Electric motor and method of cooling

Abstract

A system for cooling an electric motor, the electric motor including a stator disposed about a rotor, wherein cooling system includes a rotor assembly including a shaft with a shaft channel extending through the center of the shaft and radial channels extending radially from the shaft channel; a rotor with profiled rotor ends; and two guides, each coupled to a rotor end, that guides fluid from the shaft exterior to the rotor end. The system may additionally include interior channels that traverse through the rotor interior, wherein the interior channels fluidly couple the radial channels to a guide-rotor end pair. The system may also include stator cooling mechanisms, including cooling channels within the motor casing proximal to stator exterior surface and dispensing mechanisms that dispense working fluid to the stator coils.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A system for cooling an electric motor comprising:
 a stator comprising stator coils;   a rotor assembly arranged within the stator, the rotor assembly comprising:
 a shaft comprising:
 a shaft channel extending coaxially through a portion of the shaft that is configured to receive a working fluid; and 
 a radial channel extending radially from the shaft channel that is configured to channel the working fluid from the shaft channel to the shaft exterior; 
 
 a rotor, rigidly coupled about the shaft, the rotor having a profiled rotor end that is configured to disperse working fluid from the shaft to the adjacent stator coils; and 
 a guide, extending from the shaft and arranged proximal the rotor end, that is configured to guide the working fluid against the rotor end.