Negative pressure motor sealing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9929625-B2
Application number	US-201514797801-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 13, 2015
Priority date	Jul 17, 2014
Publication date	Mar 27, 2018
Grant date	Mar 27, 2018

Abstract

A system includes an electric motor including a housing enclosing a substantially-sealed internal environment, a pump including an inlet connected to the substantially-sealed internal environment of the electric motor via a first conduit, and a fluid supply storing a makeup fluid, the fluid supply including an outlet connected to the substantially-sealed internal environment of the electric motor via a second conduit. The pump is configured to create a negative pressure within the substantially-sealed internal environment of the electric motor to mitigate potential contamination of an external environment of the electric motor with the makeup fluid.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
an electric motor including a housing enclosing a substantially-sealed internal environment;
a pump including an inlet connected to the substantially-sealed internal environment of the electric motor via a first conduit; and
a fluid supply storing a makeup fluid, the fluid supply including an outlet connected to the substantially-sealed internal environment of the electric motor via a second conduit,
wherein the pump is configured to create a negative pressure within the substantially-sealed internal environment of the electric motor to mitigate potential contamination of an external environment of the electric motor with the makeup fluid.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a regulator within the second conduit between the fluid supply and the substantially-sealed internal environment of the electric motor, wherein the regulator combines with the pump to control flow of the makeup fluid within the substantially-sealed internal environment of the electric motor.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the flow limits contamination of substantially-sealed internal environment with contents of the external environment.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the pump includes an outlet, wherein the system further comprises a filter configured to filter fluids exiting the outlet of the pump.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the makeup fluid consists essentially of oxygen and/or nitrogen.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the external environment comprises at least ten percent by weight of argon.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the electric motor is a positioning motor for a manufacturing process, the manufacturing process including at least one of a group consisting of:
semiconductor manufacturing;
directed energy deposition;
chemical vapor deposition; and
radioactive material handling.

8. An electric motor comprising:
a housing enclosing a substantially-sealed internal environment;
an outlet to the housing, the outlet being configured to apply a vacuum to the substantially-sealed internal environment;
an inlet to the housing, the inlet to the housing being configured to supply a makeup fluid to the substantially-sealed internal environment,
wherein the inlet and the outlet are configured to create a negative pressure within the substantially-sealed internal environment of the electric motor to mitigate potential contamination of an external environment of the electric motor with the makeup fluid.

9. The electric motor of claim 8 , further comprising a regulator connected to the inlet to the housing, wherein the regulator combines with the outlet to the housing to control flow of the makeup fluid within the substantially-sealed internal environment of the electric motor.

10. The electric motor of claim 9 , wherein the flow limits contamination of substantially-sealed internal environment with contents of the external environment.

11. The electric motor of claim 8 , further comprising a filter configured to filter fluids exiting the outlet.

12. The electric motor of claim 8 , wherein the makeup fluid consists essentially of oxygen and/or nitrogen.

13. The electric motor of claim 8 , wherein the electric motor is a positioning motor for a manufacturing process, the manufacturing process including at least one of a group consisting of:
semiconductor manufacturing;
directed energy deposition;
chemical vapor deposition; and
radioactive material handling.

14. A method comprising:
operating an electric motor within an external environment;
applying, during the operation of the electric motor, with a pump including an inlet connected to a substantially-sealed internal environment enclosed by a housing of the electric motor via a first conduit, a negative pressure to the substantially-sealed internal environment of the electric motor; and
supplying, during the operation of the electric motor, a makeup fluid with a fluid supply via an outlet connected to the substantially-sealed internal environment of the electric motor via a second conduit,
wherein the negative pressure within the substantially-sealed internal environment of the electric motor mitigates potential contamination of the external environment with the makeup fluid.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising, during the operation of the electric motor, controlling flow of the makeup fluid within the substantially-sealed internal environment of the electric motor with the pump and a regulator within the second conduit between the fluid supply and the substantially-sealed internal environment of the electric motor.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the flow limits contamination of substantially-sealed internal environment with contents of the external environment.

17. The method of claim 14 , further comprising, during the operation of the electric motor, filtering filter fluids exiting the pump outlet with a filter connected to an outlet of the pump.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein the makeup fluid consists essentially of oxygen and/or nitrogen.

19. The method of claim 14 , wherein the external environment comprises at least ten percent by weight of helium.

20. The method of claim 14 , wherein operating the electric motor includes positioning a manufacturing element as part of a manufacturing process, the manufacturing process including at least one of a group consisting of:
semiconductor manufacturing;
directed energy deposition;
chemical vapor deposition; and
radioactive material handling.

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Corp
• Rolls Royce Plc

Inventors

• Shuck Quinlan Yee
• Baxter Gavin

Classifications

• H02K5/203

  specially adapted for liquids, e.g. cooling jackets · CPC title

• H02K9/19

  for machines with closed casing and closed-circuit cooling using a liquid cooling medium, e.g. oil · CPC title

• H02K9/08 Primary

  by gaseous cooling medium circulating wholly within the machine casing (H02K9/10 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H02K5/22

  Auxiliary parts of casings not covered by groups H02K5/06-H02K5/20, e.g. shaped to form connection boxes or terminal boxes · CPC title

• H02K5/12 Primary

  specially adapted for operating in liquid or gas (combined with cooling arrangements H02K9/00) · CPC title