Method and assembly of an electric machine

• US 10,381,900 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2017
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Aviation Systems LLC (General Electric Co. (Italy))
• Original Assignee: GE Aviation Systems LLC (General Electric Co. (Italy))
• Inventors: Huang, Hao, Jia, Xiaochuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tran N
• Application Number:
  US15/468,879
• Publication Number:
  US 20180278127A1
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 1/32 with channels or ducts for flow of cooling medium
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 2213/03 Machines characterised by numerical values, ranges, mathematical expressions or similar information
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 3/24 with channels or ducts for cooling medium between the conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/1823 structurally associated with turbines or similar engines
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/20 Structural association with auxiliary dynamo-electric machines, e.g. with electric starter motors or exciters
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 9/197 in which the rotor or stator space is fluid-tight, e.g. to provide for different cooling media for rotor and stator

Abstract

An electric machine assembly having a main machine stator core having at least one stator post, a set of stator windings wound about the at least one stator post and having a first end and an opposing second end, a coolant inlet housing defining an inlet passage, a coolant outlet housing defining an outlet passage, proximate to the coolant inlet housing, and wherein the coolant inlet passage and the coolant outlet passage define a coolant circuit configured to receive a supply of coolant to remove heat generated in the set of stator windings.

Claims

1. An electric machine assembly comprising:

a main machine stator core having at least one stator post;

a set of stator windings wound about the at least one stator post and having a first end and an opposing second end, the stator windings defining a fluid channel disposed through the stator windings configured to carry a flow of coolant;

a coolant inlet housing defining an inlet passage disposed at an axial end of the electric machine assembly fluidly connected with the fluid channel of the first end of the set of stator windings; and

a coolant outlet housing defining an outlet passage disposed at the axial end of the electric machine assembly, proximate to the coolant inlet housing, and fluidly connected with the fluid channel of the second end of the stator windings;

wherein the coolant inlet passage, the fluid channel of the stator windings, and the coolant outlet passage define a coolant circuit configured to receive a supply of coolant to remove heat generated in the set of stator windings.

2. The electric machine assembly of claim 1 wherein the first end and second end of the stator windings extend axially beyond opposing ends of the longitudinal length of the main machine stator core.

3. The electric machine assembly of claim 2 wherein the coolant inlet housing and the coolant outlet housing are disposed axially beyond the longitudinal length of the main machine stator core.

4. The electric machine assembly of claim 3 wherein the coolant inlet housing defines a first through channel sized and disposed to receive the second end of the stator windings through the first channel.

5. The electric machine assembly of claim 4 wherein the coolant outlet housing defines a second through channel sized and disposed to receive the first end of the stator windings through the first through channel.

6. The electric machine assembly of claim 3 wherein the second end of the stator windings connect with an electrical terminal beyond the first through channel.

7. The electric machine assembly of claim 3 wherein the coolant inlet housing and the coolant outlet housing are axially spaced.

8. The electric machine assembly of claim 1 wherein at least one of the coolant inlet housing or the coolant outlet housing is in the form of a pancake coolant housing.

9. The electric machine assembly of claim 8 wherein the coolant inlet housing and the coolant outlet housing are in the form of pancake coolant housings.

10. The electric machine assembly of claim 1 wherein at least one of the coolant inlet housing or the coolant outlet housing is in the form of a ring coolant housing.

11. The electric machine assembly of claim 1 wherein the coolant is at least one of oil or air.

12. The electric machine assembly of claim 1 wherein the electrical machine assembly is a dry cavity electric machine assembly.

13. The electric machine assembly of claim 1 wherein the set of stator windings have a substantially quadrilateral cross section.

14. The electric machine assembly of claim 1, further including an electrically isolating material externally enveloping the set of stator windings.

15. The electric machine assembly of claim 1 wherein the set of stator windings defines at least two fluid channels per winding.

16. The electric machine assembly of claim 1 wherein a diameter of the fluid channel is between 1.0 and 2.0 millimeters.

17. The electric machine assembly of claim 1 further comprising a coolant reservoir fluidly connected with the inlet passage of the coolant inlet housing.

18. The electric machine assembly of claim 17 wherein the inlet passage of the coolant inlet housing is fluidly connected with the coolant flow of the rotatable shaft.

19. The electric machine assembly of claim 1 further comprising:

a housing;

a shaft configured to operably couple with a source of rotational force and rotate about a rotational axis; and

an exciter rotor and a permanent magnet generator rotor carried by the shaft;

wherein the exciter rotor and the permanent magnet generator rotor are substantially coplanar at a plane orthogonal to the rotational axis.

20. The electric machine assembly of claim 19 wherein the exciter rotor and the permanent magnet generator rotor are coplanar at a plane orthogonal to the rotational axis.