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US 12,448,982 B2Granted
Impeller bearings for pumps
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsDavid Raju Yamarthi, Brian G. Brzek, Adam Joseph Wangler, David Justin Brady, Prachi Anand Tappu, Santosh Pattnaik, Mohan Kannaiah Raju
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Impeller bearings for pumps are disclosed. An example fluid pump includes a motor, a shaft coupled to a rotor of the motor, an impeller coupled to the shaft forward of the motor, the impeller including blades to pump a fluid, a first radial bearing positioned around the shaft aft of the motor, a second radial bearing positioned around the impeller, and guide vanes extending radially from the second radial bearing upstream of the blades of the impeller.
Claims17
A fluid pump comprising:
- a motor;
- a shaft coupled to the motor;
- an impeller coupled to the shaft forward of the motor, the impeller including blades to pump a fluid;
- a first radial bearing positioned around the shaft aft of the motor;
- a second radial bearing positioned around the impeller forward of the blades of the impeller or a portion of the shaft forward of the blades of the impeller;
- and
- a stator vane housing including guide vanes, wherein the stator vane housing includes a base in contact with the second radial bearing, wherein the stator vane housing includes a shroud concentrically positioned around the base, wherein the stator vane housing is coupled to a casing of the fluid pump, wherein the guide vanes extend radially from the base to the shroud upstream of the blades of the impeller, wherein the guide vanes define a first flow path for a first portion of the fluid between the guide vanes at an axial position defined by the fluid pump, and wherein the second radial bearing defines a second flow path for a second portion of the fluid through the second radial bearing at the axial position.
4 more elements
A fluid pump comprising:
- a motor;
- a shaft coupled to the motor;
- an impeller coupled to the shaft forward of the motor, the impeller including blades to pump a fluid;
- a radial bearing positioned around the impeller forward of the blades of the impeller or a portion of the shaft forward of the blades of the impeller, wherein the fluid pump defines a flow path for the fluid in which a first portion of the fluid flows in an axial direction at a first radial location that is radially inward of at least a portion of the radial bearing and a second portion of the fluid flows in the axial direction at a second radial location that is radially outward of the radial bearing in a same axial location defined by the fluid pump as the first portion of the fluid;
- and
- a stator vane housing including guide vanes, wherein the stator vane housing includes a base in contact with the second radial bearing, wherein the stator vane housing includes a shroud concentrically positioned around the base, wherein the stator vane housing is coupled to a casing of the fluid pump, wherein the guide vanes extend radially from the base to the shroud upstream of the blades of the impeller, wherein the guide vanes direct the second portion of the fluid.
3 more elements
A fluid pump comprising:
- a motor;
- a shaft coupled to a rotor of the motor;
- an impeller coupled to the shaft forward of the motor, the impeller including blades to pump a fluid;
- a radial bearing positioned around the impeller forward of the blades of the impeller or a portion of the shaft forward of the blades of the impeller;
- and
- a stator vane housing including guide vanes, wherein the stator vane housing includes a base in contact with an outer radial surface of the radial bearing, wherein the stator vane housing includes a shroud concentrically positioned around the base, wherein the stator vane housing is coupled to a casing of the fluid pump, wherein the guide vanes extend from the base to the shroud upstream of the blades of the impeller in a same axial location defined by the fluid pump as the radial bearing, wherein the guide vanes define a first flow path for a first portion of the fluid between the guide vanes at an axial position defined by the fluid pump, and wherein the radial bearing defines a second flow path for a second portion of the fluid through the radial bearing at the axial position.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.