to cool the at least one of a discrete object, system and environment that is separate from the motor extracts heat from the condenser ends of the heat pipes, thereby cooling the evaporator ends of the heat pipes, thereby cooling the motor portion of the motor and the stator and rotor housed therein.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/533,236Filed 31 Jul 2009 · continuation in part
Priority: 19 Jun 2006
Published: US 2010/0026108 A14 Feb 2010
Granted: 9 Oct 2012
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

F28D 15/0275
In which the medium condenses and evaporates, e.g. heat pipes: arrangements for coupling heat-pipes together or with other structures, e.g. with…
H02K 9/225
By solid heat conducting material embedded in, or arranged in contact with, the stator or rotor, e.g. heat bridges: heat pipes
F28D
Heat-exchange apparatus, not provided for in another subclass, in which the heat-exchange
H02K
Dynamo-electric machines

Family

Application60/805,192Us provisional application · filed 19 Jun 2006
Application11/765,140Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 19 Jun 2007
US 2010/0026108 A1Pre-grant publication · published 4 Feb 2010
US 7,569,955 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 2008/0023177 A1Published application
US 8,283,818 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.