Integrated motor and fluid pump

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016169231-A1
Application number	US-201514729405-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 3, 2015
Priority date	Dec 16, 2014
Publication date	Jun 16, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An electric pump powered by an electric motor having a stator disposed within a hollow rotor is provided. Impellers on the rotor outer surface extend into a fluid flow path defined by the pump. One or more torque-producing rotor sections are driven by a plurality of independently controllable stator sections disposed within the rotor cavity. The relative positions of the rotor and stator are maintained by a plurality of bearings configured to allow rotation of the rotor and defining a bearing span. The pump is configured such that the stator and rotor share the same bearing span. Such an arrangement reduces motor windage losses relative to conventional motors in which the rotor is disposed within the stator, owing to a reduction in the diameter of the air gap between the stator and the rotor. In addition, the peripheral speed of the pump is increased owing to an increase in the rotor diameter.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An electric pump comprising:
(a) a hollow rotor defining a rotor inner surface, a rotor outer surface and a rotor cavity; (b) a stator comprising a plurality of independently controllable stator sections disposed within the rotor cavity; and (c) a plurality of bearings configured to allow rotation of the rotor; wherein the hollow rotor comprises (i) one or more impellers fixed to the rotor outer surface, and (ii) one or more torque-producing complements to the independently controllable stator sections.

2 . The electric pump according to claim 1 , wherein the stator and rotor are configured as a squirrel cage induction motor.

3 . The electric pump according to claim 1 , wherein the stator and rotor are configured as an interior permanent magnet motor.

4 . The electric pump according to claim 3 , wherein the stator and rotor are configured as a surface permanent magnet motor.

5 . The electric pump according to claim 3 , wherein the stator and rotor are configured as an inset permanent magnet motor.

6 . The electric pump according to claim 1 , wherein the stator and rotor are configured as a synchronous reluctance motor.

7 . The electric pump according to claim 1 , further comprising a coolant fluid recirculation system.

8 . The electric pump according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more impellers are configured as a single pump stage.

9 . The electric pump according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more impellers are configured as a plurality of pump stages.

10 . The electric pump according to claim 9 , wherein at least two of the pump stages are arranged back to back and configured for parallel pumping of a production fluid.

11 . The electric pump according to claim 9 , wherein at least two of the pump stages are arranged back to back and configured for series pumping of a production fluid.

12 . The electric pump according to claim 1 , wherein one or more of the stator sections comprises stator windings arranged in a distributed winding configuration.

13 . The electric pump according to claim 1 , wherein one or more of the stator sections comprises stator windings arranged in a concentrated winding configuration.

14 . An electric pump comprising:
(a) a hollow rotor defining a rotor inner surface, a rotor outer surface and a rotor cavity; (b) a stator comprising a plurality of independently controllable stator sections disposed within the rotor cavity; (c) a plurality of bearings configured to allow rotation of the rotor; (d) one or more diffusers extending into a fluid flow path defined by the pump; and (e) a coolant fluid recirculation system; wherein the hollow rotor comprises (i) one or more impellers fixed to the rotor outer surface and extending into the fluid flow path, and (ii) a plurality of torque-producing complements to the independently controllable stator sections.

15 . The electric pump according to claim 14 , wherein the coolant fluid recirculation system is configured to use ambient production fluid as a coolant.

16 . The electric pump according to claim 14 , wherein the coolant fluid recirculation system comprises a dedicated fluid cooling circuit configured to cool the stator.

17 . The electric pump according to claim 14 , wherein the coolant fluid recirculation system is configured to bring coolant fluid into contact with one or more of the plurality of bearings.

18 . The electric pump according to claim 14 , wherein the stator and rotor are configured as a squirrel cage induction motor, an interior permanent magnet motor, a surface permanent magnet motor, an inset permanent magnet motor; a synchronous reluctance motor; or a combination of two or more of the foregoing configurations.

19 . The electric pump according to claim 14 , wherein the one or more impellers are configured as a plurality of pump stages.

20 . An electric pump comprising:
(a) a hollow rotor defining a rotor inner surface, a rotor outer surface and a rotor cavity; (b) a stator comprising a plurality of independently controllable stator sections disposed within the rotor cavity; (c) a plurality of bearings configured to allow rotation of the rotor; (d) one or more diffusers extending into a fluid flow path defined by the pump; (e) a coolant fluid recirculation system; (f) a pump housing; (g) one or more fluid inlets; and (h) one or more fluid outlets; wherein the hollow rotor comprises (i) one or more impellers fixed to the rotor outer surface and extending into the fluid flow path, and (ii) a plurality of torque-producing complements to the independently controllable stator sections.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Michelassi Vittorio
• Ashar Siddharth Navinchandra
• Sezal Ismail Hakki
• Du Cauze De Nazelle Rene
• Marotta Egidio
• Balasubramanian Ravishankar
• Osama Mohamed

Classifications

• F04D31/00 Primary

  Pumping liquids and elastic fluids at the same time · CPC title

• H02K9/197

  in which the rotor or stator space is fluid-tight, e.g. to provide for different cooling media for rotor and stator · CPC title

• H02K17/16

  having rotors with internally short-circuited windings, e.g. cage rotors · CPC title

• H02K1/2786

  Outer rotors · CPC title

• F04D29/181

  Axial flow rotors (F04D29/185 take precedence) · CPC title