Reliance Electric Technologies, LLC

Abb Schweiz Ag

Baldor Electric Company

Qimin Dong

Stefan Rakuff

Joe J Liou

Gregory J Kostrzewsky

Gregory A Cole

Gregory F Rossano

Boris A Shoykhet

Chung-Lung Chen

Andreas A Meyer

Galen E Burdeshaw

Daniel Kearney

Richard F Schiferl

Jack R Young

Giti Karimi-Moghaddam

Michael Brinkmann

Michael A Shea

Anthony Uliana

A mechanical drive system includes a mechanical drive component, an enclosure, and a centrifugal fan. The mechanical drive component has a housing and a rotatable shaft supported within the housing. The enclosure is disposed on the housing and a wall of the housing has an output opening therein through which the rotatable shaft of the mechanical drive component extends and another wall has an intake opening therein. Surfaces of the housing and the walls of the enclosure define an air passage channel extending from the intake opening to the output opening. The centrifugal fan is aligned and in fluid communication with the output opening of the enclosure. The impeller is operatively connected to the rotatable shaft.

Mechanical system with cooling apparatus

A system includes a machine; a centrifugal fan, the centrifugal fan having a plurality of centrifugal fan blades and being constructed to generate a cooling airflow for cooling the machine; and an axial flow inducer disposed on the plurality of centrifugal fan blades, wherein the axial flow inducer is constructed generate an axial flow through a central portion of the centrifugal fan.

System having machine and fan with an axial flow inducer

A system includes a machine having an external surface and a shaft extending from a first side of the machine; a cooling airflow generator mounted on the shaft and operative to generate a cooling airflow for cooling the machine; a flow guide structure constructed to receive the cooling airflow from the cooling airflow generator and to direct the cooling airflow received from the cooling airflow generator across the external surface; and a scavenge scoop spaced apart from the flow guide structure and disposed at a second side of the machine opposite the first side, wherein the external surface is disposed between the scavenge scoop and the flow guide structure, and wherein the scavenge scoop is constructed to collect a portion of the cooling airflow generated by the cooling airflow generator and direct the a portion of the cooling airflow across a portion of the second side of the machine.

Machine and gearbox system with air cooling

A pressure plate for a friction coupling such as a clutch or brake system includes one or more pockets with a phase change material disposed therein. The phase change material operates to absorb and release heat when the friction coupling cycles between activation and deactivation so as to minimize a maximum temperature of the pressure plate.

Pressure plate with phase change material

An electric machine has a stator that comprises a plurality of laminations with teeth and cooling apertures about a central opening. When the laminations are stacked to form the stator core, the teeth of adjacent laminations cooperate to form slots disposed circumferentially about the central opening that are configured to receive a plurality of stator windings, and the cooling apertures angularly spaced about the central opening cooperate to form cooling manifolds that extend along a length of the stator core. A portion of the laminations has their cooling apertures offset from other laminations in the stack in a manner to create a plurality of flow paths transverse to the manifolds. The transverse flow paths extend angularly between laminations and adjacent manifolds. A header assembly directs flow into and out of the stator core.

Micro-channel heat exchanger for stator of electrical machine with supply header

A heat pipe is partially-filled with a liquid, such as water, and is used to transfer heat from a rotating element, such as a rotor, via phase change and internal recycle of the liquid. Several heat pipes may be disposed radially around the rotating axis of the rotating element. The heat pipes may have a curved inner surface with a curvature not corresponding to the central axis of the heat pipe and positioned opposite the rotating axis so to experience greater centrifugal forces, to advance formation of a liquid film to improve heat transfer. For a rotor, the heat pipes, though individually placed as revolving heat pipes, in total exhibit behavior that approximates the favorable heat-transfer behavior of a single larger rotating heat pipe, but with heat-transfer surface area dispersed throughout the rotor, and without compromising structural integrity of the rotor shaft.

Motor rotor cooling with rotation heat pipes

A temperature controlled bearing includes a bearing element disposed within a temperature conductive housing for receiving and facilitating the rotation of a shaft. An oil sump may be formed within the housing or bearing which contains a supply of lubricant for the bearing. At least one fan is mounted to the exterior of the bearing housing, such as adjacent an oil sump. The fan is adapted to transfer heat from the bearing housing to the atmosphere by forced convection. A temperature sensor may be disposed within the bearing housing and coupled to a logic controller. The logic controller operates the fan according the temperature of the bearing as detected by the sensor.

Auxiliary fan cooling of bearing housings

A seal system is provided for a bearing. The bearing includes a housing having two sides and a bearing element disposed within the housing. The bearing element is disposed to facilitate motion of a rotating shaft. The seal system includes a seal carrier which is adapted to be mounted on the bearing housing. The seal carrier has a groove in an inner periphery wherein a seal is disposed within the seal carrier groove. The seal has a soft flexible lip which contacts the rotating shaft. A groove is formed in an outer periphery of the seal for receiving a retaining device. The seal and the seal carrier are mountable on either side of the bearing even when the two sides experience dissimilar environments such as vacuum on one side and a liquid spray on the other. The seal and/or the seal carrier may be split for facilitating simpler in-field installation.

Multi-function seal assembly for rotating shafts

A bearing assembly is provided which includes an annular support member and a plurality of thrust bearing elements coupled to and distributed about the face of the support member. The thrust bearing elements are adapted to receive and support an axial load of a rotating member such as a thrust collar on a shaft. An annular distribution ring is mounted to the face of the support member for restricting motion of the thrust bearing elements. A distribution passage is formed between the distribution ring and the support member in such a manner that the distribution passage carries fluid to and across each of the thrust bearing elements.

Hydrodynamic sleeve bearing with tilting thrust buttons and oil distribution ring

A bearing system includes a lubricant circulation apparatus to provide a continuous supply of a cooled lubricant fluid to a bearing device. The bearing device may be a hydrodynamic sleeve bearing having a bearing housing defining a sump for maintaining lubricant fluid therein. The bearing sump is in fluid communication with a reservoir which maintains a supply of lubricant. A pump communicates with the reservoir to draw a desired quantity of lubricant fluid therefrom and deliver it to a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger uses an existing source of air from an operative pump motor to increase the air circulation through the cooling fins of the heat exchanger. The cooled lubricant is thereafter delivered to the bearing inlet and provides a cooler operating environment for the bearing system.

Growing community of inventors

Greer, SC, United States of America

Qimin Dong