Fluid machine and underwater vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12286202-B2
Application number	US-202217703093-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 24, 2022
Priority date	Mar 31, 2021
Publication date	Apr 29, 2025
Grant date	Apr 29, 2025

Abstract

A fluid machine includes: a shaft portion extending in an axis direction; a shroud provided to surround the shaft portion and having a diameter decreasing from an upstream side on one side in the axis direction toward a downstream side on another side in the axis direction, a flow path being formed between the shroud and the shaft portion and having a flow path cross-sectional area decreasing toward the downstream side; a propeller rotatably provided about an axis between the shaft portion and the shroud and configured to pump a fluid from the upstream side toward the downstream side; and a motor provided to correspond to the propeller, the motor including a rotor having a ring-like shape and being fixed to an outer circumference portion of the propeller and accommodated in the shroud and a stator having a ring-like shape surrounding the rotor and being fixed in the shroud, in which the motor is a conical motor in which diameters of the rotor and the stator decrease from the upstream side toward the downstream side.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fluid machine comprising:
a shaft portion extending in an axial direction;
a shroud provided to surround the shaft portion and having a diameter decreasing from an upstream side on one side in the axial direction toward a downstream side on another side in the axial direction, a flow path being formed between the shroud and the shaft portion and having a flow path cross-sectional area decreasing toward the downstream side;
a propeller rotatably provided about an axis between the shaft portion and the shroud and configured to pump a fluid from the upstream side toward the downstream side; and
a motor provided to correspond to the propeller, the motor including
a rotor having a ring shape and being fixed to an outer circumference portion of the propeller and accommodated in the shroud, and
a stator having a ring shape surrounding the rotor and being fixed in the shroud, wherein;

the motor is a conical motor in which diameters of the rotor and the stator decrease from the upstream side toward the downstream side;
the shroud includes a plurality of segments of the shroud divided into a plurality of pieces in the axial direction; and
the fluid machine further includes a coupling portion configured to couple the plurality of segments in the axial direction.

2. The fluid machine according to claim 1 , wherein the shroud has a cross-sectional shape, orthogonal to the axis, of a blade form with an end portion on the upstream side corresponding to a leading edge and an end portion on the downstream side corresponding to a trailing edge.

3. The fluid machine according to claim 1 , wherein
two of the propellers are provided in the axial direction,
rotational directions of the two propellers are opposite to each other,
the motor is provided so as to correspond to each of the two propellers, and
at least one of two of the motors is the conical motor.

4. The fluid machine according to claim 3 , wherein
each of the propellers includes a plurality of blades arranged in a circumferential direction,
a suction side pressure distribution of the blade of the propeller on the downstream side is of a leading edge load type with a load concentrated on a leading edge, and
a suction side pressure distribution of the blade of the propeller on the upstream side is of a balanced load type, with a load more distributed in the axial direction than in the suction side pressure distribution of the blade on the downstream side, and with a load being smaller on an inner side in a radial direction.

5. The fluid machine according to claim 1 , wherein
the propeller includes an inner circumference ring fitted into an outer circumference side of the shaft portion across a clearance, and
the fluid machine further includes:
a thrust bearing fixed to the shaft portion and facing the upstream side of the inner circumference ring entirely over a circumferential direction; and
a strut supporting the shroud relative to the shaft portion.

6. The fluid machine according to claim 1 , wherein
the coupling portion has a convex curved shape protruding from an outside surface of the shroud, and
a cross-sectional shape along the outside surface of the shroud is of a blade form with the upstream side being a leading edge and the downstream side being a trailing edge.

7. A fluid machine comprising:
a shaft portion extending in an axial direction;
a shroud provided to surround the shaft portion and having a diameter decreasing from an upstream side on one side in the axial direction toward a downstream side on another side in the axial direction, a flow path being formed between the shroud and the shaft portion and having a flow path cross-sectional area decreasing toward the downstream side;
a propeller rotatably provided about an axis between the shaft portion and the shroud and configured to pump a fluid from the upstream side toward the downstream side; and
a motor provided to correspond to the propeller, the motor including
a rotor having a ring shape and being fixed to an outer circumference portion of the propeller and accommodated in the shroud, and
a stator having a ring shape surrounding the rotor and being fixed in the shroud, wherein

the motor is a conical motor in which diameters of the rotor and the stator decrease from the upstream side toward the downstream side,
the stator of the conical motor includes:
a stator core including
a back yoke forming an annular shape around the axis and having a diameter decreasing toward the downstream side, and
a plurality of teeth protruding from an inside surface of the back yoke to an inner side in a radial direction, extending in a circumferential direction entirely over the axial direction, and having a thickness in the circumferential direction decreasing, with a diameter decreasing, toward the downstream side; and
a plurality of coils provided to surround an outer surface of each of the teeth.

8. The fluid machine according to claim 7 , wherein
each of the coils includes a rectangular copper wire having a flat shape with a plurality of layers stacked in the radial direction around the teeth, and
each layer of the coil has a rectangular shape with a distance in the circumferential direction decreasing toward the downstream side, as viewed in the radial direction.

9. The fluid machine according to claim 8 , wherein each layer of the coil is inclined to the inner side in the radial direction toward the downstream side.

10. The fluid machine according to claim 9 , wherein axial direction positions of end portions of coil ends of each coil in the axial direction match each other in each layer.

11. The fluid machine according to claim 10 , wherein a portion of each layer of the coil forming the coil end is bent to be in parallel with the axis.

12. A fluid machine comprising:
a shaft portion extending in an axial direction;
a shroud provided to surround the shaft portion and having a diameter decreasing from an upstream side on one side in the axial direction toward a downstream side on another side in the axial direction, a flow path being formed between the shroud and the shaft portion and having a flow path cross-sectional area decreasing toward the downstream side;
a propeller rotatably provided about an axis between the shaft portion and the shroud and configured to pump a fluid from the upstream side toward the downstream side; and
a motor provided to correspond to the propeller, the motor including
a rotor having a ring shape and being fixed to an outer circumference portion of the propeller and accommodated in the shroud, and
a stator having a ring shape surrounding the rotor and being fixed in the shroud, wherein

the motor is a conical motor in which diameters of the rotor and the stator decrease from the upstream side toward the downstream side,
the rotor of the conical motor includes:
a rotor core forming an annular shape around the axis and having a diameter decreasing toward the downstream side; and
a plurality of permanent magnets provided at an interval from the rotor core in a circumferential direction and extending entirely over the axial direction, and

the permanent magnets extend to be inclined to an inner side in a radial direction toward the downstream side and have a width in the circumferential direction decreasing toward the downstream side.

13. The fluid machine according to claim 12 , wherein a magnetization direction of the permanent magnets is orthogonal to an outside surface of the rotor.

14. The fluid machine according to claim 12 , wherein
the propeller further includes an outer circumference ring having a ring s

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Heavy Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Senoo Shigeki
• Isobe Shinichi
• Yamada Wataru
• Nishida Takehiko
• Yamada Takuyoshi
• Hosono Kazuki
• Noda Yoshitomo
• Takeda Hiroki
• Sekine Yuichi

Classifications

• F04D13/06

  the pump being electrically driven · CPC title

• H02K21/14

  with magnets rotating within the armatures · CPC title

• H02K5/132

  Submersible electric motors (H02K5/128 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H02K1/30

  using intermediate parts, e.g. spiders · CPC title

• H02K2205/03

  Machines characterised by thrust bearings · CPC title