COOLING UNIT OF AIR COMPRESSOR FOR FUEL CELL VEHICLE

• US 20160032931A1
• Filed: 11/29/2014
• Published: 02/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Lee, Changha
• Granted Patent: US 9,863,430 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 17/10 for compressing or evacuating
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 25/0606 the electric motor being specially adapted for integration in the pump
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 25/082 the unit having provision for cooling the motor
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/056 Bearings
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/4206 especially adapted for elastic fluid pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/5806 Cooling the drive system
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/5826 Cooling at least part of the working fluid in a heat exchanger
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/584 cooling or heating the machine F04D29/5846, F04D29/5853 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2240/61 Hollow
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2250/20 Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04007 related to heat exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04089 of gaseous reactants
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04201 Reactant storage and supply, e.g. means for feeding, pipes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells

Abstract

An air compressor for a fuel cell vehicle includes a volute housing, an impeller mounted to the volute housing, and a motor driving the impeller and cooling the motor and bearings that support a rotation shaft of the motor using air at an outlet side of the impeller. The air compressor has a cooling unit including: a coolant channel provided in plural along a radial direction in a motor housing that is coupled to the volute housing and through which a coolant flows; and a cooled air channel formed between coolant channels of the motor housing and through which the air flows.

Claims

1. A cooling unit of an air compressor that includes a volute housing, an impeller mounted to the volute housing, and a motor driving the impeller and cools the motor and bearings that support a rotation shaft of the motor using air at an outlet side of the impeller, the cooling unit comprising:

a plurality of coolant channels arranged along a radial direction in a motor housing that is coupled to the volute housing and through which coolant flows; and

a cooled air channel formed between the coolant channels of the motor housing and through which the air flows.

2. The cooling unit of the air compressor of claim 1, wherein the air flowing along the cooled air channel is cooled using the coolant flowing along the coolant channels, and the motor and the bearings are cooled using the cooled air.

3. The cooling unit of claim 1, wherein the coolant channel comprises at least one coolant path formed in a forward/backward direction in the motor housing.

4. The cooling unit of claim 1, wherein the cooled air channel comprises:

a first connection path formed in a front side of the motor housing coupled with the volute housing, and is connected with a rear side of the impeller;

a first path connected with the first connection path and formed in from the front side to the rear side of the motor housing;

a second path connected with a rear end of the first path and formed from a rear side to the a front side of the motor housing; and

a second connection path connected with a front end of the second path and connected with the inside of the motor housing.

5. The cooling unit of the air compressor of claim 4, wherein the cooled air channel is configured to allow the air to flow into the motor housing through the first connection path, the first path, the second path, and the second connection path, and exhausts the air through a rear side of the motor housing.

6. The cooling unit of the air compressor of claim 1, wherein the cooled air channel comprises:

a connection path formed in a front side of the motor housing coupled with the volute housing, and is connected with a rear side of the impeller;

a first path connected with the connection path and formed from a front side to a rear side of the motor housing; and

a second path connected to a rear end of the first path and connected with the inside of the motor housing.

7. The cooling unit of the air compressor of claim 6, wherein the cooled air channels branch the air to a bearing at a front side and a bearing at a rear side from the inside of the motor housing.

8. The cooling unit of claim 7, wherein the cooled air channel exhausts the air branched to the rear side through the rear side of the motor housing.

9. The cooling unit of claim 7, wherein a circulation path that circulates the air branched to the bearing at the front side toward the volute housing is formed in the rotation shaft.

10. The cooling unit of claim 1, wherein the cooled air channel comprises:

a first connection path formed in the front side of the motor housing coupled with the volute housing, and is connected with a rear side of the impeller;

a first path connected with the first connection path and formed from a front side to a rear side of the motor housing;

a second path connected with a rear end of the first path and formed from a rear side to a front side of the motor housing;

a second connection path connected with a front end of the second path and connected with the inside of the motor housing; and

a circulation path formed in the rotation shaft and circulating the air toward the volute housing.

11. A cooling unit of an air compressor for a fuel cell vehicle, comprising:

the air compressor including a volute housing, an impeller mounted to the volute housing, and a motor driving the impeller and cools the motor and bearings that support a rotation shaft of the motor using air at an outlet side of the impeller; and

the cooling unit comprising;

a plurality of coolant channels provided along a radial direction in a motor housing that is coupled to the volute housing and through which coolant flows; and

a cooled air channel formed between coolant channels of the motor housing and through which the air flows.

12. A fuel cell vehicle, comprising:

an air compressor comprising a volute housing, an impeller mounted to the volute housing, and a motor driving the impeller and cools the motor and bearings that support a rotation shaft of the motor using air at an outlet side of the impeller; and

a cooling unit comprising;

a plurality of coolant channels provided along a radial direction in a motor housing that is coupled to the volute housing and through which coolant flows; and

a cooled air channel formed between coolant channels of the motor housing and through which the air flows.