General Electric Company

Paul Robert Hokanson

Ajith Kuttannair Kumar

Michael Doud Leisenring

Maurice Frank Dalton

Gerald Burt Kliman

Richard Kenneth Barton

Edward S Matulevich

Rudolph Alfred Albert Koegl

Michael Paul Treanor

George C Veith

Mark Louis Nicolussi

Edward Sylvester Matulevich

A high-altitude railroad locomotive adapted for more reliable operation at high altitudes, wherein the high-altitude railroad locomotive includes a semiconductor electric power control component, and wherein due to the high altitude the locomotive would be exposed to high levels of cosmic radiation tending to damage the semiconductor electric power control component is provided. The high-altitude locomotive includes electric power generation equipment, a plurality of traction motors mechanically connected to wheels supporting the high altitude locomotive and an electric power transmission system for transmitting electrical power from the electric power generation equipment to the plurality of traction motors. A DC bus is also included and electrically connected to the traction motors and a power controller for controlling the transmission of power over the DC bus, the traction motors having a second active motor volume, wherein the second active motor volume is larger than the first active motor volume to enable the DC bus voltage of the high-altitude locomotive to be reduced relative to the first DC bus voltage while generating a range of mechanical power sufficient to propel the locomotive at high altitudes, whereby the combined effects on the semiconductor electric power control component caused by the DC bus voltage of the high-altitude locomotive and by the cosmic radiation correspond to these effects on the semiconductor electric power control components of the low-altitude locomotive when operating at low altitudes to reduce the likelihood of failure of the semiconductor electric power control component of the high-altitude locomotive.

Optimized locomotive traction system

An AC motorized wheel arrangement includes a wheel frame including a flange for attachment to a truck body; a wheel hub; roller bearings for supporting the wheel hub on the wheel frame; a shaft; an AC motor attached to a portion of the wheel frame facing an inboard side of the wheel for turning the shaft; a transmission attached to a portion of the wheel frame facing an outboard side of the wheel and connected to the shaft and the wheel hub for turning the wheel hub; and a service brake mounted between the wheel frame and the wheel hub. In a ventilation arrangement, two wheel frames are attached to opposite outer sides of and axle box and two alternating current motors are positioned in the axle box with each motor frame attached to one of the wheel frames. The motor frames include holes for permitting air from the axle box to enter the motors, and an air outlet housing is positioned between the two motors for receiving air from the two motors and directing air out a rear opening of the axle box.

AC motorized wheel arrangement

A direct current machine monitoring system includes a current sensor for monitoring load current of the machine; and a computer for obtaining a power spectrum in a range including a machine trait-passing frequency, determining a magnitude of a maximum peak in the power spectrum in a range including the trait-passing frequency plus or minus an uncertainty frequency, and evaluating the magnitude of the maximum peak to assess a condition of the machine. The computer may additionally or alternatively be used for obtaining a low frequency power spectrum of the load current, obtaining at least one magnitude of a component of the power spectrum at a respective predicted frequency, and evaluating the at least one magnitude of the component to assess the condition of the machine.

Direct current machine monitoring system and method

A segmented stator end turn air deflector for an electric motor having a stator and a rotor. The stator has a plurality of stator coils with end turns and a plurality of air passages extending longitudinally through the stator. A frame having an inlet end and an outlet end surrounds the stator. The rotor is rotatably mounted inside the stator and the frame. Brackets are coupled adjacent to the outlet end of the frame in a circular orientation. An air baffle assembly is coupled with respect to the stator adjacent to the outlet end and extending between, but out of contact with, the frame and ends of the coils for the purpose of directing any air flowing from the air passages onto the end turns. The air baffle assembly includes a plurality of arcuate segments each coupled to a respective one of the brackets. The air baffle assembly further has a radially interior arcuate end and a radially exterior arcuate end and angularly oriented side edges which converge inwardly.

Segmented stator end turn air deflector for force ventilated AC motor

An alternating current (AC) motor system includes an AC motor having a rotor and a stator with the rotor having a plurality of air passes for passing cooling air and the stator having end windings extending from each end. An air deflector is coupled to one end of the rotor and has a generally curved configuration for directing cooling air exiting the air passages into a generally radial flow direction and onto the stator end windings. The stator end windings comprise turns of a plurality of electrical conductors forming the stator winding circuits which are wound to form a plurality of phase windings. Controllable switches are connected to the winding circuits for coupling the phase windings into either a parallel or series circuit arrangement. The system is responsive to motor speed and operating state for selectively switching the windings between the series and parallel electrical circuit arrangements. Resistors are coupled in series electrical circuit with each of the electrical phase windings and controllable switches are coupled in parallel with the resistors for selectively bypassing phase current around the resistors.

AC motor system

A brush cooling system for a direct current electric motor of the type having a housing with an air inlet at one end for admitting forced cooling air to the motor and brushes located at an end of the motor distal from the air inlet, includes at least one air duct extending from the air inlet end of the motor through a space defined by adjacent stator windings of the motor and terminating at about an end of the windings opposite the air inlet end. A convergent nozzle is releasably connected to the terminating end of the air duct and extends from the air duct to an area generally adjacent the motor brushes for directing cooling air from the duct onto the brushes. Field coils of the stator windings are separated by air spaces and the air ducts extend through the air spaces between field coils. Each air space not including an air duct is substantially blocked by a baffle inserted in the space for inhibiting air flow through the air space. An air deflector is connected to the housing adjacent the distal end of the motor windings with an end of the air duct extending through the air deflector for connection to the nozzle. A bracket couples the nozzle to the air deflector for supporting the nozzle in the motor.

Cold air cooling of brushes for motorized wheels

The trailing edge of a carbon brush for commutating electric machines has a notch flanked by an ear on either side. The brush can include one or more wafers. The angular thickness of the trailing brush wafer at the notch is such that the brush does not touch more than n commutator contacts at a time. However, the brush wafer is thick enough at the ears to touch n+1commutator contacts at a time. The relatively high resistance of the ears improves commutation.

Notched carbon brush for rotating electric machines

Method and apparatus for optimizing power delivered by a prime mover-driven electric power alternator to an adjustable speed electric traction motor during high speed operation. The alternator is suitably controlled to deliver constant power if its output voltage does not exceed a first predetermined magnitude corresponding to a 'corner point' speed of the motor and to limit the voltage magnitude when motor speed exceeds this corner point, thereby preventing excitation current from exceeding the maximum continuous field current rating of the alternator. As motor speed increases above corner point speed, less power is delivered to the motor, but the power reduction is minimized by increasing the voltage limit above the first predetermined magnitude. The amount of voltage limit increases, up to a predetermined maximum amount, is proportional to the amount load current in the motor decreases below its magnitude when motor speed equals corner point speed. Concurrently with this voltage limit increases, the ratio of motor field current magnitude to load current is reduced, thereby weakening the motor field which enables the motor to run at its maximum allowable speed without exceeding the motor commutation limit whenever the predetermined maximum amount of voltage limit increase is obtained.

Growing community of inventors

Girard, PA, United States of America

Paul Robert Hokanson