Rugged, High-Temperature Pump for Mobile Cooling

Power generation and delivery systems in advanced combat vehicles are increasingly being designed to operate at higher power densities and in higher temperature environments. The critical technology need to allow widespread application of these advanced technologies is a rugged, compact coolant pump rated for the extreme environment within a typical engine compartment. Creare’s proposed pump has design features to prevent flow cavitation in the impeller and bearings and uses advanced impeller, bearing, motor, and inverter technologies that are reliable for military applications and compatible with the challenging high environmental temperatures. In Phase I, Creare will complete detailed design of the impeller and hydrodynamic bearings, carry out a demonstration of an impeller with inlet inducer for low NPSH, then complete a preliminary integrated design of the overall integrated pump and canned motor with associated high-temperature electronics. In Phase II, Creare will build the prototype pump, carry out performance tests, and deliver it to the Army for further performance characterization.