US 12,348,082 B2
Fluid cooled stator with grooves in stator core
Mark Allen Garety, Metamora, IL (US); Matthew Elliott Giannis, Peoria, IL (US); and Josh W. Dorothy, Dunlap, IL (US)
Assigned to Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, IL (US)
Filed by Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, IL (US)
Filed on Dec. 16, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/553,241.
Prior Publication US 2023/0198320 A1, Jun. 22, 2023
Int. Cl. H02K 1/20 (2006.01); H02K 9/19 (2006.01)
CPC H02K 1/20 (2013.01) [H02K 9/19 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A stator, comprising:
a stator core having a plurality of stator poles protruding radially inward from an interior surface of the stator core;
a stator winding disposed over each of the stator poles;
a series of spacers insterted into receiving grooves at radial inward ends of adjacent stator poles and preventing the stator windings from entering a cylindrical interior cavity of the stator core;
an axial groove formed on the outer surface of the stator core along a longitudinal axis of the stator core and configured to direct a cooling fluid from a first end of the stator core towards a second end of the stator core opposite the first end;
an annulus groove formed on the outer surface of the stator core, the annulus groove being in fluid communication with the axial groove, is configured to receive the cooling fluid from the axial groove, and is located between the first end and the second end of the stator core, wherein the annulus groove has one or more cooling fluid apertures, the cooling fluid apertures passing through the stator core from the annulus groove to an interior surface of the stator core;
a stator housing surrounding the stator core, wherein the axial groove and the stator housing form an axial flow passage, and the annulus groove and the stator housing form an annulus flow passage;
a first annulus ring circumferential groove formed on the outer surface of the stator core at the first end of the stator core;
a first annulus end ring attached to the first end of the stator core and having a first inlet port, wherein the cooling fluid flows into the first annulus ring circumferential groove from the first inlet port, flows from the first annulus ring circumferential groove to the axial groove towards the second end of the stator core, and flows from the axial groove into the annulus groove, wherein the first annulus end ring, the stator housing and the first annulus ring circumferential groove define a first annulus ring circumferential passage, wherein the cooling fluid flows through the first inlet port, around the first annulus ring circumferential passage, across the axial flow passage, and into and around the annulus flow passage, wherein the cooling fluid passes from the annulus flow passage through the cooling fluid apertures to the interior surface of the stator core to cool the stator winding;
a second annulus ring circumferential groove formed on the outer surface of the stator core at the second end of the stator core; and
a second annulus end ring attached to the second end of the stator core and having a second inlet port, wherein the axial groove directs the cooling fluid from the second inlet port towards the first end of the stator core and the annulus groove.