Rotor shaft-mounted vapor chambers and heat pipes with endcap heat sinks for electric machines

Abstract

Presented are electric machines with rotor shaft-mounted heat pipes/vapor chambers thermally coupled to endcap-integrated heat sinks, methods for making/using such machines, and vehicles equipped with such machines. An electric machine includes an outer housing, a stator assembly mounted to the housing, and a rotor assembly rotatably mounted adjacent the stator assembly. The stator assembly includes one or more stator windings mounted to an annular stator core. The rotor assembly includes one or more electromagnetic rotor windings mounted to a cylindrical rotor core. A rotor power transfer circuit (PTC) is electrically connected to the rotor assembly to electrify the rotor winding(s). A rotor shaft is attached to the rotor core to rotate in unison therewith. One or more heat pipes are mounted on the rotor shaft's outer surface and project axially between the rotor PTC and rotor core. Each heat pipe passively extracts and transfers thermal energy from the rotor PTC.