Bearing cooling system for vibratory devices

A vibratory assembly for containing lubricant and comprising:

• an exciter having a housing with a top plate, side walls, a plurality of bearing openings, and a bearing cover for each bearing opening, and an interior having a reservoir portion for receiving the lubricant in a lubricant reservoir and internal components, the internal components comprising a plurality of bearings and at least a first eccentric weight rotatable in a clockwise direction and a second eccentric weight rotatable in a counter-clockwise direction, rotation of the first eccentric weight and the second eccentric weight causing vibration of the housing;
• and
• a cooling system comprising a heat exchanging assembly, a fluid, and a fluid pump, the heat exchanging assembly having at least one surface being exposed to the interior of the housing and the lubricant contained within the interior of the housing and a tortuous pathway not exposed to the interior of the housing, the tortuous pathway being a portion of a closed loop conduit through which the fluid flows under the force of the fluid pump, the heat exchanging assembly comprises:
• a plate manifold having an underside surface, a plate pressure inlet disposed at a plate inlet end of the tortuous pathway portion of the closed loop conduit and a plate return outlet at a plate outlet end of the tortuous pathway portion of the closed loop conduit;
• a plurality of bearing jacket manifolds, one for each bearing, each having a bearing-side surface, a pressure inlet disposed at a bearing inlet end of the tortuous pathway portion of the closed loop conduit and a return outlet at a bearing outlet end of the tortuous pathway portion of the closed loop conduit;
• and
• a plurality of connectors, one for each bearing jacket manifold, that connects the plate manifold to each of the plurality of bearing jacket manifolds such that the fluid flowing through the closed loop conduit passes through the plate manifold and each of the bearing jacket manifolds, each of the plurality of connectors having a first flow conduit and a second flow conduit, the first flow conduit for transporting fluid from the tortuous pathway portion of the closed loop conduit within the plate manifold to the pressure inlet of the tortuous pathway portion within the one of the plurality of bearing jacket manifolds, the second flow conduit for transporting fluid from the return outlet of the tortuous pathway portion of the closed loop conduit within each of the plurality of bearing jacket manifolds to the tortuous pathway portion within the plate manifold;
• and
• wherein the plate manifold is disposed subtending the top plate between the top plate and the side walls such that the underside surface is exposed the lubricant within the interior of the housing, and each of the plurality of bearing jacket manifolds is disposed between one of the plurality of bearing openings and one of the bearing covers such that the bearing-side surface is exposed to the interior of the housing near one of the bearings, the fluid flows under the force of the fluid pump through the plate pressure inlet into the tortuous pathway portion of the plate manifold, through the first flow conduit of one of the plurality of connectors, into the tortuous pathway portion within one of the bearing jacket manifolds, through the second flow conduit of the connector, into the tortuous pathway portion within the plate manifold, exits through the plate return outlet, and returns to the fluid pump.

A method for cooling a vibratory assembly during the operation of the vibratory assembly, the vibratory assembly comprising an exciter having a housing with a top plate, side walls, at least one bearing opening and a bearing cover for each bearing opening, and an interior having a reservoir portion for receiving lubricant in a lubricant reservoir and internal components, the internal components comprising at least one bearing, at least a first eccentric weight rotatable in a clockwise direction and a second eccentric weight rotatable in a counter-clockwise direction, rotation of the first eccentric weight and the second eccentric weight causing vibration of the housing, the cooling method comprising the steps of:

• providing a heat exchanging assembly, a fluid, and a fluid pump, the heat exchanging assembly comprises at least one surface being exposed to the interior of the housing and the lubricant contained within the interior of the housing, a tortuous pathway not exposed to the interior of the housing, and at least one bearing jacket manifold having a bearing-side surface, a pressure inlet disposed at a bearing inlet end of the tortuous pathway portion of the closed loop conduit and a return outlet at a bearing outlet end of the tortuous pathway portion of the closed loop conduit, the at least one bearing jacket manifold being disposed between the at least one bearing opening and the bearing cover such that the bearing-side surface is exposed to the interior of the housing near the bearing;
• actuating the fluid pump to pump fluid through a closed loop conduit that includes the tortuous pathway;
• passing the fluid under the force of the fluid pump through the pressure inlet into the tortuous pathway so that the fluid exits through the return outlet;
• drawing heat from the interior of the housing by thermal conductivity through the at least one bearing jacket manifold;
• heating the fluid as the fluid passes through the tortuous pathway portion of the closed loop conduit within the at least one bearing jacket manifold;
• and
• dissipating at least a portion of the heat carried by the fluid remote from the housing.