Assembly method for liquid cooled permanent magnet rotor

• US 8,296,927 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2011
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: Baumann, Jonathan M., Dames, Matthew W., Cruce, Perry G., Fee, David M.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRINH, MINH N
• Application Number:
  US13/223,695
• Publication Number:
  US 20110308071A1
• Time in Patent Office: 425 Days
• Field of Search: 29596-598, 310/156.56, 310/54, 310/58, 310/64
• US Class Current: 29/596
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 1/278 Surface mounted magnets; Inset magnets
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 1/32 with channels or ducts for flow of cooling medium
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49009 Dynamoelectric machine
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49012 Rotor

Abstract

A permanent magnet rotor for an electrical generator includes a rotor shaft and a rotor core mounted coaxially upon the rotor shaft. The rotor core defines a plurality of longitudinal core passages which include a segment of a rotor cooling circuit, and further includes a permanent magnet outer core component mounted on an inner core component and including a plurality of permanent magnets. A cooling liquid containment mechanism for the permanent magnet rotor includes a first liquid containment cover coupled to the inner core component and a second liquid containment cover coupled to the inner core component. The liquid containment covers are configured to contain cooling liquid passed from an inlet segment of the rotor cooling circuit defined by the rotor shaft into the plurality of longitudinal core passages, and thenceforth into an outlet segment of the rotor cooling circuit also defined by the rotor shaft. The liquid containment covers are mounted on the inner core component at locations radially inward of a cylindrical outer surface thereof.

Claims

1. A method of assembling a permanent magnet rotor for an electrical generator comprising:

mounting an inner core component having a plurality of longitudinally extending core passages coaxially on a rotor shaft defining a first longitudinally extending shaft passage and a second longitudinally extending shaft passage;

positioning a permanent magnet outer core component circumferentially about the inner core component;

fluidly connecting a first rotor cooling circuit segment which includes the first longitudinally extending shaft passage with a second rotor cooling circuit segment which includes the plurality of longitudinally extending core passages via sealingly coupling a first liquid containment cover to a first axial end of the inner core component at a first mounting location which is radially inward of a cylindrical outer surface of the inner core component; and

fluidly connecting the second rotor cooling circuit segment with a third rotor cooling circuit segment which includes the second longitudinally extending shaft passage via sealingly coupling a second liquid containment cover to a second axial end of the inner core component at a second mounting location which is radially inward of the cylindrical outer surface of the inner core component.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

establishing a solid-to-solid heat rejection path extending radially inward from a plurality of permanent magnets of the permanent magnet outer core component into the inner core component by way of positioning the permanent magnet outer core component circumferentially about the inner core component; and

establishing a solid-to-fluid heat rejection path extending from the inner core component into the second rotor cooling circuit segment by way of fluidly connecting the first rotor cooling circuit segment with the second rotor cooling circuit segment and fluidly connecting the second rotor cooling circuit segment with the third rotor cooling circuit segment.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein:

fluidly connecting the first rotor cooling circuit segment further includes bolting the first liquid containment cover to a first radial land area located on the first axial end; and

fluidly connecting the second rotor cooling circuit segment further includes bolting the second liquid containment cover to a second radial land area located on the second axial end.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein:

bolting the first liquid containment cover further includes bolting the first liquid containment cover via a first bolted joint having a first set of bolts mated with a first set of bolt holes formed in the first radial land area and a first O-ring seal positioned between the first radial land area and the first liquid containment cover; and

bolting the second liquid containment cover further includes bolting the second liquid containment cover via a second bolted joint having a second set of bolts mated with a second set of bolt holes formed in the second radial land area and a second O-ring seal positioned between the second radial land area and the second liquid containment cover.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising orienting each of the first and second liquid containment covers with respect to the inner core component at least in part by aligning radially asymmetric bolt holes formed in each one of the first and second liquid containment covers with radially asymmetric bolt holes formed in the respective first and second radial land areas.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

forming a wetted wall of a first cavity fluidly connecting the first rotor cooling circuit segment with the second rotor cooling circuit segment via an axially inward side of the first liquid containment cover; and

forming a wetted wall of a second cavity fluidly connecting the second rotor cooling circuit segment with the third rotor cooling circuit segment via an axially inward side of the second liquid containment cover.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising mounting a balancing mass upon at least one of the first and second liquid containment covers.