High efficiency double suction impeller
AssigneeNuovo Pignone Tecnologie Srl
InventorsLorenzo Bergamini, Marco Torresi, Tommaso Capurso
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Abstract
A double suction impeller is disclosed. In at least one embodiment, the impeller is configured for centrifugal pumps and hydraulic power recovery turbines. The impeller's flow-path arrangement comprises inter-blade channels, intersecting each other at the impeller's outer diameter and defining a variable cross section shape, so that the equivalent number of blades is at least doubled with respect to a conventional configuration obtained by the coupling of two single suction impellers and an improved control over the velocity of the flow within the inter-blade channels is achieved.
Claims12
A double suction impeller, comprising:
- a plurality of blades attached to a hub and to a left side shroud and to a right side shroud, the left side shroud and the right side shroud each having a center aperture, and an outer edge of the left side shroud and the outer edge of the right side shroud define an impeller exit;
- each pair of adjacent blades of the plurality of blades defines a plurality of inter-blade channels configured to connect a plurality of input apertures located within the center apertures of the left side shroud and the right side shroud to a plurality of output apertures located on the impeller exit,
- wherein each of the plurality of inter-blade channels has a variable cross section shape, the variable cross section shape being quadrilateral at an inlet of each inter-blade channel of the plurality of inter-blade channels, then becoming at least a five sided polygon, and then becoming quadrilateral again before the impeller exit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.