Ferrofluid motor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9543818-B2
Application number	US-201314027240-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 15, 2013
Priority date	Sep 15, 2013
Publication date	Jan 10, 2017
Grant date	Jan 10, 2017

Abstract

A ferrofluid electric motor and methods are presented. A magnetic field is generated by an electromagnet, a flow of a ferrofluid is induced in response to the magnetic field, and a turbine is rotated by the flow of the ferrofluid.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for operating a ferrofluid electrical motor, the method comprising:
generating a rotating magnetic field by a plurality of electromagnets;
inducing a flow of a ferrofluid in response to the rotating magnetic field, where the ferrofluid comprises a liquid which becomes magnetized in a presence of a magnetic field; and
rotating a turbine by the flow of the ferrofluid.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating the rotating magnetic field at a right angle to the flow of the ferrofluid.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving the rotating magnetic field at a passive stator.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of electromagnets comprises a first and second electromagnet, the method further comprising:
generating the rotating magnetic field by the first and second electromagnets.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising rotating an output shaft in response to rotation of the turbine.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising containing the flow of the ferrofluid and the turbine in a contained volume.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising rotating the rotating magnetic field in the contained volume in a direction of the flow of the ferrofluid.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising driving a landing gear with the ferrofluid electric motor.

9. A ferrofluid electric motor configured to perform the method of claim 1 and comprising:
the ferrofluid, wherein the ferrofluid is configured to flow in response to the rotating magnetic field;
a contained volume configured to contain the flow of the ferrofluid;
the plurality of electromagnets, wherein the plurality of electromagnets are configured to generate the rotating magnetic field; and
the turbine, wherein the turbine is configured to rotate in response to the flow of the ferrofluid.

10. The ferrofluid electric motor of claim 9 , wherein the rotating magnetic field is generated at a right angle to the flow of the ferrofluid.

11. The ferrofluid electric motor of claim 9 , further comprising a passive stator configured to receive the rotating magnetic field.

12. The ferrofluid electric motor of claim 9 , further comprising an output shaft configured to rotate in response to rotation of the turbine.

13. The ferrofluid electric motor of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of electromagnets are configured to rotate the rotating magnetic field in the contained volume in a direction of the flow of the ferrofluid.

14. The ferrofluid electric motor of claim 9 , wherein the ferrofluid is configured to be in contact with at least one active electromagnet.

15. The ferrofluid electric motor of claim 9 , wherein the ferrofluid electric motor is configured to drive a landing gear.

16. A method comprising:
producing a ferrofluid electrical motor configured to perform the method of claim 1 , wherein producing the ferrofluid electrical motor comprises:
configuring the ferrofluid to flow in response to the rotating magnetic field;
configuring a contained volume to contain the flow of the ferrofluid;
configuring the plurality of electromagnets to generate the rotating magnetic field; and
configuring the turbine to rotate in response to the flow of the ferrofluid.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising configuring the plurality of electromagnets to generate the rotating magnetic field at a right angle to the flow of the ferrofluid.

18. The method of claim 16 , further comprising configuring a passive stator to receive the rotating magnetic field.

19. The method of claim 16 , further comprising configuring an output shaft to rotate in response to rotation of the turbine.

20. The method of claim 16 , further comprising configuring the plurality of electromagnets to rotate the magnetic field in the contained volume in a direction of the flow of the ferrofluid.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Detloff Shaun

Classifications

• H02K44/18 Primary

  for generating AC power · CPC title

• H02K44/00 Primary

  Machines in which the dynamo-electric interaction between a plasma or flow of conductive liquid or of fluid-borne conductive or magnetic particles and a coil system or magnetic field converts energy of mass flow into electrical energy or vice versa · CPC title

• H02K99/20

  Motors · CPC title

• H02K57/006 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic