Integrated electric motor and pump assembly

Abstract

Fluid pumps with integrated electric motors may be implemented by a variety of techniques. In one example embodiment, a pump may include an electric motor with a magnetically driven impeller/rotor that eliminates the need for a mechanical roller bearing system and shaft seals, which are a common cause of failure in fluid pump systems.

1 . An integrated electric motor and pump assembly, comprising:
 an impeller/rotor assembly including a body having a number of poles located around its periphery, the assembly including a number of vanes adapted pump a fluid when turned;   a first stator assembly and a second stator assembly located on opposite sides of the impeller/rotor assembly, each stator including a body having a number of poles located around its periphery, the poles of the stator assemblies adapted to interact with the poles of the impeller/rotor assembly to drive impeller/rotor assembly to pump a fluid; and   a housing around the impeller/rotor assembly, the first stator assembly, and the second stator assembly.   
     
     
         2 . The integrated electric motor and pump assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the impeller/rotor assembly is suspended by the magnetic force field of the stator assemblies during operation. 
     
     
         3 . The integrated electric motor and pump assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the impeller/rotor assembly is supported by a thin fluid film bearing derived from a specific directed flow of the fluid being pumped. 
     
     
         4 . The integrated electric motor and pump assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the impeller/rotor assembly comprises a bushing surface adapted to allow the impeller/rotor assembly to come to rest after the pump is turned off. 
     
     
         5 . The integrated electric motor and pump assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the impeller/rotor assembly comprises two inlets, each on opposite sides of the impeller/rotor assembly from one another. 
     
     
         6 . The integrated electric motor and pump assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a motor controller integrated into the pump housing. 
     
     
         7 . The integrated electric motor and pump assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the pump assembly is configured as a centrifugal pump. 
     
     
         8 . The integrated electric motor and flow pump assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the pump assembly is configured as an axial pump. 
     
     
         9 . The integrated electric motor and pump assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the magnetic flux gap between the stators and the impeller/rotor assembly are angled with respect to the rotational axis such as to counteract the reaction forces imposed on the impeller/rotor assembly by the fluid flow process. 
     
     
         10 . The integrated electric motor and pump assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the stator assemblies comprise switched-reluctance stators. 
     
     
         11 . The integrated electric motor and pump assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the poles of the impeller/rotor assembly are composed of non-permanent magnets. 
     
     
         12 . The integrated electric motor and pump assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the stator assemblies are of an inductance motor type, and the impeller/rotor assembly poles comprise conductors. 
     
     
         13 . The integrated electric motor and pump assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the stators are of a synchronous reluctance type, and the impeller/rotor assembly is of a synchronous reluctance type. 
     
     
         14 . The integrated electric motor and pump assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the stator assemblies are of a transverse flux type. 
     
     
         15 . The integrated electric motor and pump assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the integrated impeller/rotor assembly comprises a pitot-tube pump. 
     
     
         16 . The integrated electric motor and pump assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the poles of the stator assemblies comprise C-shaped elements that each have a conductor wrapper therearound. 
     
     
         17 . The integrated electric motor and pump assembly of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the stator assemblies comprise auxiliary poles; and   the impeller/rotor assembly comprises at least one control ring, the auxiliary poles adapted to create a magnetic flux that interacts with the control ring to position the impeller/rotor assembly.