HYBRID CASCADING LUBRICATION AND COOLING SYSTEM

• US 20110012447A1
• Filed: 07/14/2009
• Published: 01/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Himmelmann, Richard A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,207,644 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 310/54
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 16/00 Machines with more than one rotor or stator machines for transmitting mechanical power from a driving shaft to a driven shaft and comprising structurally interrelated motor and generator parts H02K51/00; permanent magnet machines with multiple rotors or stators relatively rotated for vectorially combining the excitation fields or the armature voltages H02K21/029
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 19/38 Structural association of synchronous generators with exciting machines
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/006 Structural association of a motor or generator with the drive train of a motor vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 9/19 for machines with closed casing and closed-circuit cooling using a liquid cooling medium, e.g. oil
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49009 Dynamoelectric machine
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49012 Rotor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A hybrid cascading lubrication and cooling system (200, 400) for an electrical machine (102) with nested stages is provided. The electrical machine (102) includes an inner nested stage (444) nested with respect to an outer nested stage (446). An oil pump (222) is coupled to an oil pump inlet tube (226) to draw oil from an oil sump (224), and a cooling core (230) to distribute pumped oil within the electrical machine (102). A rotor member (212) is coupled to the inner nested stage (444) and the outer nested stage (446). The rotor member (212) centrifugally pumps oil from the cooling core (230) through inner radial holes (424) and outer radial holes (436) in the rotor member (212) upon rotation about a central axis (216) of the electrical machine (102).

Claims

1. A hybrid cascading lubrication and cooling system (200, 400) for an electrical machine (102), the electrical machine (102) comprising an inner nested stage (444) and an outer nested stage (446), wherein the inner nested stage (444) is radially nested about a central axis (216) of the electrical machine (102) with respect to the outer nested stage (446), the hybrid cascading lubrication and cooling system (200, 400) comprising:

an oil pump (222) coupled to an oil pump inlet tube (226) to draw oil from an oil sump (224);

a cooling core (230) configured to distribute pumped oil within the electrical machine (102); and

a rotor member (212) coupled to the inner nested stage (444) and the outer nested stage (446) of the electrical machine (102), rotor member (212) configured to centrifugally pump oil from the cooling core (230) through inner radial holes (424) and outer radial holes (436) in the rotor member (212) upon rotation about the central axis (216) of the electrical machine (102).

2. The hybrid cascading lubrication and cooling system (200, 400) of claim 1 further comprising a port (404) coupled to the cooling core (230) directing oil to a heat exchanger (406) of the electrical machine (102).

3. The hybrid cascading lubrication and cooling system (200, 400) of claim 1 further comprising a port (408) coupled to the cooling core (230) directing oil to a first bearing (412) and a gear (414) of the electrical machine (102).

4. The hybrid cascading lubrication and cooling system (200, 400) of claim 3 wherein the port (408) supplies oil to a centrifugal reservoir (416), and the centrifugal reservoir (416) supplies a second bearing (418) with oil.

5. The hybrid cascading lubrication and cooling system (200, 400) of claim 3 wherein the port (408) supplies oil to an inner stage centrifugal reservoir (420) of the inner nested stage (444).

6. The hybrid cascading lubrication and cooling system (200, 400) of claim 5 wherein the inner radial holes (424) provide a flow path for oil from the inner stage centrifugal reservoir (420) through the inner nested stage (444).

7. The hybrid cascading lubrication and cooling system (200, 400) of claim 1 further comprising a port (410) coupled to the cooling core (230), wherein the port (410) provides a flow path to combine supplemental oil with oil from the inner nested stage (444) at an outer stage centrifugal reservoir (432) of the outer nested stage (446).

8. The hybrid cascading lubrication and cooling system (200, 400) of claim 7 wherein the outer radial holes (436) provide a flow path for oil from the outer stage centrifugal reservoir (432) through the outer nested stage (446).

9. The hybrid cascading lubrication and cooling system (200, 400) of claim 1 further comprising an oil pump outlet tube (228) to route oil flow from the oil pump (222) to a heat exchanger/relief valve/filter assembly (ERFA) (112), wherein the cooling core (230) receives oil returned from the ERFA (112).

10. The hybrid cascading lubrication and cooling system (200, 400) of claim 9 further comprising:

a second oil pump (222) coupled to a second oil pump inlet tube (226) to draw oil from the oil sump (224);

a second oil pump outlet tube (228) coupled to a second oil pump (222); and

a port (302) to combine oil flow from the oil pump outlet tube (228) and the second oil pump outlet tube (228) prior to the ERFA (112).

11. A method for producing a hybrid cascading lubrication and cooling system (200, 400) for an electrical machine (102), the electrical machine (102) comprising an inner nested stage (444) and an outer nested stage (446), wherein the inner nested stage (444) is radially nested about a central axis (216) of the electrical machine (102) with respect to the outer nested stage (446), the method comprising:

coupling an oil pump (222) to an oil pump inlet tube (226) to draw oil from an oil sump (224);

configuring a cooling core (230) to distribute pumped oil within the electrical machine (102); and

coupling a rotor member (212) to the inner nested stage (444) and the outer nested stage (446) of the electrical machine (102), the rotor member (212) configured to centrifugally pump oil from the cooling core (230) through inner radial holes (424) and outer radial holes (436) in the rotor member (212) upon rotation about the central axis (216) of the electrical machine (102).

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising directing oil through a port (404) coupled to the cooling core (230) to a heat exchanger (406) of the electrical machine (102).

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising directing oil through a port (408) coupled to the cooling core (230) to a first bearing (412) and a gear (414) of the electrical machine (102).

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the port (408) supplies oil to a centrifugal reservoir (416), and the centrifugal reservoir (416) supplies a second bearing (418) with oil.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the port (408) supplies oil to an inner stage centrifugal reservoir (420) of the inner nested stage (444).

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the inner radial holes (424) provide a flow path for oil from the inner stage centrifugal reservoir (420) through the inner nested stage (444).

17. The method of claim 11 further comprising coupling a port (410) to the cooling core (230), wherein the port (410) provides a flow path to combine supplemental oil with oil from the inner nested stage (444) at an outer stage centrifugal reservoir (432) of the outer nested stage (446).

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the outer radial holes (436) provide a flow path for oil from the outer stage centrifugal reservoir (432) through the outer nested stage (446).

19. The method of claim 11 further comprising coupling an oil pump outlet tube (228) to the oil pump (222) to route oil flow to a heat exchanger/relief valve/filter assembly (ERFA) (112), wherein the cooling core (230) receives oil returned from the ERFA (112).

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

coupling a second oil pump (222) to a second oil pump inlet tube (226) to draw oil from the oil sump (224);

coupling a second oil pump outlet tube (228) to a second oil pump (222); and

coupling a port (302) to the oil pump outlet tube (228) and the second oil pump outlet tube (228) to combine oil flow from the oil pump (222) and the second oil pump (222) prior to routing the oil flow to the ERFA (112).