AXIAL-FLUX INDUCTION MOTOR PUMP

Abstract

A pump comprises a housing partially defining a cavity, an impeller arranged in cavity, the impeller including a first disk, and a vane arranged on the first disk, the impeller operative to rotate about a rotational axis, a first stator core arranged on the housing, windings arranged on the first stator core, and a first inlet defined by the housing, wherein the first inlet, the impeller, and the housing partially define a fluid flow path.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to pumps, and particularly to an axial-flux induction motor driven centrifugal pump.

BACKGROUND

Centrifugal pumps include a housing with an impeller that is driven by a prime mover to rotate in the housing. Fluid typically enters the pump impeller axially through a suction side intake and is accelerated to flow radially. The housing chamber acts as a diffuser that decelerates the flow of the fluid and increases the pressure of the fluid, which is discharged from an outlet on the pressure side of the pump.

SUMMARY

According to an embodiment, a pump comprises a housing partially defining a cavity, an impeller arranged in cavity, the impeller including a first disk, and a vane arranged on the first disk, the impeller operative to rotate about a rotational axis, a first stator core arranged on the housing, windings arranged on the first stator core, and a first inlet defined by the housing, wherein the first inlet, the impeller, and the housing partially define a fluid flow path.

According to another embodiment, a pump comprises a housing partially defining a cavity, an impeller arranged in cavity, the impeller including a first disk, a second disk, and a vane arranged between the first disk and the second disk, the impeller operative to rotate about a rotational axis, a first stator core arranged on the housing such that a portion of the first stator core partially defines the cavity, windings arranged on the first stator core, and a first inlet defined by the housing, wherein the first inlet, the impeller, and the housing partially define a fluid flow path.

According to yet another embodiment, a pump comprises a housing partially defining a cavity, an impeller arranged in cavity, the impeller including a first disk, and a vane arranged on the first disk, the impeller operative to rotate about a rotational axis, a first stator core arranged on the housing such that a portion of the first stator core partially defines the cavity, windings arranged on the first stator core, and a first inlet defined by the housing, wherein the first inlet, the impellor, and the housing partially define a fluid flow path.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiments and features of the present disclosure will now be described by way of example only, and with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6, of which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a cut-away view along the line A-A of FIG. 2 of an exemplary embodiment of an axial-flux induction motor pump.

FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of the pump of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates an alternate exemplary embodiment of a pump.

FIG. 4 illustrates another alternate exemplary embodiment of a pump.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a fluid flow path.

FIG. 6 illustrates an alternate embodiment of a pump that includes two fluid inlets.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Previous centrifugal pumps often included a prime mover such as an electric motor or engine that was coupled to the impeller via a drive shaft. Such pumps were large and heavy, and used bushings and seals that often needed maintenance.

Some previous centrifugal pumps integrated the pump and motor where the impeller contained permanent magnets such that the impeller acted as the rotor for a brushless direct current (DC) motor. Such pumps produced high axial attractive forces (at zero current state) between the stator and impeller that caused difficulties in practical assembly of the pumps. The magnetic impeller attracted unwanted ferromagnetic debris. The pumps also used more complicated electronics to control the pump motor.

FIG. 1 illustrates a cut-away view along the line A-A (of FIG. 2) of an exemplary embodiment of an axial-flux induction motor pump 100. The pump 100 is a centrifugal type pump having a fluid inlet 102 that communicates through a housing 104. An impeller 106 is arranged in the housing 104 and is arranged to rotate around an axis of rotation 101. The impeller includes vanes 108 arranged between a first disk 110 and a second disk 112 that secure the vanes 108. An electrically conductive material 114 is arranged on the first disk 110. A stator core 116 is arranged proximate to the conductive material 114. Windings 118 are arranged on the stator core 116. The stator core 116 and the conductive material 114 define a gap having a gap width (g). In the illustrated embodiment, the stator core 116 is arranged in the housing 104 such that an inner surface (active surface) 119 of the stator core 116 is proximate to the conductive material 114. The stator core 116 passes through the housing 104 and partially defines the chamber 120 with the housing 104. In the illustrated embodiment the stator core 116 contacts and partially defines the flow path of the fluid.

In the illustrated embodiment, the housing 104 may be formed from any suitable material such as, for example, a plastic or polymer material, a nonmagnetic material such as bronze, aluminium, titanium or ceramic, or a ferromagnetic material such as, for example steel or nickel. The first disk 110 is formed from a suitable ferromagnetic material such as, for example, steel, nickel, or another ferromagnetic alloy. The second disk 112 in the illustrated embodiment, may be formed from any suitable material such as, for example, a plastic or polymer material, or a metallic or ceramic material. In the illustrated embodiment, the second disk 112 may be formed from similar or dissimilar materials as the first disk 110.

The conductive material 114 arranged in contact with the first disk 110, and may include a conductive material such as, for example, copper or silver. The stator core 116 may be a single phase or a poly-phase, and may be formed from, for example, a laminated or sintered powder ferromagnetic material. The windings 118 are formed from, for example, copper or aluminium wire that may be wound about the stator core 116.

In operation, the first disk 110 conducts both electric current and magnetic flux. Eddy currents induced in the first disk 110 interact with the stator magnetic field to produce electromagnetic torque. The torque is applied to the first disk 110, which rotates the impeller 106 about the rotational axis 101. The rotation of the impeller 106 draws fluid through the fluid inlet 102, and increases the velocity and pressure of the fluid as the fluid flows radially outward. The fluid is discharged from the pump 100 via an outlet 202 (described below in FIG. 2).

Higher torque is achieved by increasing the current in the first disk 110 and the magnetic flux density in the gap 103 between the first disk 110 and the stator core 116. The current in the first disk 110 may be increased by reducing the impedance for eddy currents in the first disk 110. The impedance for eddy currents in the first disk 110 can be decreased by arranging a conductive material 114 having a relatively higher conductivity than the conductivity of the first disk 110 on an outer surface 105 of the first disk 110 such that the conductive material 114 is disposed between the first disk 110 and the stator core 116. The conductive material 114 may include, for example, copper or silver, and may be, for example, arranged as a coating on the first disk 110 or may be fabricated by securing a disk of the conductive material 114 to the first disk 110. The arrangement of the conductive material 114 on the disk 110 need not cover the entire outer surface 105 of the disk 110. In alternate embodiments, for example, the conductive material 114 may be arranged as bands proximate to edges of the first disk 110. Radial or skewed slots may also be arranged in the first disk 110 to reduce the impedance for eddy currents of the first disk 110 in other alternate embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of the pump 100. The windings 118 are shown arranged about the stator core 116. In FIG. 2 some of the windings 118 are not shown for clarity. In this regard, in the exemplary embodiment, the windings 118 are arranged axially about the axis of rotation 101 on the stator core 116. FIG. 2 illustrates the fluid outlet 202, which is communicative with the chamber 120.

FIG. 3 illustrates an alternate exemplary embodiment of a pump 300. The pump 300 is similar to the pump 100 (of FIG. 1) described above. The pump 300 includes an additional stator core 116b and additional windings 118b arranged on a side of the impeller 106 opposing the stator core 116a and windings 118a. A disk 110b that is similar to the disk 110a is arranged proximate to the stator core 116b. A conductive material 114b is arranged on the second disk 110b. The operation of the pump 300 is similar to the operation of the pump 100 described above.

FIG. 4 illustrates another alternate exemplary embodiment of a pump 400. The pump 400 is similar to the pump 100 (of FIG. 1) however; the stator core 116 is mounted on an outer surface 401 of the housing 104. In other alternate embodiments, the pump 300 (of FIG. 3) may include stator cores 116a and/or 116b arranged on the outer surface of the housing 104 of pump 300 in a manner similar to the pump 400.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of the fluid flow path 501 of pump 500 similar to the pumps described above. In the illustrated embodiment the fluid flows through the inlet 102 and radially outward from the axis of rotation 101 of the impeller 106. The fluid flows through the gap 103 partially defined by the housing 104, the stator core 116 and the conductive material 114.

FIG. 6 illustrates an alternate embodiment of a pump 600 that includes two fluid inlets, a first fluid inlet 102 and a second fluid inlet 602 opposing the first fluid inlet 102. The fluid flow path 601 is partially defined by the first fluid inlet 102 and the second fluid inlet 602. The arrangement of the inlets 102 and 602 of FIG. 6 may be used in any of the embodiments described above.

The embodiments of a centrifugal pump described above offer a low cost, compact, high speed pump that may be used in a number of fluid systems. The pump avoids using permanent magnets, which attract unwanted ferromagnetic debris. The pump has low susceptibility to electromagnetic interference, and may be assembled easily.

Although the figures and the accompanying description describe particular embodiments, it is to be understood that the scope of this disclosure is not to be limited to such specific embodiments, and is, instead, to be determined by the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A pump comprising:

a housing partially defining a cavity;

an impeller arranged in cavity, the impeller including a first disk, and a vane arranged on the first disk, the impeller operative to rotate about a rotational axis;

a first stator core arranged on the housing;

windings arranged on the first stator core; and

a first inlet defined by the housing, wherein the first inlet, the impeller, and the housing partially define a fluid flow path.

2. The pump of claim 1, further comprising a conductive material arranged on a surface of the first disk such that the conductive material is disposed between the first disk and the first stator core such that the conductive material and the first stator core partially define a gap therebetween.

3. The pump of claim 1, wherein further comprising a second stator core arranged on the housing, wherein the second stator core is arranged circumferentially about the rotational axis.

4. The pump of claim 1, wherein the first disk includes a ferromagnetic material that is conductive to electric current and magnetic flux.

5. The pump of claim 3, wherein the impeller further includes a second disk arranged such that the vane is disposed between the second disk and the first disk, the second disk including a ferromagnetic material that is conductive to electric current and magnetic flux.

6. The pump of claim 5, further comprising a conductive material arranged on a surface of the second disk such that the conductive material is disposed between the second disk and the second stator core such that the conductive material and the first second core partially define a gap therebetween.

7. The pump of claim 2, wherein the conductive material has a higher conductivity than the first disk.

8. The pump of claim 1, further comprising a second inlet defined by the housing, wherein the second inlet partially defines the fluid flow path.

9. The pump of claim 1, wherein the housing includes an outlet communicative with the cavity, the outlet partially defining the fluid flow path.

10. A pump comprising:

a housing partially defining a cavity;

an impeller arranged in cavity, the impeller including a first disk, a second disk, and a vane arranged between the first disk and the second disk, the impeller operative to rotate about a rotational axis;

a first stator core arranged on the housing such that a portion of the first stator core partially defines the cavity;

windings arranged on the first stator core; and

a first inlet defined by the housing, wherein the first inlet, the impeller, and the housing partially define a fluid flow path.

11. The pump of claim 10, further comprising a conductive material arranged on a surface of the first disk such that the conductive material is disposed between the first disk and the first stator core such that the conductive material and the first stator core partially define a gap therebetween.

12. The pump of claim 10, wherein further comprising a second stator core arranged on the housing, wherein the second stator core is arranged circumferentially about the rotational axis.

13. The pump of claim 10, wherein the first disk includes a ferromagnetic material that is conductive to electric current and magnetic flux.

14. The pump of claim 12, wherein the second disk includes a ferromagnetic material that is conductive to electric current and magnetic flux.

15. The pump of claim 12, further comprising a conductive material arranged on a surface of the second disk such that the conductive material is disposed between the second disk and the second stator core such that the conductive material and the second stator core partially define a gap therebetween.

16. A pump comprising:

a housing partially defining a cavity;

an impeller arranged in cavity, the impeller including a first disk, and a vane arranged on the first disk, the impeller operative to rotate about a rotational axis;

a first stator core arranged on the housing such that a portion of the first stator core partially defines the cavity;

windings arranged on the first stator core; and

a first inlet defined by the housing, wherein the first inlet, the impeller, and the housing partially define a fluid flow path.

17. The pump of claim 16, further comprising a conductive material arranged on a surface of the first disk such that the conductive material is disposed between the first disk and the first stator core such that the conductive material and the first stator core partially define a gap therebetween.

18. The pump of claim 16, wherein further comprising a second stator core arranged on the housing, wherein the second stator core is arranged circumferentially about the rotational axis.

19. The pump of claim 16, wherein the first disk includes a ferromagnetic material that is conductive to electric current and magnetic flux.

20. The pump of claim 18, wherein the impeller further includes a second disk arranged such that the vane is disposed between the second disk and the first disk, the second disk including a ferromagnetic material that is conductive to electric current and magnetic flux.