General Electric Company

Gene D Lester

Harold B Harms

Donald S Cushing

Richard F Broo

Tsung K Chang

William M Hood

John P Barrett

Richard A Morgan

An apparatus for pumping fluid such as an integral pump/motor is provided. A housing having an inlet and an outlet has a rotatable assembly including an impeller located within and adapted to rotate within the housing to move fluid through the housing from the inlet to the outlet. Secured to the exterior of the housing is a stationary assembly for applying an electromagnetic field through the housing to and around the impeller to rotate the impeller and thereby to cause it to move fluid through the housing. The apparatus is for use in a cooling system, such as a cooling system of an automobile engine, to pump fluid through the cooling system. A temperature sensor is provided for sensing the temperature of the fluid within the cooling system. An electronic control, responsive to the temperature sensor, supplies electrical power to stationary assembly. Also, a method of circulating fluid within a system, such as a cooling system of an automobile engine, is disclosed. An electromagnetic field is applied through a housing to and around a rotatable assembly including an impeller located in the housing thereby to axially rotate the impeller and cause it to move fluid through the housing.

Electronically commutated motor driven apparatus including an impeller

Growing community of inventors

Louisville, KY, United States of America

Gene D Lester