Systems and Methods for Constructing Laminations for Electric Motors

• US 20160072342A1
• Filed: 09/08/2015
• Published: 03/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Original Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Inventors: Kumar, Deepak, Prieto, Carlos A., Xu, Zhiyue, Johnson, Michael H.
• Granted Patent: US 9,948,150 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 1/09 Mixtures of metallic powders
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 1/12 Metallic powder containing non-metallic particles containing lubricating or binding agents or organic material B22F1/10
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 3/11 Making porous workpieces or articles
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 7/002 of porous nature
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 2202/02 Magnetic
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 1/24 the particles being insulated
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 2003/106 Magnetic circuits using combinations of different magnetic materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 3/10 Composite arrangements of magnetic circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 41/0246 Manufacturing of magnetic circuits by moulding or by pressing powder magnetic cores made by moulding or by pressing powder H01F27/255; soft magnetic particles H01F1/20, H01F1/36
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 1/02 characterised by the magnetic material

Abstract

Systems and methods for the construction of components such as laminations for the stator core of an ESP motor wherein particles of different materials are mixed and pressed together at an elevated temperature to form a composite material in the desired lamination shape. The materials are selected to provide characteristics such as high magnetic permeability from one material and high thermal conductivity from the other material. The particles of the different materials are pressed together at a temperature that is sufficiently high to fuse the particles together and form a composite material, but is also sufficiently low that the materials are not sintered. The individual materials therefore retain their original characteristics, and the composite material benefits from the high magnetic permeability of the first material and the high thermal conductivity of the other material.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing magnetic core laminations, the method comprising:

providing a first material having a desired magnetic permeability;

providing a second material having a desired thermal conductivity;

interspersing particles of the first and second materials; and

pressing the particles together in a desired shape of a magnetic core lamination, thereby binding the particles to each other and forming a composite material having the desired shape of the magnetic core lamination.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a first portion of the volume of the composite material comprises the first material and retains the magnetic permeability of the first material.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a second portion of the volume of the composite material comprises the second material and retains the thermal conductivity of the second material.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a third portion of the volume of the composite material comprises voids.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the third portion comprises between 1% and 2% of the volume of the composite material.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the particles are pressed together at a temperature sufficient to fuse the particles to each other.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the particles are pressed together at a temperature which is insufficient to sinter the particles.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the particles are pressed together at a temperature of less than a sintering temperature of the first material and a sintering temperature of the second material.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein interspersing the particles of the first and second materials comprises milling together the particles of the first and second materials with a binder material.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein interspersing the particles of the first and second materials comprises coating particles of one of the first and second materials with the other of the first and second materials prior to pressing the particles together in the desired shape of the magnetic core lamination.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the particles of the one of the first and second materials are evenly coated with the other of the first and second materials.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the particles of the one of the first and second materials are unevenly coated with the other of the first and second materials.

13. An apparatus comprising:

an electric submersible pump motor having a magnetic core;

wherein the magnetic core includes a plurality of laminations, each lamination being formed of a composite material;

wherein a first portion of a volume of the composite material is a first material having a corresponding magnetic permeability;

wherein a second portion of the volume of the composite material is a second material having a corresponding thermal conductivity;

wherein the first portion of the volume of the composite material is distinct from the second portion of the volume of the composite material, and wherein the magnetic permeability and thermal conductivity characteristics of the first and second materials in the first and second volumes remain distinct.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first portion of a volume of the composite material comprises particles of the first material and the second portion of the volume of the composite material comprises particles of the second material, and wherein the particles of the first and second materials are fused together.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the particles of the first and second materials are non-sintered.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein a third portion of the volume of the composite material comprises voids.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the third portion comprises between 1% and 2% of the total volume of the composite material.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first material has a magnetic permeability of at least 3000 SI units and the second material has a thermal conductivity of at least 50 W/mK.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the second material has a magnetic permeability of less than 3000 SI units and the first material has a thermal conductivity of less than 50 W/mK.