Electrical machine having a rotor for cooling the electrical machine

• US 9,787,164 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2013
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Innomotics GmbH
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Bttner, Klaus, Kirchner, Klaus, Warmuth, Matthias
• Primary Examiner(s): MULLINS, BURTON S
• Application Number:
  US14/383,295
• Publication Number:
  US 20150042185A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,679 Days
• Field of Search: 310 54, 384473, 464183
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/12 Induction machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/50 Structural details of electrical machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/421 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/425 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0061 relating to electrical machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 1/32 with channels or ducts for flow of cooling medium
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 17/16 having rotors with internally short-circuited windings, e.g. cage rotors
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 17/165 characterised by the squirrel-cage or other short-circuited windings
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 9/193 with provision for replenishing the cooling medium; with means for preventing leakage of the 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: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

The invention relates to an electrical machine (1, 51), in particular an asynchronous machine, comprising a stator (2), a rotor (4) which is rotatably mounted about a rotation axis (3) and magnetically interacts with the stator (2) during operation of the electrical machine (1, 51), a shaft (5) on which the rotor (4) is fixed and which has an axial hole (6), and an inflow element (7, 47) which extends into the axial hole (6) such that a coolant (15), in particular a cooling liquid (15), can flow into the axial hole (6) from the inflow element (7, 47). The invention also relates to a cooling system (50) comprising an electrical machine (1, 51) and a coolant circuit (55) for transporting the coolant (15), in particular the cooling liquid (15), through the axial hole (6), and to a vehicle (61) comprising a cooling system (50).

Claims

1. An electrical machine, comprising:

a stator;

a rotor mounted for rotation about an axis of rotation and interacting magnetically with the stator during operation of the electrical machine;

a shaft on which the rotor is fixed and which has an axial bore;

an inflow element sized to extend into the axial bore to enable a coolant to flow out of the inflow element and into the axial bore; and

a chamber disposed at an open end of the shaft, said chamber being delimited in an axial direction by an external axial boundary having one section extending transversely to the axis of rotation and disposed axially close to the shaft and another section also extending transversely to the axis of rotation but disposed axially distant from the shaft and enabling the coolant to be spirally guided around the axis of rotation into a coolant outlet.

2. The electrical machine of claim 1, wherein the coolant is a cooling liquid.

3. The electrical machine of claim 1, wherein the inflow element has an inlet pipe sized to extend into the axial bore.

4. The electrical machine of claim 1, further comprising a transfer element disposed at a closed end of the axial bore and having a recess on a side facing the inflow element for deflecting the coolant, said transfer element for deflecting the coolant at the closed end of the axial bore having a greater coefficient of thermal expansion than the shaft and is pressed against a boundary of the axial bore so that as temperature increases a better heat transfer between the boundary of the axial bore and the transfer element is provided.

5. The electrical machine of claim 1, wherein the rotor comprises a laminated core of a first material and a short-circuiting ring cast on the laminated core and made of a second material which has a specific thermal conductivity that is greater than a specific thermal conductivity of the first material, said short-circuiting ring having a fixing area which is directly attached to the shaft.

6. The electrical machine of claim 1, further comprising a seal and a leakage chamber which are disposed on the shaft such that the seal is able to prevent the coolant from flowing into the leakage chamber.

7. The electrical machine of claim 6, wherein the leakage chamber is at least partially bounded by a radial surface of the shaft, and further comprising a slinger disk provided on the radial surface of the shaft.

8. The electrical machine of claim 6, wherein the seal is disposed on the shaft to enable a fluid to act on a surface of the seal facing the fluid and reduces ingress of the residual leakage.

9. A cooling system, comprising:

an electrical machine including a stator, a rotor mounted for rotation about an axis of rotation and interacting magnetically with the stator during operation of the electrical machine, a shaft on which the rotor is fixed and which has an axial bore, and an inflow element sized to extend into the axial bore to enable a coolant to flow out of the inflow element and into the axial bore;

a coolant circuit configured to transport the coolant through the axial bore; and

a chamber disposed at an open end of the shaft, said chamber being delimited in an axial direction by an external axial boundary having one section extending transversely to the axis of rotation and disposed axially close to the shaft and another section also extending transversely to the axis of rotation but disposed axially distant from the shaft and enabling the coolant to be spirally guided around the axis of rotation into a coolant outlet.

10. The cooling system of claim 9, wherein the coolant is a cooling liquid.

11. The cooling system of claim 9, wherein the inflow element has an inlet pipe sized to extend into the axial bore.

12. The cooling system of claim 9, wherein the electrical machine has a transfer element disposed at a closed end of the axial bore and having a recess on a side facing the inflow element for deflecting the coolant, said transfer element for deflecting the coolant at the closed end of the axial bore having a greater coefficient of thermal expansion than the shaft and is pressed against a boundary of the axial bore so that as temperature increases a better heat transfer between the boundary of the axial bore and the transfer element is provided.

13. The cooling system of claim 9, wherein the rotor comprises a laminated core of a first material and a short-circuiting ring cast on the laminated core and made of a second material which has a specific thermal conductivity that is greater than a specific thermal conductivity of the first material, said short-circuiting ring having a fixing area which is directly attached to the shaft.

14. The cooling system of claim 9, wherein the electrical machine has a seal and a leakage chamber which are disposed on the shaft such that the seal is able to prevent the coolant from flowing into the leakage chamber.

15. The cooling system of claim 14, wherein the leakage chamber is at least partially bounded by a radial surface of the shaft, said electrical machine comprising a slinger disk provided on the radial surface of the shaft.

16. The cooling system of claim 14, wherein the seal is disposed on the shaft to enable a fluid to act on a surface of the seal facing the fluid and reduces ingress of the residual leakage.

17. A vehicle, comprising an electrical machine mounted in or on the vehicle, the electrical machine including a stator, a rotor mounted for rotation about an axis of rotation and interacting magnetically with the stator during operation of the electrical machine, a shaft on which the rotor is fixed and which has an axial bore, and an inflow element sized to extend into the axial bore to enable a coolant to flow out of the inflow element and into the axial bore;

a coolant circuit configured to transport the coolant through the axial bore; and

a chamber disposed at an open end of the shaft, said chamber being delimited in an axial direction by an external axial boundary having one section extending transversely to the axis of rotation and disposed axially close to the shaft and another section also extending transversely to the axis of rotation but disposed axially distant from the shaft and enabling the coolant to be spirally guided around the axis of rotation into a coolant outlet.