Sealed switched reluctance motor
A motor including a sealed rotor with at least one salient rotor pole and a stator comprising at least one salient stator pole having an excitation winding associated therewith and interfacing with the at least one salient rotor pole to effect an axial flux circuit between the at least one salient stator pole and the at least one salient rotor pole.
1. A motor comprising:
a rotor configured as a switched reluctance rotor, and having two sets of rotor poles offset by an electrical angle, configured for at least three phase excitation so that the motor is operative with but two sets of rotor poles; and
a stator configured as a brushless stator separated from the rotor by a sealed partition;
wherein the switched reluctance rotor and the stator are configured so that the motor is operative with the but two sets of rotor poles and but two sets of independently energized windings each of which forms a flux path with each rotor pole of the but two sets of rotor poles.
2. The motor of claim 1 , wherein the rotor and stator are configured to generate an axial flux flow in the motor.
3. The motor of claim 2 , wherein the rotor comprises at least one salient rotor pole.
4. The motor of claim 3 , wherein the at least one salient rotor pole is mounted on a ferromagnetic backing comprising members extending toward the stator to effect the axial flux flow.
5. The motor of claim 4 , wherein the ferromagnetic backing comprises members extending radially toward at least one salient stator pole of the stator to effect the axial flux flow circuit.
6. The motor of claim 1 , wherein the rotor comprises at least one salient rotor pole comprising a set of axially displaced sub-poles.
7. The motor of claim 1 , wherein the stator comprises independent sets of at least three phase windings.
8. The motor of claim 1 , wherein the stator comprises a set of independent stator modules, each comprising a stator pole and an excitation coil.
9. The motor of claim 1 , further comprising an arrangement of rotor poles and stator poles configured to apply attractive forces to the rotor.
10. The motor of claim 1 , wherein the rotor comprises a non-magnetic core and includes at least one salient rotor pole being ferromagnetic.
11. The motor of claim 1 , wherein the stator includes at least one salient stator pole configured as a slot through which at least one salient rotor pole of the rotor passes to effect the axial flux flow circuit.
12. The motor of claim 11 , wherein the at least one salient rotor pole and at least one salient stator pole are configured with facing end members to effect the axial flux flow circuit.
13. A motor comprising:
a switched reluctance rotor comprising a plurality of rotor poles; and
a stator comprising a plurality of independent stator modules arranged around the rotor, the stator modules comprising salient stator poles constructed as separate segments and arranged so that the salient stator poles are sealed from the switched reluctance rotor.
14. The motor of claim 13 , wherein the rotor comprises a non-magnetic core and ferromagnetic rotor poles.
15. The motor of claim 13 , wherein the rotor poles and stator poles are arranged to effect a flux flow axial to the rotor.
16. The motor of claim 13 , wherein the rotor comprises members extending radially toward the stator to effect the axial flux flow.
17. The motor of claim 13 , wherein the stator segments are configured as slots through which the rotor poles pass to effect the flux flow axial to the rotor.
18. The motor of claim 13 , wherein the rotor poles and stator segments are configured with facing end members to effect the flux flow axial to the rotor.
19. The motor of claim 13 , wherein at least one of the stator modules comprising salient stator poles is disposed so as to interface sub-poles of at least one of a salient rotor pole of the plurality of poles.
20. The motor of claim 13 , wherein the switched reluctance rotor poles and the salient stator poles are arranged to effect, at each interface between the rotor poles and the salient stator poles, a flux flow between the rotor poles and the salient stator poles that is axial to the rotor.
21. A motor comprising:
a switched reluctance rotor comprising a plurality of salient poles; and
a configurable stator sealed from the switched reluctance rotor and comprising at least one interchangeable stator module comprising a stator pole and an excitation coil installed together as a unit,
wherein the stator configuration, sealed from the switched reluctance rotor, is selectable from more than one stator configuration, each of the more than one stator configuration being effected by selection of a number of stator modules installed on the stator so that different selected stator configurations have a different number of selected stator modules for a common switched reluctance rotor.
22. The motor of claim 21 , wherein the rotor comprises a non-magnetic core and ferromagnetic rotor poles.
23. The motor of claim 21 , wherein the rotor comprises members extending radially toward the stator to effect the axial flux flow.
24. The motor of claim 21 , wherein the stator modules are configured as slots through which the rotor poles pass to effect the flux flow axial to the rotor.
25. The motor of claim 21 , wherein the rotor poles and stator modules are configured with facing end members to effect the flux flow axial to the rotor.
26. The motor of claim 21 , wherein at least one of the stator modules comprising salient stator poles is disposed so as to interface sub-poles of at least one of a salient rotor pole of the plurality of poles.
27. A motor comprising:
a switched reluctance rotor comprising a plurality of salient poles; and
a stator sealed from the switched reluctance rotor and comprising a selectable number of interchangeable stator modules, sealed from the switched reluctance rotor, so as to change a configuration of the motor depending on a number stator modules selected, each of the stator modules defining an individual stator pole.
28. The motor of claim 27 , wherein the rotor comprises a non-magnetic core and ferromagnetic rotor poles.
29. The motor of claim 27 , wherein the rotor comprises members extending radially toward the stator to effect the axial flux flow.
30. The motor of claim 27 , wherein the stator modules are configured as slots through which the rotor poles pass to effect the flux flow axial to the rotor.
31. The motor of claim 27 , wherein the rotor poles and stator modules are configured with facing end members to effect the flux flow axial to the rotor.
32. The motor of claim 27 , wherein at least one of the stator modules comprising salient stator poles is disposed so as to interface sub-poles of at least one of a salient rotor pole of the plurality of poles.