Electrically driven vortical heat generator Field of the Invention

The proposal relates to thermal cavitation vortical heat generators driven by an electric motor with application to heating and hot water supplying systems, to heating process equipment and as a process device activating production processes with a fluid passing through the heat generator.

Prior Art

Electrically driven vortical heat generators are widely known; see the analog Fig. 7.12, p. 229 in [1] for. The disadvantage of such heat generators is that the heat generated by the electric motor is dissipated into the environment due to internal losses deducting from the efficiency of a heat generator the value equal to the efficiency of the electric motor proper, and practically and to a larger extent due to the air cooling of the heat generator by a fan of the electric motor. Moreover, heat generators of this type require a vent of leaks of the heat carrier that oozes through the seal of the shaft carrying the operating heat by the generating members of the heat generator.

The technical solution nearest in the design to the electrically driven vortical heat generator and the intended application is the prototype heaving at least one heat generating operating member 1 and at least one pumping operating member mounted on the shaft of electric motor 3, the electric motor being cooled by the heat carrier, the outlets of the operating members hydraulically communicating with external system 6 delivering heat to consumers 6, see Fig. 3.8, p. 85 in [ 1 ].

The known electrically driven heat generator has a number of advantages over similar technical solutions due to the fact that the heat generated by the electric motor (due to its internal losses) is transmitted to the heat carrier boosting the heat effectiveness of the heat generator in general. The shortcomings of the prototype are that the electric motor is designed with a stator and a rotor arranged directly in a relatively large vessel with the pumped fluid limiting thus the temperature of the heat carrier impairing its physico-chemical characteristics, reliability of operation of the plant in case of any significant temperature rise of the heat carrier, because the body of the electric motor is cooled just by a small portion of the fluid consumed circulating through the heat consumption system. A relatively large vessel accommodating the electric motor and the operating members adds sizably to the

weight and overall dimensional characteristics of the heat generator (the vessel is an integral part of the heat generator). Moreover, the electric motor is cooled only if is fitted with additional circulation pump 4 that the design of the heat generator of the known type demands.

Summary of the Invention

The aim of the technical solution of the invention is to utilize the advantages of the prototype (determined by the need to ensure transmission of energy losses in the electric motor to the heat carrier delivered into an external heat consumption system) and to improve significantly the weight and overall dimensional characteristics, to reduce of the vulnerability of the heat generator to the physico- chemical properties of the heat carrier and its temperature, as well as to improve significantly the vibration, noise and other performance characteristics of the heat generator.

The formulated aim is solved in the following manner:

- the electric motor of the heat generator is fitted with a stator and additional internal heat exchanging channels over the peripheral surface of the body with their input channels arranged in the rear panel of the electric motor communicating with the delivery channel that farther communicates with the output heat consumption channel, additional heat exchanging channels are hydraulically isolated from the stator and rotor chamber of the electric motor filled with an insulating fluid by means of a seal in the shaft, the seal being by-passed by a compensation movable elastic member that communicates hydraulically with the said heat exchanging channels having their outputs on the front panel of the electric motor and opening into the inputs of at least one operating member mounted on the electric motor shaft;

- temperature and pressure sensors are connected to the chamber in the front panel of the electric motor in the zone of egress from the additional heat exchanging channels communicating with a pressure adjusting device in this chamber;

- the pumping operating member is design to be combined with the heat generating operating member mounted in general on the electric motor shaft with its edge clearances locating between the built-in stationary disk-shaped operating members of the heat generator on the disk-shaped rotor and vortex producing members and channels balancing pressure at its edges;

- a by-passing seal or a movable elastic member is located in the chamber between its operating members and the front panel of the electric motor shaped as an axisymmetric membrane fitted on the sleeve along the axis of the body and sealing the electric motor shaft;

- the electric motor is fitted with an additional pumping member accommodated in its isolated internal chamber with channels for circulating the insulating fluid along the operating members and the electric motor body in the zones of heat and communicating with the additional heat exchanging channels in the stator;

- a sleeve with the shaft seal is rigidly attached to the electric motor body and hermetically connected to the central part of the axisymmetric membrane, its peripheral part is hermetically connected to the electric motor body in the zone of egress from the additional heat exchanging channels ;

- the sleeve with the shaft seal is designed movable on the shaft fitted with sliding bearings and hermetically connected to the central part of the axisymmetric membrane ;

- the chamber with the electric motor stator and rotor contains a temperature sensor connected to the control system of the heat generator;

- the movable elastic member separates the stator and rotor chamber with the heat exchanging channels in the electric motor, the heating system is provided with a vessel located separately to and externally of the electric motor body that communicates hydraulically with the stator and rotor chamber of the electric motor on one side and with the heat exchanging channels on the other side in the zone of their exit into the chamber of the electric motor shaft;

- the rear panel of the electric motor is provided in its central part with the first channel projecting from the end cover of the heat generator so that it can communicate with the environment through the internal stator and rotor chamber in the electric motor in its endmost part and it is possible to make it air-tight and connect to the system of filling of the stator and rotor chamber in the electric motor with a vacuum-treated insulating fluid; and it is provided with the second channel with a sealed outlet of cables supplying power to the electric motor effecting its temperature control, a circular chamber being provided between the end cover of the heat generator and the rear panel of the electric motor hydraulically communicating with both inlets into the internal heat exchanging channels and with the heat

supplying channel communicating with the outlet channel of the heat consumption system;

- a sensor of position of the movable by-passing seal of the elastic member shaft is installed in the body member of the heat generator and connected to the signaling and/or tripping system of the electric motor.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The drawing in Fig. 1 explains the invention and exemplifies an embodiment of the heat generator with an axisymmetric movable elastic member and a fixed shaft sealing sleeve, Fig.2 is an example of embodiment of the heat generator with a sealing sleeve movable along the shaft, an additional movable elastic member of the sensor of its position, a temperature sensor in the rotor and stator chamber, a circuit for filling the electric motor internal chamber with the insulating fluid, a circuit connecting the heat generator to the heat consumption hydrosystem.

The electrically driven vortical heat generator in its embodiment in Fig. I ₅ contains at least one operating member 1 performing the functions of pumping and energy generation or a disk-shaped rotor mounted on shaft 2 of rotor 3 cooperating with stator 4 of the electric motor. Stator 4 and rotor 3 are accommodated in the body consisting of front panel 5 and rear panel 6. Rotor 3 is mounted on sliding bearings 7 and 8, output shaft 2 of the electric motor is pressurized with contact seal 9 of any known type (flange, end-face or combined). The internal chamber of electric motor 10 is filled with a lubricating insulating fluid. Internal heat exchanging channels 11 are arranged on the peripheral surface of the body of stator 4 of the electric motor communicating through input channels 12 arranged in rear panel 6 with heat carrier delivering channel 13 serving to connect outlet (reverse) channel 14 to heat consumption system 15. Heat exchanging channels 11 are hydraulically isolated from chamber 10 of the electric motor with seal 9 (on shaft 2) and compensating movable member 16 by-passing the seal.

Outlet channels 17 of heat exchanging channels 11 communicate hydraulically with inlet channels 18 of the pumping operating member and channels 19 of the heat generating operating member that is designed in the present embodiment as combined with disk-shaped rotor 1 on the common shaft, the output of these operating members opening into common circular chamber 20 in the body

pressure channel 21 communicating hydraulically with outlet channel 22 from heat consumption systeml5.

By-passing elastic movable member 16 is arranged in the chamber between the pumping, heat generating and operating members of disk-shaped rotor 1 and front panel 5 shaped as axisymmetric membrane 16 fitted on sleeve 23 mounted axially on the body with seal 9 on shaft 2 of the electric motor in order to reduce the overall dimensions of the heat generator and to relieve seal 9 to a fuller extent of the pressure drop in the zone of pressurization of shaft 2. If membrane 16 is not provided with the inner power cord, its movement is limited by extreme position stops 24 and 25. The volume of the fluid forced out by movable member 16 when it moves between the extreme positions is definitely larger than the extent of heat volume compression of the insulating fluid filling up chamber 10. The above stops can be obviated if membrane 16 is provided with the power cord.

To improve reliability of the heat generator and to relieve sliding bearing 7 and 8 of axial forces the heat generating vortex producing members (the operating members) in this embodiment of the heat generator are arranged on the end faces of disk-shaped rotor 1, the rotor is mounted with clearances between the bodies of disk-shaped operating members 26 and 27 of the heat generator that, in order to balance pressure in the clearances, communicate with channels 28, the latter, in their turn, communicate hydraulically with outlets 17 from channels 11 through the circular chamber adjacent to front panel 5 of the electric motor. In order to suppress radial forces the peripheral surface of disk-shaped rotor 1 opens directly into circular chamber 20 with a constant pressure (due to the small calculated difference of the fluid movement speed along the circular channel).

To intensify the fluid heating process the vortex producing channels in the heat generating operating members at the ends of rotor 1 and members 26 and 27 are provided with channels 29 to permit the fluid flowing through said operating members of the vortex producing channels to re-circulate. Heat generating operating members can be arranged on the peripheral surface of rotor 1 too. However, since radial loading is caused on bearings 7 and 8, such embodiment of the operating members is not advisable as far as better reliability of the heat generator is concerned.

The electric motor is provided with additional pumping member 30 and channels 31, 32 and 33 in isolated internal chamber 10 for circulation of the insulating fluid along stator 4, rotor 3, bearings 7, 8 and the electric motor body in the zones that thermally communicate with the front and rear panels of the electric motor, and it is provided with additional heat exchanging channels 11. Pumping member 30 can be mounted on the shaft from the side of the rear panel of the electric motor in order to reverse circulation of the flow of the insulating fluid in respect to the flow in chamber 10 along channels 31, 32, 33.

Sleeve 34 with seal 9 on shaft 2 in this embodiment is rigidly attached to the electric motor body and hermetically attached to the central part of axisymmetric membrane 16, the peripheral part of it is attached hermetically to the electric motor body in the zone of outlet channels or openings 17 in heat exchanging channels 11, thus ensuring fuller balancing of pressure on seal 9 and practically preventing any overflow at all.

Sleeve 34 in the embodiment in Fig. 2 is made movable along the shaft and provided with sliding bearings 35; it is also hermetically attached to the central part of axisymmetric membrane 16 made as a bellow, for example, a metallic cone member (to improve additionally the conditions of heat dissipation from chamber 10) in order to increase the volume of displacement of the fluid when the elastic member moves and to minimize the effect of the shaft surface on the sealing edges of seal 9 when shaft 2 demonstrates a radial play impairing the durability of the seal. Seal 9 can be made as two collars with lips oriented towards the sealing edges in opposite directions along the shaft surface in order to improve reliability.

Chamber 10 contains, for the same purpose, heat sensor 36, see Fig.l, that sends a signal via cable 37 about the temperature of windings of stator 4 and/or the temperature of the fluid in chamber 10 to the control system of the electric motor of the heat generator and/or to the control system of circulation of the heat carrier passing through heat exchanging channels 11, for example, by adjusting the open flow area through throttles 38, 39 installed at the outlet from and the inlet into heat consumption system 15.

Compensating movable elastic member 16 separates chamber 10 with stator 4 and rotor 3 from heat exchanging channels 11 of the electric motor; heating system 15 can be installed from the side of rear panel 6 of the electric motor, see

Fig.3, or made as vessel 40 located separately outside of the body of vessel

40; yet it is better to connect it to heat exchanging channels 11 from the side of front panel 5 of the electric motor in order to reduce the pressure drop effect on seal 9, though it can be connected to delivery channel 13 too.

Rear panel 6 of the electric motor is provided in its central part with one (first) channel 41 projecting from the end cover of the heat generator, see Fig. 1 and 2, implemented so that it can communicate with internal chamber 10 in the electric motor in its sidemost end part, and farther with the environment and so that it can be made air-tight, for example, with plug or valve 42 and connected to chamber 10 of the system filling the electric motor with the vacuum-treated insulating fluid (not shown in the drawing), and another (second) channel 43 hermetically disposed between cable outlet 44 supplying power supply to the electric motor and cable 37 to temperature sensor 36, circular chamber 45 is provided between the end cover of the heat generator and the rear panel of the electric motor; the chamber communicates hydraulically with inlets 12 into internal heat exchanging channels 11 and delivery channel 13 opening into outlet channel 14 of heat consumption system 15.

To monitor the heat generator condition and to prevent emergency situations, movable elastic member 16, for example, can be interacting with the sensor of tolerable sidemost positions installed in the shell-type members of the heat generator, like position sensors 46 (of any known type) communicating with control unit 47 of the electric motor of the heat generator and an emergency warning system signaling an intolerable condition of the volume temperature compensation unit with member 16.

To ensure cavitation-free flow of the heat carrier along channels 11 and chamber in front panel 5 of the electric motor, including chamber 10, temperature and pressure sensors, 48 and 49, respectively, of pressure level control system 50 are connected to the chamber of shaft 2 of the electric motor to suppress the cavitation of the heat carrier flow in this chamber, for example, by adjusting pressure (measured by sensor 49) with throttle 38 with the set temperature function measured by sensor 48, or by adjusting pressure in system 15 with reducer 51.

In order to optimize the heat generation process, outlet channel 21 or channel 22 of heat consumption system 15, is fitted with throttle 39 and pressure

sensor 52 that adjust the pressure at the outlet from the operating members or rotor 1 in circular chamber 20 so that it is possible to adjust both consumption of the circulation in operating member 1 and the delivery volume of the hot heat carrier into heat consumption system 15.

The electrically driven vortical heat generator operates in the following manner. When the electric motor is actuated, rotor 1 begins to rotate pumping fluid from paraxial chamber 53 of rotor 1 along the pumping operating members or radial channels 54 and the end-face clearances between the heat generating and vortex producing channels at the end faces of rotor 1 and shell-type disk-shaped operating members 26 and 27 can also be provided with vortex producing channels, see, for example, RU patent 2201562. The heat generating and pumping operating members can have other shapes of the vortex producing members, see, for example, Fig. 2.9, 2.11, 2.16 and others referred to in [ 1 ], and they can be combined too, see the embodiment in Fig. 2, and their implementation according to RU patent 2201562. The heat carrier enters circular chamber 20 and enters through pressure channel 21 into heat consumption system 15. The cooled heat carrier enters through outlet channel 14 into delivery channel 13 and distributes over circular chamber 45 absorbing heat through the surfaces of rear panel 6, thence it enters through channels 12 into heat exchanging channels 11 absorbing the heat of stator 4 and chamber 10, thence it enters through channels 17 into the circular chamber with shaft 2 and farther into inlet channels 18, 19 in the operating members of rotor 1.

Such intercommunication between the heat dissipating channels ensures a gradual temperature rise of the heat carrier as it moves towards inlet channels 18, 19 in the operating members. The temperature and pressure in the chamber with shaft 2 are monitored by sensors 48, 49 that enable, for example, throttle controllers 38, 50, 51 in the chamber in front panel 5 of the electric motor to set the pressure exceeding that of saturated vapors of the heat carrier by the amount that warrants elimination of all cavitation phenomena in chamber 10, channels 11 and in the chamber in front panel 5 of the electric motor creating the best conditions for dissipating the heat that the electric motor generates due to internal losses in the windings, magnetic conductor, bearings and losses of the fluid flowing in chamber 10 for friction. On the other hand, controllers 38, 50, 51 set also the pressure at the inlet into the operating members of rotor 1 maintaining their normal and optimum

energy generation when the temperature of the heat carrier changes (that happens during transient conditions and during changes in dissipation of the thermal energy from system 15).

The heat generation process by the heat generating and operating members is intensified by the operating members by their proper selection and proper selection of the fluid re-circulating through channels 29 and channels 28 (intercommunicating through the end channels in rotor 1), by adjusting the pressure at their inlets and outlets in response to the temperature of the heat carrier, for example, according to RU patent 2212597, and also by dissipating all heat losses of the electric motor in channels 11. Channels 28 balance also the pressure field over the end faces of rotor 1, thus reducing the axial loading on bearings 7 and 8 of the electric motor.

By implementing the electric motor with sliding bearings, their axial and radial load is unloaded by configuring the pumping and heat generating operating members in one axial and radial load on unloaded rotor 1, a possibility of good dynamic balancing of rotor 1 and the electric motor rotor is created; then the operating members of the electric motor function in the insulating fluid with good heat dissipation and bearings in the fluid with good lubricating performance and cavitation-free flow in the heat exchanging channels of the electric motor; and its internal' chamber being of relatively small overall dimensions of the plant, ensures saving s of its total high energy and reliable performance with small vibration and noise generation that permit to use it, for example, to heat buildings with stricter permissible noise and vibration limits .

Industrial Applications

This invention is embodied with the use of multifunctional and easily available up-to-date equipment and substances that are widely used in the industry and health care.

Information sources

1. P. Fominsky, Rotary Generators of Free Heat (Do It Yourself) (in Russian),

Cherkassy, OKO+Plus Publishers, 2003.