System for liquid cooling for a pump motor

• US 10,461,607 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2014
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Regal Beloit America, Inc. (Regal Rexnord Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Regal Beloit America, Inc. (Regal Rexnord Corp.)
• Inventors: English, Stephen Thomas, McKinzie, Marc C., Kruzel, Steven Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US14/534,364
• Publication Number:
  US 20160134176A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,818 Days
• Field of Search: 310 52- 65, 310 68 A- 68 D, 310 68 R
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 5/203 specially adapted for liquids, e.g. cooling jackets

Abstract

A system for liquid cooling for a motor for a pump is provided. The system includes a motor configured to be coupled to a pump to move a liquid from an inlet side of the pump associated with a first pressure to an outlet side of the pump associated with a second pressure that is greater than the first pressure. The system additionally includes a heat transfer tube adjacent to at least a portion of the motor. The heat transfer tube is configured to receive at least a portion of the liquid from the outlet side of the pump and transfer heat away from said motor using the liquid.

Claims

1. A system for liquid cooling for a motor for a pump, said system comprising:

a motor configured to be coupled to a pump to move a liquid from an inlet side of the pump associated with a first pressure to an outlet side of the pump associated with a second pressure that is greater than the first pressure, said motor comprising a motor housing that encloses internal components of said motor, said motor housing comprising an inner surface oriented toward the internal components of said motor and an outer surface that defines an exterior of said motor;

a motor controller coupled to said motor within said motor housing and configured to control operation of said motor; and

a heat transfer tube positioned internally within said motor housing adjacent to at least a portion of the internal components of said motor and enclosing said motor controller, wherein said heat transfer tube comprises at least one channel extending from the inner surface to the outer surface of said housing, wherein said channel is configured to couple to a first port of the pump and receive at least a portion of the liquid from the outlet side of the pump via the first port and transfer heat away from said motor and said motor controller using the liquid.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said heat transfer tube further comprises a copper tube.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said channel is further configured to expel the liquid to the inlet side of the pump.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the pump receives the liquid from an aquatic environment, and said channel is further configured to expel the liquid to the aquatic environment.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said motor comprises at least one component enveloped in a dielectric fluid.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said motor controller comprises at least one component enveloped in a dielectric fluid.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one sensor communicatively coupled to said motor controller, wherein said at least one sensor is configured to detect at least one property of the liquid in said channel.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said at least one sensor is configured to detect at least one of a temperature, a pH, a turbidity, a salinity, or a level of chlorine in the liquid.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein said motor controller is configured to:

receive an indication of the at least one property from said at least one sensor; and

change an operation of said motor based on the indication.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising the pump and said pump comprises the first port configured to couple to said heat transfer tube and direct the liquid into said channel.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said pump further comprises a second port configured to couple to said heat transfer tube and receive the liquid from said channel.