Supplemental air cooling system and air pressure oil sealing system for electrical turbocompound machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9835172-B2
Application number	US-201314441997-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 4, 2013
Priority date	Nov 12, 2012
Publication date	Dec 5, 2017
Grant date	Dec 5, 2017

Abstract

An electrically assisted turbocharger ( 10 ) includes an air cooling system for cooling an electric motor ( 52 ) housed within a motor chamber ( 54 ) in a bearing housing ( 12 ). An inlet volute ( 76 ) is formed in the bearing housing ( 12 ) on a first side of the electric motor ( 52 ) and an outlet volute ( 78 ) is formed in the bearing housing ( 12 ) on a second side of the electric motor ( 52 ) opposite from the inlet volute ( 76 ). The inlet volute ( 76 ) accelerates cooling air that is fed into the inlet volute ( 76 ) and directs the cooling air into the motor chamber ( 54 ). The cooling air travels in an axial direction through the motor chamber ( 54 ) from the inlet volute ( 76 ) to the outlet volute ( 78 ), thereby cooling the electric motor ( 52 ). The outlet volute ( 78 ) decelerates the cooling air and directs the cooling air out of the motor chamber ( 54 ).

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A turbocharger ( 10 ) including an air cooling system for cooling an electric motor ( 52 ) with cooling air, said turbocharger ( 10 ) comprising:
a bearing housing ( 12 ) including a motor chamber ( 54 ) for housing the electric motor ( 52 );
an inlet volute ( 76 ) formed in said bearing housing ( 12 ) and disposed on a first side of the electric motor ( 52 ), wherein said inlet volute ( 76 ) accelerates the cooling air that is fed into said inlet volute ( 76 ) and directs the cooling air into said motor chamber ( 54 ); and
an outlet volute ( 78 ) formed in said bearing housing ( 12 ) and disposed on a second side of the electric motor ( 52 ) opposite from said inlet volute ( 76 ), wherein said inlet volute ( 76 ) and said outlet volute ( 78 ) are spaced apart in an axial direction, and wherein said outlet volute ( 78 ) decelerates the cooling air and directs the cooling air out of said motor chamber ( 54 );
wherein the cooling air travels in said axial direction through said motor chamber ( 54 ) from said inlet volute ( 76 ) to said outlet volute ( 78 ) thereby cooling the electric motor ( 52 ).

2. The turbocharger ( 10 ) as set forth in claim 1 wherein said inlet volute ( 76 ) accelerates the cooling air in a tangential direction relative to said axial direction.

3. The turbocharger ( 10 ) as set forth in claim 2 wherein said outlet volute ( 78 ) decelerates the cooling air in said tangential direction relative to said axial direction.

4. The turbocharger ( 10 ) as set forth in claim 3 including an air inlet bore ( 74 ) and an air outlet bore, said air inlet bore ( 74 ) extending through a wall of said bearing housing ( 12 ) and coupled to said inlet volute ( 76 ), wherein the cooling air enters said inlet volute ( 76 ) through said air inlet bore ( 74 ), said air outlet bore extending through said wall of said bearing housing ( 12 ) and coupled to said outlet volute ( 78 ), wherein the cooling air exits said outlet volute ( 78 ) through said air outlet bore.

5. The turbocharger ( 10 ) as set forth in claim 1 wherein said bearing housing ( 12 ) includes an air channel ( 82 ) separate and apart from said motor chamber ( 54 ), said air channel ( 82 ) is coupled between an inlet end of said motor chamber ( 54 ) adjacent said inlet volute ( 76 ) and an outlet end of said motor chamber ( 54 ) adjacent said outlet volute ( 78 ).

6. A bearing housing ( 12 ) including a liquid cooling system and an air cooling system for cooling an electric motor ( 52 ) of an electrically assisted turbocharger ( 10 ), said bearing housing ( 12 ) comprising:
a motor chamber ( 54 ) for housing the electric motor ( 52 );
an annular liquid cooling cavity ( 68 ) defined between an outer circumference of the electric motor ( 52 ) and an inner circumference of the bearing housing ( 12 );
an inlet volute ( 76 ) formed in said bearing housing ( 12 ) and disposed on a first side of the electric motor ( 52 ), wherein said inlet volute ( 76 ) accelerates the cooling air that is fed into said inlet volute ( 76 ) and directs the cooling air into said motor chamber ( 54 ); and
an outlet volute ( 78 ) formed in said bearing housing ( 12 ) and disposed on a second side of the electric motor ( 52 ) opposite from said inlet volute ( 76 ), wherein said inlet volute ( 76 ) and said outlet volute ( 78 ) are spaced apart in an axial direction, and wherein said outlet volute ( 78 ) decelerates the cooling air and directs the cooling air out of said motor chamber ( 54 );
wherein the cooling air travels in said axial direction through said motor chamber ( 54 ) from said inlet volute ( 76 ) to said outlet volute ( 78 ) thereby cooling the electric motor ( 52 ).

7. The bearing housing ( 12 ) as set forth in claim 6 wherein said inlet volute ( 76 ) accelerates the cooling air in a tangential direction relative to said axial direction.

8. The bearing housing ( 12 ) as set forth in claim 7 wherein said outlet volute ( 78 ) decelerates the cooling air in said tangential direction relative to said axial direction.

9. The bearing housing ( 12 ) as set forth in claim 8 including an air inlet bore ( 74 ) and an air outlet bore, said air inlet bore ( 74 ) extending through a wall of said bearing housing ( 12 ) and coupled to said inlet volute ( 76 ), wherein the cooling air enters said inlet volute ( 76 ) through said air inlet bore ( 74 ), said air outlet bore extending through said wall of said bearing housing ( 12 ) and coupled to said outlet volute ( 78 ), wherein the cooling air exits said outlet volute ( 78 ) through said air outlet bore.

10. A turbocharger ( 10 ) comprising:
a bearing housing ( 12 ) including a motor chamber ( 54 );
an electric motor ( 52 ) disposed within said motor chamber ( 54 );
a liquid cooling system for cooling said electric motor ( 52 ) with a liquid; and
an air cooling system for cooling said electric motor ( 52 ) with cooling air to supplement said liquid cooling system;
wherein the cooling air travels in said axial direction through said motor chamber ( 54 ) from said inlet volute ( 76 ) to said outlet volute ( 78 ) thereby cooling said electric motor ( 52 ).

11. The turbocharger ( 10 ) as set forth in claim 10 wherein said liquid cooling system includes an annular liquid cooling cavity ( 68 ) disposed between an outer circumference of said electric motor ( 52 ) and an inner circumference of said bearing housing ( 12 ).

12. The turbocharger ( 10 ) as set forth in claim 11 wherein said air cooling system includes an inlet volute ( 76 ) formed in said bearing housing ( 12 ) and an outlet volute ( 78 ) formed in said bearing housing ( 12 ), said inlet volute ( 76 ) and said outlet volute ( 78 ) spaced apart in an axial direction, and wherein said inlet volute ( 76 ) accelerates the cooling air that is fed into said inlet volute ( 76 ) and directs the cooling air into said motor chamber ( 54 ), and wherein said outlet volute ( 78 ) decelerates the cooling air and directs the cooling air out of said motor chamber ( 54 ).

13. The turbocharger ( 10 ) as set forth in claim 12 wherein said inlet volute ( 76 ) is disposed on a first side of said electric motor ( 52 ) and said outlet volute ( 78 ) is disposed on a second side of said electric motor ( 52 ) opposite from said inlet volute ( 76 ).

14. The turbocharger ( 10 ) as set forth in claim 13 wherein said liquid cooling cavity ( 68 ) extends in said axial direction between first and second O-rings ( 70 , 72 ), said first and second O-rings ( 70 , 72 ) encircle an outer circumference of said electric motor ( 52 ) and contact an inner circumference of said bearing housing ( 12 ) to form a seal therebeween.

15. The turbocharger ( 10 ) as set forth in claim 14 wherein said bearing housing ( 12 ) includes an air channel ( 82 ) separate and apart from said motor chamber ( 54 ), said air channel ( 82 ) is coupled between an inlet end of said motor chamber ( 54 ) adjacent said inlet volute ( 76 ) and an outlet end of said motor chamber ( 54 ) adjacent said outlet volute ( 78 ) to balance a pressure within said motor chamber ( 54 ).

Assignees

• Borgwarner Inc

Inventors

• Bucking Michael

Classifications

• F01D25/12

  Cooling · CPC title

• F04D17/10

  for compressing or evacuating · CPC title

• F04D29/582

  specially adapted for elastic fluid pumps · CPC title

• F02C6/12

  Turbochargers, i.e. plants for augmenting mechanical power output of internal-combustion piston engines by increase of charge pressure · CPC title

• F04D29/5806 Primary

  Cooling the drive system · CPC title