Patent Application
20210075274
The present application claims priority to European Patent Application No. 19196661.3, entitled “STACK OF LAMINATIONS FOR A STATOR HAVING COOLING CHANNELS”, and filed on Sep. 11, 2019. The entire contents of the above-listed application is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.
The present disclosure relates to a stack of laminations for a stator. At least one axially extending cooling channel is formed inside the stack. The stator can be part of an electric machine such as an electric motor or an electric generator.
An electric motor can comprise a stator and a rotor rotatably mounted with respect to the stator. By energizing windings of the stator with an alternating current the rotor starts rotating. However, during operation of the electric motor, electric current energizing the windings results in heating of the windings due to the inherent resistance of the windings. Such heat can result in insulation breakdown and thermal distortion of the machine. Moreover, such heat limits the output power of the rotor.
Cooling an electric motor or generator can lead to a higher power density thereof. This facilitates downsizing of the machines, since a smaller machine can be used having the same power as its uncooled equivalent. Thus, in order to increase power density of electric motors and generators, it can be beneficial to provide a cooling system to cool the respective machine.
Some prior art solutions provide cooling jackets that are press or shrink fitted around a stator component of the machine. However, providing additional cooling jackets increases the overall dimensions of the machine which impairs downsizing of the machine. Furthermore, efficiency of heat dissipation may be not optimal due to thermal resistance between the stator and the cooling jacket as a result of contact resistance of the press or shrink fitted cooling jacket and the stator.
Other solutions integrate the cooling ducts into the stator itself rather than using a separate water jacket. For instance, documents EP 0 627 804 A2 and U.S. Pat. No. 8,519,577 B2 discuss cooling the stator by providing cooling channels in the stator.
There is an ongoing need to further improve cooling components of electric machines such as electric motors and generators.
The present disclosure has been made to address or solve at least one of the objects stated above.
According to the embodiments described, a stack of laminations for a stator of an electric machine is provided. Each lamination comprises a plurality of teeth, and a plurality of holes. The laminations are aligned relatively to one other such that the teeth form winding spaces for receiving stator windings, and the holes form at least one axially extending cooling channel inside the stack. Moreover, adjacent holes of at least two adjacent laminations are geometrically different.
By providing the above defined stack, the cooling channel is formed at least in part by geometrically different holes. This can result in a complex geometry of the cooling channel leading to a turbulent flow of the cooling fluid flowing in the cooling channel. This, in turn, may lead to a better heat transfer between the laminations and the cooling fluid. Geometrically different holes may mean that the holes of differ in size and/or shape and/or orientation.
In one implementation form, a cross-section of the cooling channel varies along the axial direction. For instance, said cross-section may have at least two different shapes and/or sizes and/or orientations along the axial extension of the cooling channel.
It can be envisaged that each lamination and/or a subset of laminations include a first set of holes and a second set of holes, wherein the holes of the first set differ geometrically from the holes of the second set. Thus, at least two different types of holes can be used in a lamination. Some of the laminations, however, may include solely one type of holes.
Optionally, at least two laminations and/or all laminations are equally shaped and sized, in particular with respect to their holes and teeth. However, the angular orientation of the at least two laminations relatively to one other may differ from each other. For instance, at least two adjacent laminations may be rotated relatively to one other such that the holes having different geometries of the adjacent laminations at least partially overlap to form the cooling channel. For example, each lamination comprises n teeth, wherein a second lamination is rotated with respect to a first adjacent lamination by an angle of m*360°/n, wherein m is an integer greater than 0 and smaller than n. In a particular embodiment, each lamination comprises n teeth, and each lamination is rotated with respect to its adjacent lamination by an angle of 360°/n. This can be particularly advantageous if identical laminations are used being manufactured by the same tool (see also below).
In a further development, at least one cooling channel includes at least one impingement element or impingement structure for laterally deflecting a cooling fluid in said cooling channel. The cooling fluid flow may impact against downstream facing surfaces of the impingement element and/or impingement structure. Laterally deflected means in this context that the flow direction of the cooling fluid has at least a local lateral component that is perpendicular to the axial component. By providing the impingement element or structure inside the cooling channel the cooling fluid flow may be made turbulent. Optionally, the impingement element or structure may be or comprise at least one fin or plate extending inside at least one of the holes. The impingement element or structure may divide the hole into a first subhole and a second subhole.
The teeth may project radially inwardly. Optionally, the holes are located at a side of the lamination opposing the teeth. For instance, the holes are located at a perimeter or circumference of the laminations (e.g. inner or outer perimeter), while the teeth are located at an opposing perimeter or circumference of the laminations (e.g. outer or inner perimeter). In typical embodiments, the laminations encompass a central aperture for receiving a rotor of the electric machine.
The number of cooling holes can be proportional to the number of teeth. Each tooth of a lamination may be assigned a plurality of holes. Preferably, the number of cooling channels exceeds the number of teeth. Thus, each lamination may comprise a number of cooling holes that is greater than the number of teeth of said lamination.
Each lamination may comprise a magnetisable sheet or plate, e.g. made of steel, that is laminated with an electrically insulative coating for electrically insulating the laminations from each other. Optionally, the laminations, in particular the holes and the teeth thereof, are manufactured by the same, or similar, stamping tool or punching tool.
The cooling channels may be connectable to a cooling circuit for cooling the stator of the electric machine. Each cooling channel could comprise an inlet port for receiving a cooling fluid and/or and outlet port for discharging the cooling fluid from the stack. The cooling channels may be part of a cooling circuit. The cooling circuit may include a pump for pumping the cooling fluid through the cooling channels. Furthermore, a heat exchanger may be envisaged in the cooling circuit. In some embodiments, the cooling fluid comprises a liquid such as oil. In some embodiments, the cooling fluid comprises a gas such as air. The cooling fluid can be stable at working temperatures of the machine and/or can have electrically insulating properties.
The present disclosure also contemplates an electric machine comprising a stator having the above mentioned stack of laminations. The electric machine may be an electric motor or an electric generator. The electric machine may further comprise a rotor that is arranged radially to the stator. In preferred embodiments, the stator radially encompasses the rotor. Alternatively, the rotor may radially encompass the stator.
Furthermore, the present disclosure provides, according to various embodiments described, a method of manufacturing a stack of laminations. In some embodiments, the method comprises the steps of
In some embodiments, at least two adjacent holes of adjacent laminations are geometrically different.
Optionally, in the step of providing a plurality of laminations, substantially equally shaped laminations are provided, wherein each lamination includes at least two holes that are geometrically different. Geometrically different may mean that the corresponding holes have a different shape, size and/or orientation. The method may further comprise the step of rotating adjacent laminations such that geometrically different holes of the adjacent laminations at least partially overlap to form the cooling channel.
Typically, the teeth and holes are provided in each lamination by a punching tool or a stamping tool. Preferably, the laminations are manufactured by the same, or similar, stamping or punching tool. This eliminates the need for different stamping or punching tools. By fabricating the laminations with the same tool, the cost of the laminations can be reduced while ease of assembly can be increased.
The method is particularly suited for manufacturing the above mentioned stack of laminations. The skilled person recognizes the features described only with regard to the method may be combined with the features described with regard to the stack and vice versa, as long as they do not contradict each other.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.
Further features, properties and advantages of the present disclosure will become clear from the following description of embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings are incorporated herein as part of the specification. The drawings described herein illustrate embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter, and are illustrative of selected principles and teachings of the present disclosure. However, the drawings do not illustrate all possible implementations of the presently disclosed subject matter, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.
In the following, for ease of description similar or equal features are indicated by the same reference numerals.
In case the electric machine 1 is a motor, the motor converts electrical energy fed to the stator windings to rotational energy of the rotor 2. The stator windings can be connected to an AC current source to receive alternating current. In alternative embodiments, the electric machine 1 may be a generator that converts mechanical energy of the rotating rotor 2 to electrical energy by means of electromagnetic induction. In this case, the stator windings are connected to an electrical grid for providing alternating current.
The stator 4 defines a central aperture 5. The rotor 2 is located inside the central aperture 5 and is able to rotate about a rotation axis 31. The stator 4 further comprises two end plates 11. The laminations 7 are arranged between the two end plates 11. The end plates 11 are used to compress the laminations 7 to form the laminated stator core and at the same time provide support for the end loops of the stator coils.
Each stator lamination 7 and each end plate 11 comprises a number of holes 21 which are located such that the holes 21 of the laminations 7 and the holes 21 of the end plates 11 are aligned with each other when the stator 4 is assembled to form a number of cooling channels 15. The cooling channels 15 can be formed by the stator material itself, i.e. they are not covered by a resin or the like.
Each cooling channel 15 may comprise an inlet port 17 which is located in one of the end plates 11 and an outlet port 18 which is located in the opposite end plate 11. The inlet port 17 can be connected to reservoir 12 by means of a tubing 16. The reservoir 12 can be filled with oil as cooling liquid 13. Between the reservoir 12 and the inlet port 17 pump 14 and heat exchanger 20 are located. The heat exchanger 20 can also be placed at another position. The cooling liquid 13 can be pumped by means of the pump 14 through the tubing 16 into the cooling channels 15. In
The inlet ports 17 may be fitted with nipples which facilitate piping. Rubber or plastic tubing 16 can be attached to the nipples. Moreover, the outlet ports 18 can be fitted with orifices that act as simple throttles for the liquid flow. The orifices at the duct outlets 18 ensure even flow through all cooling ducts by ensuring that the pressure loss is generally concentrated at the end of the cooling ducts 15. When the cooling fluid 13 emerges from the cooling channels 15 at the outlet port 18 it may either run through pipes back to the pump 14 or may simply be allowed to fall into the reservoir 12 at the bottom of the generator housing.
Generally, the cooling fluid can be oil as or a similar liquid that is stable at high temperatures, e.g. higher than 100°, or 200°, and preferably has good electrically insulating properties.
Thus, the cooling liquid (or sometimes gas) forced through the cooling channels 15 picks up heat energy from the laminations 7 and carries the heat to outside the machine 1 thus extending the power capability of the machine 1.
In accordance with the present disclosure, a stack 3 of laminations 7, 8, 9 or a stack of laminations 8, 9 is provided. Thus, laminations 8 and 9 are used in addition to the above described lamination 7 or instead of lamination 7. The stack 3 of laminations 7, 8, 9 can form the stator 4 of the machine 1 and/or can be used in combination with the machine 1 and/or the cooling circuit 10 as described above.
The stack 3 comprises laminations 7, 8, 9, wherein parts of the laminations 8 and 9 are shown in
Each lamination 7, 8, 9 may comprise a metallic plate that is laminated with an electrically insulative coating for electrically insulating the laminations from each other. Generally, the laminations 7, 8, 9 may have a disk shape. The stack 3 may comprise at least 10, at least 100 or at least 1000 laminations or even more, depending on the practical application. Each lamination 7, 8, 9 may have a thickness of at least 0.1 mm and/or at most 1 mm. More specifically, said thickness may be at least 0.25 mm and/or at most 0.5 mm.
In the embodiments shown, each of the laminations 8, 9 has an inner periphery being defined by an array of inwardly projecting teeth 6. Usually, the teeth 6 are formed in the laminations 8, 9 by stamping out winding slots in the laminations. In the stack 3, the laminations 7, 8, 9 are aligned relatively to one other such that the teeth 6 provide the winding spaces for receiving stator windings of the stator 4. For instance, the number n of teeth 6 of each lamination 7, 8, 9 can be 24, 36 or 48. However, the number n of teeth is not restricted thereto. In alternative embodiments, the number n of teeth 6 may be smaller or greater than 24, 36 or 48.
The stack may comprise a first plurality of laminations 8 and a second plurality of laminations 9. The first and second laminations 8, 9 shown in
The first and second laminations comprise a first plurality of holes 22 and a second plurality of holes 23. The holes 22, 23 form at least one axially extending cooling channel 25, 35 inside the stack 3. As shown, the total number of holes 22, 23 is greater than the total number of teeth 6.
The holes 22, 23 are for instance located on a circle which shares its centre point with the rotor 5 of the electrical machine 1. The number of holes 22, 23 on this circle is typically higher than the number of teeth 6/stator slots that carry the stator windings. The holes 22, 23 however, are not all identical. The holes 22 geometrically differ from the holes 23. For instance, the holes 22, 23 may have a different size, shape and/or orientation. Their geometry is chosen such that, when the stator 4 is stacked according to the process outlined below, cooling channels 25, 35 with complex 3D geometries can be created.
Each of the holes 23 includes an impingement member 24 extending inside the hole 23 such that the hole 23 is divided into two subholes 28, 29. In some instances, the impingement member 24 may be a fin. As the laminations 8, 9 are rotated relatively to one other, the holes 23 having the fins 24 are aligned with the holes 22 without fins.
Thus, differently shaped holes 22, 23 overlap resulting in axially extending cooling channels 25, 35 between holes on successive laminations.
As can be seen from
A difference between the cooling channel 35 of
By providing some of the punched holes 23 with a “bridge” 24, complex cooling channel geometries can be created. In some of the cooling channels, impingement member 24 is punched. When this lamination is used for stacking, the impingement members 24 will be present in all cooling channels 25, 35 since each lamination 9 is rotated by one tooth 6 with respect to the previous lamination 8. For instance, the second lamination 9 of
By changing the geometry (size, shape or orientation) of the adjacent holes 22, 23 in the laminations 8, 9, also more complex geometries can be created, with a more pronounced 3D shape of the impingement members 24 or a wall of the cooling channel 25, 35. An example is shown in
The laminations 7, 8, 9 may also include apertures (not shown) for passage therethrough of fasteners, such as an elongated bolt which may be used in the assembly of the stator 4 and may assist in compressing the laminations against each other. Slots along the perimeter of the laminations 7, 8, 9 may be used to align the stacked laminations 7, 8, 9 of the stator 4.
Positioning the cooling channels 25, 35 adjacent the perimeter or circumference of the laminations 7, 8, 9 may prevent interfering with the electromagnetic flux in the lamination 7, 8, 9 generated by energizing the windings.
The present disclosure also relates to a method of manufacturing a stack 3 of laminations for a stator 4 of an electric machine 1. First, a plurality of laminations 8, 9 is provided by punching or stamping laminated metallic plates such that each lamination has a plurality of teeth 6 and a plurality of holes 22, 23. For instance, the teeth 6 and the holes 22, 23 are formed by using a punching tool. The teeth 6 may be formed by punching stator slots into the laminations. The holes 22, 23 are formed by punching apertures into the laminations. The laminations 8, 9 can have the same geometry (e.g. the same shape and size) and are preferably manufactured by the same, or similar, stamping tool or punching tool. Each lamination 8, 9 includes at least two holes 22, 23 that are geometrically different, i.e. have a different shape, size and/or orientation.
In a subsequent step, the laminations 8, 9 are aligned relatively to one other such that the teeth 6 form winding spaces 30 for receiving stator windings, and the holes 22, 23 form axially extending cooling channels 25, 35 inside the stack 3. At least two adjacent holes (22, 23) of adjacent laminations 8, 9 are geometrically different.
During alignment of the laminations, adjacent laminations 8, 9 are rotated by an angle α relatively to one other such that geometrically different holes 22, 23 of the adjacent laminations 8, 9 at least partially overlap to form the cooling channel 25, 35. In particular, the angle α can be m*360°/n, where n is the number of teeth 6 of each lamination, and m is an integer smaller than n and greater than 0.
It should be mentioned that the method is particularly suitable for manufacturing the stack 3 of laminations as described above with reference to
Throughout this specification relative language such as the words ‘about’ and ‘approximately’ may be used. Unless otherwise specified or described, this language seeks to incorporate at least 10% variability to the specified number or range. That variability may be plus 10% or negative 10% of the particular number specified.
The foregoing description is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the described embodiments. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the described embodiments to the exact construction and processes shown and described herein. Accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be considered as falling within the scope of the described embodiments as defined by the claims which follow.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19196661.3 | Sep 2019 | EP | regional |
