Apparatus for cooling a hermetic motor

Claim 2

An electric motor cooled by a liquid coolant comprising: a sealed casing, said casing having at least one inlet for admitting a liquid coolant and at least one outlet for removing coolant; an annular stator assembly mounted in said casing, said stator assembly including stator windings; a rotor assembly mounted in said motor to rotate within said stator assembly, said rotor assembly and said stator assembly defining a gap therebetween; enclosure means for cooling said stator assembly connected in sealing engagement with said stator assembly and said casing to form an annular chamber around said stator assembly, said annular chamber adapted to accumulate liquid coolant from said inlet, the level of liquid coolant being maintained sufficiently high to at least partially immerse said stator assembly to provide heat transfer from said stator assembly to the liquid coolant, said annular chamber communicating with an outlet in said casing for removing coolant from said annular chamber; a stationary baffle means and a conducting means for urging a liquid coolant into one end of said gap to provide heat transfer for cooling said rotor assembly and said stator assembly, said stationary baffle means disposed within said stator assembly to form a channel enclosing one end of said rotor assembly to channel the liquid coolant into said gap, said conducting means connected to conduct coolant from said annular chamber to said channel for providing a selected amount of coolant in said channel; and means for removing liquid and vaporized coolant from the other end of said gap.

Claim 3

The device as claimed in claim 1 and further including a distributing means connected to said rotor assembly and positioned in said channel to circumferentially distribute the coolant around said gap and to urge the said coolant axially through the gap.

Claim 4

The motor of claim 1 wherein said enclosure means comprises a pair of sealing rings and a pair of tubular members, one said sealing ring extending radially inward from said casing at each end of said stator assembly, one said tubular member extending axially from and connected to a corresponding sealing ring and connected to one end of said stator assembly to form an annular chamber so that said enclosure means said casing form an annular chamber around the outer periphery of said stator assembly.

Claim 5

The motor of claim 1 wherein said coolant distributing means comprises an end ring mounted on said rotor assembly.

Claim 6

The motor of claim 1 wherein said coolant distributing means comprises a fan means mounted on said rotor assembly.

Claim 7

The motor of claim 1 wherein said stator assembly includes laminated stator core with coil slots and wherein said stator field coils are positionEd in said coil slots and having coil ends projecting beyond said laminated stator core, said stator field coils and ends being enclosed by said enclosure means for being cooled by the coolant in the annular chamber.

Claim 8

The motor of claim 1 for use in a refrigeration system wherein said motor drives a compressor connected in fluid series connection with a condenser for liquifying the refrigerant and an evaporator for vaporizing the refrigerant, wherein said coolant comprises the refrigerant of the system, and further including a coolant control means for establishing a selected level of coolant within the annular chamber, said coolant control means including a reservoir coupled to said condenser and to said inlet to receive liquified refrigerant and for controlling the coolant level within the annular chamber.

Claim 9

The electric motor of claim 1 wherein the axis of said annular chamber is horizontal and wherein said conducting means is connected to the lower portion of the annular chamber.

Claim 10

An electric motor from which heat may be removed by a liquid coolant, said motor comprising: a sealed casing, said casing having at least one inlet for admitting a liquid coolant and at least one outlet for removing coolant; an annular stator assembly mounted in said casing, said stator assembly including stator windings; a rotor assembly mounted in said motor to rotate within siad stator assembly, said rotor assembly having at least a first coolant distributing means mounted on one end of said rotor assembly, said rotor assembly and said stator assembly defining a gap therebetween; enclosure means connected in sealing engagement with said stator assembly and said casing to form an annular chamber entirely around said stator assembly, the annular chamber adapted to accumulate coolant from said inlet, said enclosure means comprising a pair of annuli and a pair of tube means, at each and of said stator assembly one said annulus extending radially inwardly from said casing and one said tube extending axially between and fastened to said stator assembly and to said annulus, coolant in the annular chamber cooling said stator assembly, the annular chamber communicating with said outlet for removing coolant from the annular chamber; a stationary baffle means for forming a channel connected to one of said tube means, the channel enclosing said rotor assembly coolant distributing means to dam coolant and communicating with the gap for cooling said rotor assembly and said stator assembly; and a conducting means connected to conduct coolant from the annular chamber to the channel for providing a selected amount of coolant in the channel, coolant in the channel being driven circumferentially about the periphery of said rotor assembly by said coolant distributing means and urged through the gap by said coolant distributing means to provide heat transfer and cool said rotor and stator assemblies; the opposite end of the gap from said coolant distributing means communicating with said outlet for removing cooland from said gap.

Claim 11

An electric motor from which heat may be removed by a liquid coolant, said motor comprising: a sealed casing, said casing having at least one inlet for admitting a liquid coolant and at least one outlet for removing coolant; an annular stator assembly mounted in said casing, said stator assembly including stator windings; a rotor assembly mounted in said motor to rotate within siad stator assembly, said rotor assembly having at least a first coolant distributing means mounted on one end of said rotor assembly, said rotor assembly and said stator assembly defining a gap therebetween; enclosure means connected in sealing engagement with said stator assembly and said casing to form an annular chamber entirely around said stator assembly, the annular chamber adapted to accumulate coolant from said inlet, said enclosure means comprising a pair of annuli and a pair of tube means, at each and of said stator assembly one said annulus extending radially inwardly from said casing and one said tube extending axially between and fastened to said stator assembly and to said annulus, coolant in the annular chamber cooling said stator assembly, the annular chamber communicating with said outlet for removing coolant from the annular chamber; a stationary baffle means for forming a channel connected to one of said tube means, the channel enclosing said rotor assembly coolant distributing means to dam coolant and communicating with the gap for cooling said rotor assembly and said stator assembly; and a conducting means connected to conduct coolant from the annular chamber to the channel for providing a selected amount of coolant in the channel, coolant in the channel being driven circumferentially about the periphery of said rotor assembly by said coolant distributing means and urged through the gap by said coolant distributing means to provide heat transfer and cool said rotor and stator assemblies; the opposite end of the gap from said coolant distributing means communicating with said outlet for removing cooland from said gap.

Claim 12

The motor of claim 9 wherein said stationary baffle is mounted on said enclosure means for disposition within said annular stator assembly to form said channel.

Claim 13

The device of claim 6 wherein said enclosure means includes a dispensing outlet positioned to drop coolant from said annular chamber onto the end of said rotor assembly opposite from said first coolant distributing means.